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

Yes. Dickson County requires a building permit for home construction, including mobile, manufactured and modular homes where the county process applies¹. Permits go only to the landowner or contractor, and an owner applying directly must first have the deed recorded in the owner's name¹. The application also requires a site plan, a 911 address, and either a septic permit or proof of sewer¹. Permit fees follow the county's valuation-based schedule, whose valuation figures may change¹. The county also charges an Adequate Facilities Tax of $1.00 per square foot of heated and cooled living area and a $60.00 plumbing fee¹. Call Planning, Zoning & Codes at (615) 789-6740 for the current valuation and total^1,5.

The Dickson County Planning, Zoning & Codes Department issues building permits for unincorporated Dickson County and is at 5 Court Square, Charlotte, TN 37036, phone (615) 789-6740⁵. Inside the City of Dickson, the city's own Planning and Zoning Department handles building permits, inspections and municipal codes, so a city parcel does not start at the county office³. Septic permits stay with TDEC either way⁴. The county department is the contact for the recorded deed, site plan, 911 address, septic-or-sewer documentation and valuation information required for a county building permit¹. For a building site in a floodplain, the application must show the proposed lowest floor's elevation relative to mean sea level under the county Floodplain Zoning Resolution¹. Because valuation figures may change, call the department for the current permit total rather than relying on an old estimate¹.

Yes. Dickson County has adopted a Zoning Resolution governing land use in unincorporated areas, and the county publishes its Planning & Zoning map and forms². Incorporated municipalities such as the City of Dickson maintain their own planning and zoning departments and ordinances, and county zoning should not be assumed to apply inside them; septic permits remain with TDEC in both places^3,4. Tennessee law gives counties zoning authority outside municipal corporations¹². State law generally exempts a structure on agricultural land when it is incidental to the agricultural enterprise, but that exemption has exceptions near state or federal-aid highways, public airports, public parks and within the mapped floodplain¹³. We could not confirm a general parcel setback or minimum lot size. The subdivision rules do require plats to show building setback lines, and they specify transmission-line setbacks where easement widths are not established, so ask Planning, Zoning & Codes for the standards tied to the parcel and project^5,14.

TDEC, not Dickson County and not the City of Dickson, handles septic site evaluations and permits for every address in the county⁶. Dickson County is not one of the contract counties that run their own septic programs⁴. A permit is required to install, modify or repair a septic system, and it should be obtained before dirt work, the building pad or other building construction begins⁷. A TDEC Environmental Scientist evaluates the site to determine the required system type⁶. After installation, the installer must arrange a final inspection before covering the system; TDEC issues a Certificate of Completion if the work is approved⁷. The Nashville Environmental Field Office serving Dickson County is at 711 R.S. Gass Blvd, Nashville, TN 37216, phone (615) 687-7000⁶. Only about 26.6% of county soils rate free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so make the site evaluation an early contingency⁸. The county requires the septic permit or proof of sewer in its building-permit materials¹.

We could not confirm a general rule allowing residential or long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on private land in Dickson County. County zoning applies in unincorporated areas, so ask Planning, Zoning & Codes how the parcel's zoning district treats the proposed dwelling before buying or moving one onto the land^2,5. The county resolution describes a narrow Temporary Use Permit for a mobile home, excluding double-wides, when a principal home was destroyed by fire, explosion or natural phenomenon¹⁵. That hardship permit may be renewed for up to six months at a time, with all permits totaling no more than 21 months¹⁵. That provision does not answer whether an RV or tiny home may serve as a residence on otherwise vacant land, so get a parcel-specific answer from the department⁵.

1. Confirm the deed is recorded in your name; Dickson County issues a building permit only to the landowner or contractor¹.
2. Confirm zoning and whether the parcel was lawfully created. Land in the Dickson County Planning Region cannot be subdivided until a plat has Planning Commission approval and is filed with the county register¹⁴.
3. Apply to TDEC for the required septic permit before dirt work or building construction, or obtain proof of sewer; the county requires one of those documents for its building permit^7,14.
4. Get a 911 address and prepare the site plan and valuation information; a floodplain site also requires the proposed lowest-floor elevation relative to mean sea level¹.
5. Apply through Planning, Zoning & Codes, budgeting for the valuation-based permit fee, the $1.00-per-square-foot Adequate Facilities Tax and the $60.00 plumbing fee¹.
6. An owner-builder may construct one single residence once every two years for personal use, not for resale, lease or rent, and hired work of $25,000 or more must go to a licensed contractor; the owner still needs the permits and inspections^1,9.
7. Before building a driveway, obtain the county permit for a county-road connection or the separate TDOT permit for a state-highway connection^10,11.
8. Have the septic installer arrange TDEC's final inspection before covering the system⁷.

Dickson County is heavily wooded and only about half gently sloped: roughly 70.8% of the land is forested, and about 47.7% sits at 15% slope or less⁸. Only about 26.6% of county soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so make the TDEC site evaluation an early contract contingency^6,8. Before closing, confirm that the parcel is a recorded, approved lot: subdivisions in the Dickson County Planning Region require an approved plat filed with the county register¹⁴. Ask whether sewer is reasonably accessible, because subdivision approval can require the subdivider to serve every lot and connect to the public system¹⁴. Also confirm the zoning district, applicable setback lines, floodplain status and road-access permit with Planning, Zoning & Codes and the Highway Department^1,5,14,16. Farmland has averaged around $5,919 an acre, while the typical property tax bill is about $1,369 a year⁸.