How do you get a TDEC septic permit in Tennessee?
You get a TDEC septic permit from the Environmental Field Office that serves your county. Apply online, or on paper at that office. A TDEC Environmental Scientist then evaluates the site and decides what system it needs. The permit goes to a licensed installer, and the system is inspected before it is covered.
Who issues septic permits in Tennessee?
TDEC, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, issues septic permits through its Division of Water Resources. Its Environmental Field Offices cover every county that is not a contract county. State rule 0400-48-01 bars building, altering, extending or repairing a system without a valid construction permit.
Nine counties run their own septic programs. TDEC lists these contract counties as Blount, Davidson, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Madison, Sevier, Shelby and Williamson.
Williamson County, home to our base in Thompson’s Station, is one of them. Its program runs through the Williamson County Department of Sewage Disposal Management in Franklin. Our guide to septic permits in Williamson County covers that office.
Around the rest of our service area, TDEC splits the work like this:
- Maury and Marshall counties: TDEC’s Columbia Environmental Field Office, at 1421 Hampshire Pike. That covers septic work in Columbia, the Maury side of Spring Hill and Lewisburg septic service.
- Rutherford and Dickson counties: a different TDEC regional field office handles both. That covers septic installation in Murfreesboro and Dickson septic jobs.
We file the permit in whichever office the address calls for and handle it start to finish. That paperwork is part of every septic system installation we do.
Which TDEC septic permit do you need?
TDEC’s online application page lists these requests:
- Construction permit. Anyone who wants a septic system installed must get one.
- Alternative septic system permit. For LPP, mound, oxidation lagoon and ATS/SDD systems. These fit sites where soil or site conditions do not favor a conventional system. An extra-high intensity soils map must be submitted first.
- Repair permit. TDEC’s Division of Water Resources designs the repair for the failing system.
- Modification permit. For more bedrooms, or a pool, garage, shop or barn that impacts the existing system.
- Subdivision evaluation. For dividing land into 2 or more lots for building on septic. A survey and soils map come first. Splits where every tract is 5 acres or larger are not a subdivision under this rule.
- Inspection letter. Documents an existing system’s status for a sale, a mortgage or a plat approval.
- Certificate of verification. A self-certifying document stating that an existing system will serve a new residence. It is used to get electric service.
That last one ties to T.C.A. 68-221-414. The electrical inspector needs written notice of public sewer, a septic permit application or an existing system before service.
Repair permits cover septic or dosing tanks, or field line, that go in to correct a failure. That reaches drain field repair with new field line and septic tank repair that replaces a cracked tank. The state may allow a repair where the site misses soil suitability, field length and reserve area requirements.
How do you apply for a TDEC septic permit?
Check for sewer first. Where an accessible public sewer exists, the state refuses a septic construction permit. TDEC also says to get the septic permit before any dirt work, including the building pad.
TDEC recommends applying online, through its Septic Service Request Online Application. Paper applications on Form CN-0971 are still accepted at the Environmental Field Office. The application covers the landowner, the lot, occupants, bedrooms, water use and basement plumbing, plus a rough site sketch. Soils maps go in if required. Large conventional or alternative systems need a licensed engineer’s design.
A newer third-party route also exists. A third-party water resources engineer may prepare the permit package and do the final inspection in place of TDEC. A TDEC-certified soil scientist may submit the application for a system under 750 gallons per day. That filing carries the design, the soils map and an unsigned permit. In non-contract counties, the application and fee still go to TDEC.
What happens at the TDEC site evaluation?
Get the lot ready before the visit. TDEC asks for this:
- Mark the property lines and corners, with stakes no more than 200 feet apart on long lines.
- Stake the four corners of the house or building pad, including patios, porches, garages and pools.
- Mow or bush hog around the house site and the proposed soil evaluation areas.
- Do no cutting, filling or other soil disturbance.
A TDEC Environmental Scientist then evaluates the site and decides the type of system it needs. The scientist may ask for a detailed site plan or a soils map from a private soil consultant. We coordinate that soil work as part of an install, and our guide to perc tests in Tennessee covers it.
What happens after TDEC issues the permit?
You give the permit to a licensed installer. Under state rule 0400-48-01, anyone in the business of installing or repairing systems needs a valid annual permit. TDEC says installer permits are valid statewide, though contract counties may require an additional permit.
