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

No state-program residential building permit is required for a one- or two-family home or townhouse in unincorporated Humphreys County because the county opted out; unrelated local approvals may still apply¹. Across Humphreys County, the state list gives different program statuses: the county and New Johnsonville are OPT OUT, while McEwen and Waverly are EXEMPT; those labels do not settle separate municipal codes¹. Because unincorporated Humphreys County requires no county building permit, an owner may build a personal home without seeking an owner-builder exemption from that nonexistent permit, although state trade licensing can still apply¹. An owner may request a State Fire Marshal inspection during construction and, if the house qualifies, a state Certificate of Occupancy¹¹. Septic, subdivision and floodplain approvals remain separate^2,3,4.

Humphreys County has no building-permit office to visit for a covered home in its unincorporated jurisdiction because no county building permit is required¹. For a land split, contact the Humphreys County Planning Commission in Room 1 of the Rawlings Building, 102 Thompson Street, Waverly, TN 37185, at (931) 296-7795⁹. A subdivider must submit a plat, obtain Planning Commission approval before filing, and file the approved plat with the county register; submissions are due three Fridays before the meeting, and the commission does not meet in December². For development near a flood zone, contact the County Executive's Office before work begins³. TDEC handles septic permits through the Nashville Environmental Field Office at 711 R.S. Gass Blvd, Nashville, TN 37216, phone (615) 687-7000^4,8. Ask the Planning Commission which land-use contact applies to a particular unincorporated parcel because countywide zoning remains unconfirmed^9,12.

Zoning varies across Humphreys County, and the available sources do not establish a separate county zoning ordinance for all remaining unincorporated land². McEwen has its own zoning ordinance and official map, New Johnsonville maintains municipal planning and zoning, and Waverly administers zoning through its map and property classifications^5,6,13. The county subdivision rules apply outside the Waverly and New Johnsonville planning regions and McEwen city limits². Within that jurisdiction, subdivision lots need at least 50 feet of frontage on a public way, with 30 feet allowed at a cul-de-sac radius; this is a frontage rule, not a confirmed minimum lot-area rule². In unzoned areas or areas without designated setbacks, the same rules set 40-foot arterial, 30-foot collector or minor-street, and 15-foot side and rear setbacks². Ask the Planning Commission about the parcel's zoning, minimum home size and controlling setbacks^9,12.

TDEC's Division of Water Resources administers septic permits throughout Humphreys County through the appropriate Environmental Field Office⁴. The Nashville Environmental Field Office serves Humphreys County and can be reached at (615) 687-7000⁸. Obtain the septic permit before dirt work or building-pad construction; a complete application may take up to 45 days to process¹⁴. A conventional permit costs $400 for up to 1,000 gallons per day of design flow, plus $100 for each additional 1,000 gallons per day⁴. The installer must schedule TDEC's final inspection before covering the system, and TDEC issues a Certificate of Completion after approval¹⁴. Only 0.9% of Humphreys County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so settle the septic design before locating the house¹⁵. Before an electrical inspector processes service for a proposed house, written proof must show public sewer service, a septic application or an existing septic system¹⁶. We could not confirm whether a private well needs a property-owner permit; ask TDEC⁸.

We could not confirm a rule for long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy or manufactured-home placement on private land in unincorporated Humphreys County. The unresolved countywide zoning question means the Planning Commission should confirm the allowed use at the address before you buy a unit or prepare a site^9,12. Inside McEwen, New Johnsonville or Waverly, ask the relevant city because municipal zoning varies across Humphreys County and does not answer the question for unincorporated land^2,5,6. The state-program opt-out addresses residential building permits for one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses; it does not establish RV, tiny-home or manufactured-home occupancy rights¹. Electrical service for a proposed house requires written proof of public sewer service, a septic application or an existing septic system before the inspector processes the request¹⁶.

<ol><li>Ask the Planning Commission which zoning and subdivision rules apply to the parcel^2,9.</li><li>If splitting land, submit the plat, obtain approval before filing, and file the approved plat with the county register².</li><li>Plan access early: for covered subdivisions, the commission may limit direct access to arterial or collector roads, require a shared drive, and bar layouts that make vehicles back onto those roads².</li><li>Ask the County Executive's Office whether floodplain approval is needed before construction, fill or grading³.</li><li>Apply to TDEC before septic work, dirt work or building-pad construction^8,14.</li><li>Confirm any separate local approval; no state-program residential building permit is required for a covered home in unincorporated Humphreys County¹.</li><li>Arrange the septic inspection before covering the system, then provide the required sewer or septic documentation for electrical service^14,16.</li></ol>

Soils are the biggest catch here: only 0.9% of Humphreys County's land is free of severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so assume a standard system won't work on most parcels and budget for a site evaluation and likely an engineered system before you commit¹⁵. Terrain is more forgiving, with 48.6% of the county at 15% slope or less, so check the specific parcel's grade rather than assuming easy building on hillier ground¹⁵. The county gets 53.7 inches of rain a year with severe drought in only 4.9% of years, and 76.5% of the land is wooded, which matters for clearing and access costs¹⁵. Ask the Planning Commission directly whether zoning applies to your parcel and confirm flood-zone status with the County Executive's Office before you close, since neither is settled countywide and both affect what you can build^3,9. If your driveway will connect to a state highway, Tennessee requires a TDOT entrance permit before construction, on top of anything the county requires¹⁷. Typical property tax in the county runs about a 0.5% effective rate, with a median bill near $895 a year, against a typical home value around $258,996¹⁵.