Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Shelby County, Tennessee

At a glance

Building permit

Required; issued locally by Memphis & Shelby County Construction Enforcement, not the state's residential permit program¹

Zoning

Yes, under the Unified Development Code, covering Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County³

Septic permit

Required through the Shelby County Health Department; confirm installer credentials and inspection arrangements with that office⁴⁵⁷

Owner-builder licensing exemption

Available for a personal residence not for sale or lease, subject to the homeowner building-permit interval; building permits and inspections still apply⁸

Well permit

Required through the same Health Department office that permits septic systems⁹

New-home building permit fees

$50 application fee; $0.07 per square foot with a $125 minimum for a new single-family home or duplex, plus administrative charge and surcharge¹⁰

Septic-suitable soils

About 14.7% of the county's soils lack severe limits for a conventional drain field¹¹

Septic application fee

$175 for a general system; $300 for LPP, mound or alternative systems¹²

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

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

Yes. Before regulated construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, occupancy changes or installations begin in unincorporated Shelby County, the applicant must obtain the required local permit through Construction Enforcement¹¹³. Shelby County has adopted technical building codes with local amendments¹⁴. Construction Enforcement currently enforces the 2021 International Building Code with local amendments, adopted in December 2021 and in effect January 1, 2022, and mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors must secure separate trade permits for their portions of the work where required¹. Permit-required work is subject to inspection and must remain accessible until approved². Tennessee's State Fire Marshal residential permit program applies only where local code enforcement does not control, so use Shelby County's local process and fee schedule for work in unincorporated Shelby County¹⁵¹⁰. Ask Construction Enforcement before treating any detached structure as exempt from the county process¹⁶.

Who issues building permits in Shelby County, and how do you reach them?

Construction Enforcement, part of the Memphis & Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, is the office to call: 6465 Mullins Station Rd, Memphis, TN 38134, (901) 222-8300¹⁶. Before applying, confirm the zoning district with Land Use and Development Services at 125 N Main St #477, Memphis, TN 38103, (901) 636-7384¹⁷¹⁸. The permit process can include valuation, fee payment, plan review, inspections and a certificate, as applicable¹⁹. Budget from Shelby County's local fee schedule: new construction has a $50 application fee and a $0.07-per-square-foot charge, with a $125 minimum for a new single-family home or duplex, plus administrative charge and surcharge¹⁰. Septic systems and private wells go through the Health Department's Water Quality & Septic Tank Program at 1826 Sycamore View Road, Memphis, TN 38134, 901-222-9572²⁰⁹.

Does Shelby County have zoning?

The Unified Development Code governs zoning and subdivision regulations in unincorporated Shelby County³. Memphis also uses the UDC; Germantown has its own zoning code²¹²². Septic permits in both cities stay with the Shelby County Health Department²³²⁴. For unincorporated land, zoning changes, planned developments and special-use applications pass through the Land Use Control Board before the Shelby County Board of Commissioners²⁵. Find the parcel’s district in the Zoning Atlas and check overlay restrictions²⁶²⁷. Setbacks depend on district: single-family R districts use UDC Chapter 3.6, multifamily RU districts Chapter 3.7, and other districts Chapter 3.10; recorded plat setbacks supersede those provisions²⁸. Minimum lot size varies by district, and a lot created by deed after March 1, 1989 requires one-lot subdivision approval²⁹. Height limits may also depend on an official height map³⁰. Ask Land Use and Development Services to confirm the parcel’s use and dimensional standards before designing¹⁷.

How do septic permits work in Shelby County?

The Shelby County Health Department’s Water Quality & Septic Tank Program handles septic permits throughout Shelby County⁴. Constructing, altering, extending or repairing a subsurface sewage disposal system requires a county permit before work begins⁵. A house that will use septic also needs approval of septic plans and lot suitability before house construction³¹. The application processing fee is $175 for a general system or $300 for an LPP, mound or alternative system; fees are due in advance and nonrefundable¹². Tennessee recognizes Shelby County as a contract county with local septic services, while installer credentials have statewide requirements; ask the Health Department to confirm installer eligibility and arrange the required inspection⁷³²²⁰. Only about 14.7% of Shelby County’s soils lack severe limits for a conventional drain field, so arrange a site-specific soil evaluation early¹¹.

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

We could not confirm a countywide rule for living in an RV or tiny home on an individually owned lot in unincorporated Shelby County¹⁸. The Unified Development Code governs land use in unincorporated Shelby County, but the answer may depend on the parcel's zoning district and the proposed type of dwelling³³³⁴. Before buying land or placing a unit, ask Land Use and Development Services how the specific zoning district treats an RV, tiny home or manufactured home as a residence; that office processes zoning and other land-development applications throughout Shelby County¹⁸¹⁷.

What are the steps to build a home in Shelby County?