An owner or tenant doing their own work on their own property, when that property is their residence, is exempt from the installer permit. The construction permit still applies.
When the install is done, the installer calls the local Environmental Scientist for a final inspection. That happens before the system is covered. An approved installation gets a Certificate of Completion.
How much does a TDEC septic permit cost?
TDEC’s fee schedule lists a new conventional permit at $400 for up to 1,000 gallons per day of design flow. TDEC’s schedule adds a $100 construction inspection. On TDEC’s schedule, an alternative system permit is $500 with a $200 inspection. TDEC lists no fee for a repair permit and $100 for its inspection.
The schedule covers permit and inspection fees only. We look at the site and hand you one price on a free on-site estimate.
Here is TDEC’s published fee schedule, line by line.
| Permit or inspection | TDEC fee |
|---|---|
| New conventional (or large diameter graveless pipe) permit, up to 1,000 gallons per day | $400 |
| Each additional 1,000 gallons per day, conventional | $100 |
| Conventional construction inspection | $100 |
| New alternative system permit, up to 1,000 gallons per day | $500 |
| Each additional 1,000 gallons per day, alternative | $150 |
| Alternative construction inspection | $200 |
| Experimental system permit | $500 |
| Repair permit | No permit fee |
| Repair construction inspection | $100 |
How long does a TDEC septic permit take and last?
TDEC says its review generally takes 10 days and must be completed within 45 days of the application date. Its FAQ allows up to 45 days from receipt of a complete application.
Under state rule 0400-48-01, a construction permit expires three years from issue. TDEC says renewing it takes a new application.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a septic permit good for in Tennessee?
Under state rule 0400-48-01, a construction permit in the TDEC counties expires three years from issue. TDEC says renewing or modifying an existing permit takes a new application or a modification request. Williamson County, a contract county, runs its own septic program and permits.
How much does a septic permit cost in Tennessee?
TDEC’s fee schedule lists $400 for a new conventional permit up to 1,000 gallons per day, plus a $100 inspection. It lists $500 for an alternative system permit, plus a $200 inspection. TDEC lists no fee for a repair permit and $100 for its inspection. We price the job on a free on-site estimate.
Who keeps records of septic tanks in Tennessee?
TDEC says records for existing septic systems can be found in its Search for Septic Tank Permits. TDEC Inspection Letters document an existing system’s status for a sale, a mortgage or a plat approval. Williamson County and the other contract counties run their own septic programs, so check with the county office there too.
What are the TDEC septic permit requirements?
TDEC’s application asks for the landowner, the lot’s location and size, occupants, bedrooms and water use. Add a rough sketch of the property lines, house site, well, spring, planned driveway and utilities. Stake the lines and house pad corners, and mow the site. Large conventional or alternative systems need a licensed engineer’s design.
Can you apply for a TN septic permit online?
Yes. TDEC recommends applying online through its Septic Service Request Online Application. Paper applications on Form CN-0971 are still accepted at the Environmental Field Office that serves your county. The online application is not used in the metropolitan or contract counties, such as Williamson.
Do you need a permit to repair a septic system in Tennessee?
Yes. State rule 0400-48-01 bars any repair without a valid construction permit. Repair permits cover tanks or field line that correct a failure. In the TDEC counties, the Division of Water Resources designs the repair. TDEC’s fee schedule lists no permit fee and a $100 repair inspection. We price the job on a free on-site estimate.
How long does TDEC take to approve a septic permit?
TDEC says its review generally takes 10 days and must be completed within 45 days of the application date. Its FAQ puts processing at up to 45 days from receipt of a complete application. A complete application includes marked property lines and house location, and a site mowed or bush hogged before the visit.
Can I install my own septic system in Tennessee?
Yes, with limits. State rule 0400-48-01 exempts an owner or tenant doing their own work on the property they live on from the installer permit. The construction permit is still required, and TDEC still inspects the installation. Anyone in the business of installing, altering, extending or repairing systems needs a valid annual installer permit.
Septic Superior is a family septic company based in Thompson’s Station. More than 20 years of septic work in Williamson County sit behind the company. We file the septic permit in whichever office your address calls for and handle it start to finish. Then our crew does the septic installation or replacement. Call (615) 957-9682 or use our contact form for a free on-site estimate, and we hand you one price.