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

Yes. Unincorporated Campbell County requires a county building permit when constructing, enlarging or remodeling a building¹. The Campbell County Clerk’s page says permits inside municipal limits come from the applicable city office, so confirm whether the parcel lies inside a city before applying¹.

For the county process, obtain the septic permit first, then apply through the County Clerk with the property owner’s name, property address and living-space square footage¹. One- and two-family residential work in jurisdictions participating in Tennessee’s state residential program is inspected at the foundation-before-pour, framing or rough-in, and final stages by state-contracted inspectors⁶. The state program uses the 2018 residential and energy codes where the jurisdiction participates⁶.

The Campbell County Clerk’s Office issues county building permits and lists its main office at 590 Main Street, Suite A 21, Jacksboro, TN 37757, with phone 423-562-4985¹. The county office handles property outside municipal limits; an incorporated city’s office handles permits within that city’s limits¹.

Start by confirming the parcel’s jurisdiction and sewage plan. The Clerk cannot issue the county building permit until a septic permit has been obtained¹. For septic questions, the TDEC Knoxville Environmental Field Office serves Campbell County and directs septic inquiries to (865) 594-6035⁷. County building-permit amounts are not published in the cited county material, while applicable state residential fees depend on construction cost and septic fees depend on system size and type⁸.

Campbell County has no countywide zoning commission, and municipalities handle their own zoning ordinances². In unincorporated Campbell County, county zoning sets no minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size or setback². County zoning also sets no lot-coverage or building-height rule and does not restrict accessory dwellings, manufactured-home occupancy or temporary camping². Land inside an incorporated municipality may have different use and dimensional rules².

No county zoning does not mean no land rules. Building permits, septic review and subdivision review can still apply in unincorporated Campbell County^1,8,9. Tennessee’s agricultural zoning limitation is conditional: a qualifying structure must be on land devoted to agricultural use and incidental to the agricultural enterprise, with exceptions for certain locations including floodplains and land near specified public facilities¹⁰. Because we could not confirm a Campbell County-specific agricultural building exemption, ask the County Clerk how the proposed farm structure will be treated before ordering materials¹.

TDEC’s Division of Water Resources administers septic permitting and inspection for Campbell County through the Knoxville Environmental Field Office³. A septic permit is required to construct, modify or repair a system, and the permit should be obtained before dirt work or construction of the building pad⁸. The county building permit comes only after septic approval¹.

Only about 2.5% of mapped Campbell County soils avoid a “very limited” rating for a conventional septic drain field, so make the site evaluation an early feasibility test rather than assuming a conventional layout will work¹¹. Alternative systems require an extra-high-intensity soils map from a Tennessee-licensed soils consultant⁸. After installation, the installer schedules a final inspection before covering the system; approval leads to a Certificate of Completion⁸.

Unincorporated Campbell County places no county land-use zoning restriction on RV occupancy or tiny-home occupancy². Unincorporated Campbell County also has no county zoning minimum for dwelling size, lot size or setbacks, although building, septic, roadway, floodplain and other requirements may still constrain a site². Municipal zoning can change the answer inside Caryville, Jacksboro, Jellico or LaFollette².

A tiny home that involves constructing, enlarging or remodeling a building in unincorporated Campbell County still needs a county building permit, with septic approval first when a septic system will serve the property¹. We could not confirm whether a non-septic off-grid sanitation system is allowed, so ask the TDEC Knoxville Environmental Field Office about the proposed sanitation method before relying on the parcel for full-time occupancy⁷.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated or inside a municipality, because the County Clerk issues the county permit while city offices issue permits inside municipal limits¹.
2. If dividing land for future construction served by septic, obtain the required subdivision evaluation, survey and soils map; the stated exclusion is for divisions in which every tract is at least 5 acres⁹.
3. Contact TDEC’s Knoxville Environmental Field Office for the septic application and site review before beginning dirt work or a building pad^7,8.
4. After septic approval, apply to the Campbell County Clerk with the owner’s name, property address and living-space square footage¹.
5. If a new driveway will connect to a county road, call the Highway Department for a site visit and driveway design review before construction⁵.
6. Schedule required residential inspections where the state residential program applies, including foundation-before-pour, framing or rough-in, and final construction⁶.
7. Before requesting electrical service, provide written notice that the property has public sewer, has applied for a septic permit or will use an existing septic system⁹.

Put septic feasibility near the top of due diligence: about 2.5% of mapped soils avoid severe limitations for a conventional drain field, and only about 12.8% of county land has a slope of 15% or less¹¹. If the seller is dividing land for development that will use septic, verify that the required subdivision evaluation, survey and soils map are complete; the stated exclusion applies when every resulting tract is at least 5 acres⁹.

For access, Campbell County requires a site visit and permit for a new driveway connecting to a county road, while TDOT requires a permit for work on state-highway right-of-way^5,12. We could not confirm Campbell County’s floodplain-development contact or private-well permit rule, so ask the County Clerk to identify the current floodplain contact and ask TDEC which water-supply requirements apply to the parcel^1,7. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.4%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $651¹¹.