1. Find the unincorporated parcel's district in the Zoning Atlas, then confirm its uses and dimensional standards with Land Use and Development Services²⁶¹⁸.
2. If public sewer is unavailable, secure county approval of the septic plans and lot suitability before house construction, then obtain the Health Department permit before septic work begins³¹⁴.
3. Apply to the same Health Department program if the project needs a private well⁶.
4. Obtain a county driveway permit before installing access from a public roadway; a residential driveway permit costs $10³⁵. A driveway on state highway right-of-way instead requires a TDOT permit³⁶.
5. Apply through Construction Enforcement before regulated work begins; residential review includes checking the subdivision plat, lot and setbacks¹³⁷.
6. An owner-builder may receive one permit every two years for a personal residence that is not for sale, lease or rent; anyone paid more than $25,000 is treated as a prime contractor and must be licensed⁸³⁸.
7. Schedule required building inspections through Construction Enforcement; ask the Health Department who must inspect and approve the septic installation²⁴³².

What should you check before buying land in Shelby County?

Get a soil evaluation early: only about 14.7% of Shelby County's soils lack severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so a parcel may need a different system design¹¹. Check the Zoning Atlas for the parcel's district and look for overlay or special-purpose restrictions before assuming a proposed use will fit²⁶²⁷. Review the recorded subdivision plat and ask Land Use and Development Services to confirm lot, setback and height standards; the county verifies plat setbacks during residential permit review rather than applying one confirmed countywide number³⁷³⁰¹⁷. A driveway from a county-jurisdiction public road needs a Shelby County permit, while state-highway access needs a TDOT permit³⁵³⁶. The effective property-tax rate is about 1%, with a median annual bill near $2,376³⁹⁴⁰.

Watch-outs

• Don't use Tennessee's statewide residential permit fee table for Shelby County; the county runs its own local Construction Enforcement program with its own fee schedule instead¹⁰⁴¹.
• We could not confirm countywide rules for RV, tiny-home or manufactured-home occupancy on an individually owned lot; ask Land Use and Development Services about the parcel and proposed use before moving a unit onto the land¹⁸.
• Shelby County administers septic permits locally; confirm statewide installer credentials and local inspection arrangements with the Health Department before work begins⁴⁷²⁰.
• The septic-soils figure (14.7%) is a countywide average; get a site-specific evaluation from the Health Department rather than assuming every parcel needs the same system design¹¹.

Sources

1. Construction Enforcement — General Submittal Documents, quoted and re-checked
2. Chapter 1 — Memphis and Shelby County Technical Codes, quoted and re-checked
3. shelbycountytn.gov, quoted and re-checked
4. Septic Tank Permitting Process, quoted and re-checked
5. Water Quality & Septic Tank Program, quoted and re-checked
6. Water Well Permitting Process, quoted and re-checked
7. Septic Tank Permitting Process, quoted and re-checked
8. Residential Permits, quoted and re-checked
9. Shelby County Health Department, Water Quality & Septic Tank Program (Water Well Permitting) (shelbytnhealth.com)
10. Shelby County Building Permit Fee Schedule (Construction Enforcement) (shelbycountytn.gov)
11. 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
12. Shelby County Health Department SSDS Application, quoted and re-checked
13. Memphis & Shelby County Construction Enforcement (coverage area) (develop901.com)
14. Chapter 1 — Memphis and Shelby County Technical Codes, quoted and re-checked
15. Residential Permit FAQs (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Memphis & Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, Construction Enforcement Office (develop901.com)
17. Memphis & Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, Downtown Office (develop901.com)
18. Land Use and Development Services (Memphis & Shelby County Division of Planning and Development) (develop901.com)
19. County Engineering, quoted and re-checked
20. Shelby County Health Department, Water Quality & Septic Tank Program (shelbytnhealth.com)
21. Memphis: Zoning and Subdivision Administration (Shelby County), quoted and re-checked
22. Germantown: Germantown Code § 23-131, Minimum lot area (Shelby County), quoted and re-checked
23. Memphis: Environmental Related Contacts (Shelby County), quoted and re-checked
24. Germantown: Shelby County Health Department, Septic Tank Permitting Process (Shelby County), quoted and re-checked
25. Land Use Control Board, quoted and re-checked
26. Land Use Control Board, quoted and re-checked
27. Unified Development Code Appendix A — How to Use This Code, quoted and re-checked
28. UDC in a Nutshell, quoted and re-checked
29. shelbycountytn.gov, quoted and re-checked
30. Unified Development Code Appendix A — How to Use This Code, quoted and re-checked
31. Septic Tank Permitting Process, quoted and re-checked
32. Septic System Related Permits, quoted and re-checked
33. shelbycountytn.gov (2026 county census)
34. Unified Development Code (Memphis & Shelby County zoning and subdivision code) (develop901.com)
35. Driveway Permit, quoted and re-checked
36. Highway Entrance Permits, quoted and re-checked
37. Residential Building Permit Procedures, quoted and re-checked
38. Can I build my own home without a license? (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
39. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
40. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
41. Residential Building Permit Fees (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 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.