Unincorporated Henry County, Tennessee does not require a county building permit and has no local zoning regulations12. Commercial businesses must follow State Fire Codes, and utility electrical connections require inspection by the State Electrical Inspector1. TDEC separately permits septic systems3. As an opt-out jurisdiction, Henry County also allows owners to request a State Fire Marshal inspection, but that inspection is not mandatory4.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Not required in unincorporated Henry County; commercial businesses must still follow State Fire Codes1
- Zoning
- None in unincorporated areas; incorporated towns may have their own zoning2
- Septic permits
- Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issues the permit and does the perc test3
- RV / tiny home living
- County zoning does not supply the answer; confirm occupancy and utility requirements with the County Mayor's Office and TDEC2
- Owner-builder
- No county permit to be exempt from; you may build your own home, though state contractor-licensing rules still apply if you hire out $25,000 or more of the work56
- Optional state inspection
- Henry County is an "opt-out" jurisdiction: owners may request a State Fire Marshal inspection and Certificate of Occupancy, but it is not required47
- Septic permit fee
- $400 for a new conventional system up to 1,000 gallons/day, $500 for an alternative system, no fee for a repair permit8
- Septic soil difficulty
- Only 7.8% of county soils are free of severe limits for a conventional drain field9
Who to call
Codes & inspections
Henry County Mayor's Office (Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement)
Confirms building permits are not required and no zoning applies in unincorporated Henry County, and administers county subdivision review under the Henry County Subdivision Bylaws and Regulations
Septic permits
Septic System Construction Permits, soil perc testing, and final inspections for Henry County
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 27, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Henry County, Tennessee?
No. Henry County's own codes-enforcement page states plainly that "Building Permits are not required in unincorporated areas of the county, however, Commercial Businesses must follow State of Tennessee Fire Codes"10. Any electrical connection to the local electric company still has to be inspected by the State Electrical Inspector, regardless of whether a building permit applies10. Statewide, Tennessee does run a State Residential Building Code Enforcement Program for one- and two-family homes in some jurisdictions, but a county legislative body can remove its unincorporated area from that program by vote, and Henry County has done so: it's listed by the Tennessee Fire Marshal's Office as an "OPT OUT" jurisdiction4. That opt-out status means the state permit isn't required here, but an owner or contractor can still choose to buy a state building permit to request a State Fire Marshal inspection during construction if they want the extra assurance4.
Who handles subdivision review and septic permits in Henry County?
There's no building official to call, because Henry County doesn't run a building-permit program1. Property subdivision and codes enforcement in the county are carried out by the Henry County Mayor's Office, which also links to the county's Subdivision Bylaws and Regulations for anyone splitting a tract1112. For septic systems, the office to call is not a county department at all: it's the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which handles the Septic System Construction Permit statewide1314. Henry County is not one of the nine "contract counties" (Blount, Davidson, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Madison, Sevier, Shelby, and Williamson) that run their own local septic program, so TDEC is your only stop here14.
Does Henry County have zoning?
No, not in unincorporated areas. Henry County's own codes-enforcement page states, "Henry County does not have local zoning regulations in unincorporated areas of the county"15. That statement is expressly limited to unincorporated land: incorporated towns within Henry County may run their own separate zoning2. Tennessee law does let a county legislative body adopt countywide zoning for the unincorporated parts of a county under TCA §§13-7-101 through 13-7-119, but Henry County's own page shows it has not exercised that authority1615. Because there's no county zoning ordinance, no county-level minimum lot size, setback, minimum home size, or lot-coverage rule is published for unincorporated Henry County17. If your land is farmed, note that even where county zoning does apply, Tennessee exempts usual farm buildings incidental to an agricultural enterprise from it, unless the land sits near a federal-aid highway, a public airport, a public park, or a mapped floodplain18.
How do septic permits work in Henry County?
Every new septic installation or repair of a faulty system in Henry County needs a Septic System Construction Permit from TDEC before work begins138. A new conventional system serving a residence, retail, commercial, or accessory building costs $400 up to 1,000 gallons per day design flow, plus $100 for each additional 1,000 gpd; an alternative system such as LPP, mound, oxidation lagoon, or ATS/SDD costs $500 up to 1,000 gpd, plus $150 for each additional 1,000 gpd; and a repair permit has no permit fee8. Soils matter here: only 7.8% of Henry County's land is free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so budget for a site evaluation early and expect many properties to need an engineered or alternative system9. Once the system is installed, "the installer will contact the local Environmental Scientist to schedule a final inspection before the system is covered," and TDEC issues a Certificate of Completion if the installation is approved1319.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Henry County?
