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

Yes. Marshall County requires a residential or commercial building permit for construction, most exterior renovation and remodeling, and every addition¹. Routine maintenance and repairs do not require a permit¹. Permitted construction is inspected for compliance with minimum construction standards, zoning and setback requirements¹. Marshall County has adopted the 2018 residential, building, mechanical, plumbing and fuel-gas codes, the 2009 energy-conservation code and 2018 NFPA 101¹³. Do not begin regulated work early: starting before the permit is received may result in double the normal permit fee¹.

Marshall County Building Codes and Zoning handles the county's building-permit, inspection, zoning, planning and flood-development submissions². The office is at 206 Legion Avenue, Suite A, Lewisburg, TN 37091, and the phone number is (931) 359-0567². Applications and inspection requests are submitted through the respective county portals². The published process does not supply a complete review timeline or every required application item, so use the portal or call with the parcel number and project description before filing². Marshall County's local fee schedule could not be confirmed; Tennessee publishes fees for state-administered residential permits, but that schedule does not establish the charge for a county-issued permit¹⁴.

Yes. Marshall County Government administers zoning outside municipal corporations, while land inside Lewisburg is governed by the city's own zoning ordinance^3,4. Use the county's interactive parcel map, then verify the district before relying on a permitted use². For a residence outside municipalities, no approval may reduce the lot below 7,500 square feet or 75 feet wide at the building line, and district rules may require more¹¹. For example, A-1 requires 2 acres without public water or three-quarters of an acre with it, while A-2 requires at least 30,000 square feet and public water¹¹. Front, side and rear setbacks also vary by district¹. We could not confirm minimum dwelling size, lot coverage or building-height limits; ask Marshall County Building Codes and Zoning to read the current district rules². Tennessee's county agricultural zoning exemption is conditional: the land must be devoted to agriculture and the structure incidental to that enterprise, with exceptions including certain nearby public facilities and floodplain land¹⁵.

TDEC's Division of Water Resources administers septic permits and inspections in Marshall County¹⁶. Obtain the septic permit before beginning dirt work or construction of the building pad; separate triggers apply to repairs and modifications¹⁷. When installation is complete, notify TDEC so the system can be inspected and approved¹⁸. The Columbia Environmental Field Office serves Marshall County; call (931) 380-3371 or email columbia.efo_adm@tn.gov for help¹⁹. Only about 6% of Marshall County soils rate without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so confirm a usable septic area before choosing a house site¹². A qualifying utility may require sewer connection for an existing building on a parcel abutting a public way with sanitary sewer, but that does not mean sewer reaches every parcel²⁰.

We could not confirm a rule that answers long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on private land in Marshall County. Take the parcel number and proposed use to the governing zoning authority before buying or moving a unit onsite because county and municipal rules vary by jurisdiction³. A tiny home does not automatically avoid permitting because Marshall County requires permits for construction, most exterior renovation and remodeling, and all additions¹. Single-wide mobile homes in the A-1 district have a separate, confirmed rule: the unit must be a model within five years of the current date, be owner occupied, have front and back porches of at least 80 square feet each, have its tongue removed and receive specified perimeter treatment; additional septic, water, power and lot-size requirements apply¹⁰.

1. Identify whether Marshall County Government or a municipality controls the parcel's zoning, then confirm the use, minimum lot size and setbacks^1,3,11.
2. Confirm septic feasibility and obtain the TDEC permit before dirt work or construction of the building pad^17,19.
3. Submit the county building and zoning materials through the appropriate portal².
4. Receive the building permit before starting because early work may trigger double the normal permit fee¹.
5. Request county inspections through the portal as construction proceeds^1,2.
6. Notify TDEC after septic installation so the system can be inspected and approved¹⁸.
7. If the driveway enters a Tennessee state highway right-of-way, obtain the TDOT entrance permit before construction or a change in use²¹. An owner may build one personal residence every two years without a contractor license if it is not for resale, lease or rent; hired work of $25,000 or more still requires a licensed contractor, and all permits and zoning approvals remain required⁹.

Start with the parcel's governing zoning authority, district, setbacks, legal access, flood status, water source and septic feasibility. Marshall County's interactive map provides parcel zoning information, but jurisdiction determines the governing rules^2,3. District and utility service can materially change the minimum lot size; C-1 residential lots, for example, require 30,000 square feet with public water only, 15,000 square feet with public water and sewerage, or 1 acre without public water¹¹. If the tract will be divided, confirm the subdivision process before relying on a proposed lot layout³. Only about 6% of county soils rate without severe limits for a conventional drain field, even though about 74.5% of the land has a slope of 15% or less, so evaluate the actual homesite rather than county averages alone¹². We could not confirm a private-well permit rule or countywide water-connection requirement; ask Building Codes and Zoning and TDEC which authority applies^2,19.