Septic permit rules and requirements in Tennessee
In Tennessee, the state sets the rule. The septic permit comes from your contract county. For some systems the state issues it itself. Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-221-403(m) · checked 2026-09-12
Your contract county
Issues the permit
checked 2026-09-12
Who decides a septic permit in Tennessee
Your contract county issues an ordinary residential permit. For some systems the state issues it itself. The state sets the floor.
The law lets some counties become contract counties. A contract county reviews and issues its own septic permits. The department issues them in every other county.
Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-221-403(m) · checked 2026-09-12
The office publishes its own page on this: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation — Subsurface Sewage Disposal System (SSDS) Permits.
The office's own page names this address as its canonical link.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation — Subsurface Sewage Disposal System (SSDS) Permits · checked 2026-09-23
Whether Tennessee counts what it permits
Yes. Tennessee publishes septic permit counts by county.
The office runs a live database of septic permit records. A visitor can search by county and see the permit type and date.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation — Groundwater Protection (Septic) Permits Data Viewer · checked 2026-09-12
Tennessee counties on this site
We have not published a Tennessee county page yet. A county earns a page when we hold facts unique to it. Until then this page is the answer for every county in the state.
Telling us your county is how we decide which one to build next.
Sources
State records only. Each figure above has a government source and a checked-on date. County figures live on the county pages.
Verify before you act. Septic rules are set locally and they change. Check anything here with your contract county before you spend money on it.