Unincorporated Henry County has no local zoning regulations, but that fact alone does not confirm that full-time RV occupancy or every tiny-home setup is allowed2. We could not confirm a county rule that specifically allows or prohibits RV, tiny-home, or manufactured-home occupancy, so ask the Henry County Mayor's Office about the proposed use before buying or placing a dwelling. Land inside an incorporated municipality may be subject to that municipality's own zoning rather than the county's unincorporated-area rule2. A separate statewide utility rule can also matter: when an eligible utility has sewer in the abutting public way, it may require an occupied residential, commercial, or industrial building to connect and stop using another sewage-disposal method20. Ask TDEC about septic approval and the serving utility about sewer availability before treating a movable or small dwelling as ready for occupancy.
What are the steps to build a home in Henry County?
- Confirm the parcel is outside an incorporated municipality; the county's no-permit and no-zoning statements apply to unincorporated land12.
- If the project divides a tract, take the proposal to the County Mayor's Office for subdivision review before recording it12.
- Request the septic site evaluation early because only 7.8% of Henry County soils lack severe limits for a conventional drain field9.
- Obtain the TDEC Septic System Construction Permit before installation; the reviewed fee is $400 for a qualifying conventional system or $500 for a qualifying alternative system8.
- Obtain a TDOT permit before constructing a driveway on state-highway right-of-way21. Ask the relevant road authority about access from any other road.
- Decide whether to request the optional State Fire Marshal inspection available in this opt-out jurisdiction4. A compliant inspected dwelling can receive a Certificate of Occupancy7.
- Arrange State Electrical Inspector approval for any connection to the local electric company10.
What should you check before buying land in Henry County?
Water and soils go together here: annual precipitation runs about 53.4 inches a year, with severe drought in only 7.7% of years, but with just 7.8% of soils free of septic limitations, a well-planned septic design deserves real budget22239. Land is mostly gentle, with 80.7% at 15% slope or less, and about half wooded at 51.7%, generally favorable for building sites2425. Confirm whether the parcel is inside an incorporated town, since Henry County's no-permit, no-zoning rules apply only to unincorporated land2. If you're building for your own occupancy, Tennessee's owner-builder rule lets you construct one single residence every two years for your own use without a contractor license, as long as it's not for resale, lease, or rent, and as long as anyone you hire for $25,000 or more of the work is separately licensed6. If the tract you're buying was recently split off a larger parcel, ask whether it went through the county's subdivision-bylaw review12. Property tax runs a low effective 0.5%, with a median bill near $700 a year, against a typical home value around $223,683262728.
Watch-outs
- Henry County is listed as an "opt-out" jurisdiction for Tennessee's state residential building-permit program, so a state building permit and inspection are available on request but not required; don't assume a State Fire Marshal permit is mandatory here4.
- The county's own website is currently returning a bot-verification challenge for automated tools, and recent Wayback snapshots show the same challenge, so this guide could not verify a current phone number or street address for the Henry County Mayor's Office; call the county directly to confirm contact details11.
- No official source found for this guide addresses short-term rentals, a domestic well-construction permit, or a general water/sewer utility-connection mandate specifically for Henry County; confirm directly with the county or TDEC before assuming a use is unrestricted1.
Sources
- Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County (2026 county census)
- Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County (2026 county census)
- TDEC - Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems (SSDS) (2026 county census)
- Tennessee Fire Marshal’s Office Residential Permits Residential Jurisdictions & Inspectors, quoted and re-checked
- Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County (2026 county census)
- Residential Permit FAQs, quoted and re-checked
- Tennessee Fire Marshal’s Office Residential Permits Residential Jurisdictions & Inspectors, quoted and re-checked
- Septic System Construction Permit, quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County, quoted and re-checked
- Henry County Mayor's Office (Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement) (henrycountytn.org)
- Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County, quoted and re-checked
- Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Division of Water Resources - Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems (tn.gov)
- Online Application for Septic Related Services, quoted and re-checked
- Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County, quoted and re-checked
- Tennessee Attorney General Opinion No. 10-108 (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County, quoted and re-checked
- Exemption from County Zoning Regulation for Buildings on Land Used for Agriculture, Opinion No. 22-07 (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Subsurface Sewage Disposal System Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
- Utility Customers Frequently Asked Questions (Tennessee statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Rules of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Chapter 1680-10-01: Constructing Driveway Entrances on State Highway Rights-of-Way, quoted and re-checked
- Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
- Share of years in severe drought: Bolthole Index county data
- Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
- Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
- Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
Written September 27, 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.