Building permits, zoning and land rules in Fayette County, Tennessee

At a glance

Building permit

Required; apply in person at the county planning office after septic approval¹²

Zoning

Yes, in unincorporated Fayette County; uses and standards depend on the parcel's district³

Septic

TDEC administers permits and inspections; septic approval comes before the county building permit⁴⁶⁷

RV living

Not confirmed; ask Planning and Development about the parcel and proposed duration⁸

Tiny home

No specific occupancy rule confirmed; zoning and building-permit review still apply⁹¹

Owner-builder

One personal residence every two years, not for sale, lease or rent; local permits still apply¹⁰

State-highway driveway

A TDOT permit is required before construction, modification or change of use¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Fayette County, Tennessee?

Yes. Fayette County requires a building permit for construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, movement, improvement, removal, conversion or demolition of any building or structure¹. For a home in unincorporated Fayette County, the county's published sequence requires an approved septic permit, an approved building-permit application and an approved plan review before the building permit can be issued⁷. Construction cannot begin until the permit is issued⁷. Building permits cannot be applied for online: applicants appear in person or by agent at the county planning office, there is no fee to apply for the county building permit, and a permit is issued only with septic approval and, if applicable, payment of the adequate facilities tax². For buildings that generate wastewater, the state wastewater-disposal permit must be granted before the county building permit is issued, and no clearing or grading should happen before that state permit². The permit instructions also separate electrical work from the county permit: electrical permits and electrical inspections go through the state⁷. Tennessee's statewide owner-builder allowance can let a property owner build a single residence for personal use, but it does not erase the Fayette County permit requirement; the owner may build one residence every two years, for personal use and not for resale, lease or rent, and any hired person whose portion is $25,000 or more must be a licensed contractor¹⁰¹.

Who is the Fayette County building department, and how do you reach it?

Fayette County Planning and Development is the building-permit and zoning contact⁸. The office is at 16265 Hwy 64 in Somerville, and its main phone is 901-465-5250⁸. Permit-related email can be sent to permits@fayettetn.us⁸. The department's page links the building-permit application, zoning resolution, zoning map and subdivision regulations, and it describes zoning as the districts and regulations governing land use and development⁸. Use the same office to confirm the zoning district and application package for a specific rural parcel before commissioning final plans⁸. Fayette County's published home-permit instructions require the proposed dwelling location to be visibly marked and plans to show heated and unheated floor area plus plumbing fixtures⁷.

Does Fayette County have zoning?

Yes. Fayette County's zoning resolution expressly applies to the unincorporated regions of the county, where it regulates the location, height and density of buildings, yard sizes and land and building uses, and the standard that applies to a project depends on the parcel's district³. The Official Zoning Map is kept in the Fayette County Register's Office in the courthouse¹². A parcel inside a city's limits needs a separate check with that city, since we could not confirm municipal zoning rules³. Do not carry one setback from the zoning resolution across every property because some standards are district-specific¹³. In the cited district provision, the road-right-of-way setback is 50 feet, while certain district-boundary and lot-line setbacks are 25 feet or 50 feet when adjoining a residential district¹³. That same district caps coverage by all structures, including accessory buildings, at 75 percent, and caps building height at 25 feet unless the building meets additional setback requirements¹⁴¹⁵. Tennessee provides a conditional county-zoning exemption for a structure on agricultural land when it is incidental to the agricultural enterprise, but highway, airport, park and floodplain exceptions can defeat it¹⁶.

Separately, land divisions fall under the county subdivision regulations, which require adequate streets, drainage, utilities and vehicular ingress and egress¹⁷.

How do septic permits work in Fayette County?

TDEC's Division of Water Resources, not Fayette County, administers septic permitting and inspection⁴⁵. A septic permit is required to construct, modify or repair a septic system, and Fayette County requires approved septic authorization before it will issue the building permit⁶⁷. After installation, the installer contacts the local Environmental Scientist for a final inspection before the system is covered; approval produces a Certificate of Completion¹⁸. TDEC's current Memphis Environmental Field Office page lists Fayette among the counties it serves and directs water-resources questions through its main line at (901) 371-3000¹⁹. Only about 5.1 percent of Fayette County soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility an early contingency rather than assuming a conventional layout will work²⁰.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Fayette County?

Fayette County has not published a confirmed countywide answer here for long-term RV occupancy or for tiny-home occupancy. Ask Planning and Development at 901-465-5250 about the parcel's zoning district, the proposed structure or vehicle, utility connections and how long you intend to occupy it⁸. A tiny home is not automatically outside the permit system: Fayette County's building-permit rule covers construction, movement, improvement and conversion of buildings or structures¹. Zoning also remains relevant because Fayette County regulates land use and development by district²¹. The county's minimum dwelling size and minimum lot area could not be confirmed, so obtain a parcel-specific answer from Planning and Development before buying land or ordering a unit⁸.

Building a home in Fayette County: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district and applicable standards with Fayette County Planning and Development at 901-465-5250⁸.
2. Apply to TDEC for the septic permit; Fayette County requires septic approval before the building permit⁷⁶.
3. Mark the property at the road and stake or flag the proposed dwelling location⁷.
4. Visit the county planning office in person (building permits cannot be applied for online) and submit the county building-permit application and house plans showing heated and unheated floor area and plumbing fixtures for plan review⁷².
5. Obtain the issued building permit before starting construction⁷.
6. Pull electrical permits through Tennessee and use the state electrical inspector⁷.
7. Arrange the septic final inspection before the system is covered¹⁸.
8. If access connects to a state-highway right-of-way, get TDOT's entrance permit before constructing or changing the driveway¹¹.

What to check before you buy land in Fayette County

Start with zoning and septic. Fayette County has district-based land-use standards, while only about 5.1 percent of its soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field²¹²⁰. Confirm public sewer availability too: a qualifying Tennessee utility can require a building on an abutting parcel to connect to its sewer and stop using another sewage-disposal method²². Check road access because a driveway on state-highway right-of-way needs TDOT approval before construction or a change in use¹¹. Most of the county is comparatively gentle terrain, with about 91.5 percent of land at a slope of 15 percent or less, but that does not substitute for a parcel survey or soil evaluation²³. Fayette County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.3 percent, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $1,092²⁴²⁵.

Watch-outs

• Do not begin construction before Fayette County issues the building permit, and remember that state electrical permits are separate from the county permit⁷.
• Get septic feasibility resolved early: only about 5.1 percent of Fayette County soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field²⁰.
• Long-term RV occupancy, tiny-home occupancy, minimum dwelling size and minimum lot area are not confirmed countywide; ask Planning and Development for a parcel-specific determination⁸.
• The county does not accept building-permit applications online, and a state septic permit must be granted before the county building permit is issued, so allow for at least two visits to the planning office².

Sources

1. fayettetn.us, quoted and re-checked
2. Planning and Development | Fayette County, quoted and re-checked
3. Zoning Resolution of Fayette County Tennessee, quoted and re-checked
4. Fayette County TN - Planning and Development (refers to TDEC) (2026 county census)
5. Planning and Development, quoted and re-checked
6. Subsurface Sewage Disposal System Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
7. Fayette County Planning Office building-permit instructions (fayettetn.us)
8. Fayette County Planning and Development Office (fayettetn.us)
9. Planning and Development (2026 county census)
10. Residential Permit FAQs, quoted and re-checked
11. Highway Entrance Permits (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Services | Fayette County, quoted and re-checked
13. Zoning Resolution of Fayette County Tennessee, quoted and re-checked
14. Zoning Resolution of Fayette County Tennessee, quoted and re-checked
15. Zoning Resolution of Fayette County Tennessee, quoted and re-checked
16. Exemption from County Zoning Regulation for Buildings on Land Used for Agriculture, Opinion No. 22-07 (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Planning and Development, quoted and re-checked
18. Subsurface Sewage Disposal System Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
19. TDEC Memphis Environmental Field Office (tn.gov)
20. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
21. Planning and Development, quoted and re-checked
22. Utility Customers Frequently Asked Questions (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
24. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
25. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 10, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.