Since January 1, 2025 the Cannon County Planning Department, at 200 West Main Street in Woodbury (615-563-5263), has issued building permits and enforced the building codes across the county, including Woodbury but not Auburntown. Apply in person or through the county’s iWorQ portal; a new home also pays a schools tax of $0.90 and, outside Woodbury, a zoning compliance fee of $0.95 per heated square foot.
What needs a building permit in Cannon County?
The county’s code program covers homes as well as commercial, industrial and multi-family buildings. For houses, the Planning Department’s FAQ limits the permit requirement to new construction and additions over 30 sq ft, and the permit must be in hand before any soil is disturbed.
County building permit
- New houses and additions over 30 sq ft
- Commercial, industrial and multi-family (CIM) buildings, after site plan approval
Not a county building permit
- Placing a manufactured or modular home (inspected at the factory; impact fees still apply)
- Electrical work: State Fire Marshal’s Office permit
- Septic or sewer, grading or fill, floodplain and zoning approvals, which are separate
Who issues permits in Cannon County?
| Area | Who issues building permits |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated Cannon County | Cannon County Planning Department, 200 West Main Street, Woodbury; 615-563-5263 |
| Woodbury | Cannon County Planning Department, after the Town of Woodbury approves the site plan |
| Auburntown | Not covered by the county program; the town has opted out of the state residential program, and its permit process is not published, so ask town hall |
| Electrical, everywhere | State Fire Marshal’s Office |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Luke Bryant is the Director of Planning. The office is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and is closed on Wednesdays. The Planning Department also staffs the Cannon County Regional Planning Commission, which approves subdivision plats and commercial site plans, and the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The State Fire Marshal’s list dated August 2026 still shows Woodbury as a State Residential Building Program participant, while the county states that it has enforced the codes in Woodbury since January 2025.
Applying through iWorQ
The county’s iWorQ permit portal has three parts. The map shows a parcel’s zoning, map and parcel number and floodplain status, all needed for the application. The application section estimates the permit and impact fees and takes the application; an invoice follows within three workdays, and the permit is issued once it is paid. The permit search is where you request inspections, read inspection reports and check an invoice.
A residential application cannot be submitted without the heated and unheated square footage, the map and parcel number, the foundation type (monolithic slab, non-monolithic slab or conventional) and the estimated construction cost. In Woodbury, attach a site plan showing the building’s position against the property lines and setbacks before submitting.
Permits go to property owners or their agent, such as a developer or contractor. An owner may build one home every two years for their own use without a contractor’s licence. If the contractor changes during construction, a new permit is required.
Commercial, industrial and multi-family: after site plan approval (Woodbury Planning Commission or the Cannon County Regional Planning Commission), send electronic construction documents and an estimated cost. A state Deputy Building Inspector reviews them and sets the permit fee, the county sets the impact charges, and plan review starts once the plans review fee is paid.
Electrical and other approvals
Electrical: the county building permit does not include electrical work. A separate permit comes from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, which runs the electrical program throughout Cannon County, and the state inspects it.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Plumbing and mechanical: these systems are inspected under the county building permit; one of the four required inspections covers plumbing and mechanical work.
Septic, grading and floodplain: the county permit is not a septic or sewer permit, a grading or fill approval, or a floodplain determination, so each needs its own approval.
Permit fees and impact charges
The building permit fee is based on the estimated cost of construction and covers all required inspections and one re-inspection; the iWorQ estimator shows the total before you apply. The county’s 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule, also built into the fee calculator on its Zoning page, sets these bands:
| Estimated construction cost | Permit fee |
|---|---|
| $0 to $5,000 | $200 |
| $5,001 to $100,000 | $450 |
| $100,001 to $150,000 | $500 |
| Each further $50,000 band | $50 more, reaching $1,850 for $1,450,001 to $1,500,000 |
| Slab not poured with its footings (non-monolithic) | Add $100 |
A $250,000 house on a monolithic slab therefore pays a $600 permit fee. Commercial, industrial and multi-family buildings use a separate value table, starting at $22 per $1,000 for jobs up to $2,000 and reaching $3,314 for the first $500,000 plus $3.40 per further $1,000; plans review adds half of that permit fee. Two one-time impact charges also apply:
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Charge | Rate |
|---|---|
| Adequate Facilities Tax, residential (schools) | $0.90 per sq ft of heated space |
| Adequate Facilities Tax, commercial, industrial, multi-family | $1.50 per sq ft |
| Zoning Compliance Fee, residential | $0.95 per sq ft of heated space |
| Zoning Compliance Fee, commercial | $1.95 per sq ft of retail space |
| Zoning Compliance Fee, industrial | $2.95 per sq ft of operational space |
| Zoning Compliance Fee, multi-family | $1.95 per sq ft of heated space |
| Second and later re-inspections | $100 each |
| Card payments | 3.5% service charge |
Inside Woodbury there is no Zoning Compliance Fee. Both charges apply to new homes and additions over 30 sq ft, and to manufactured and modular homes placed in the county. For example, a 2,000 heated sq ft house outside Woodbury owes $1,800 in facilities tax and $1,900 in zoning compliance fee on top of the permit fee.
The facilities tax may be deferred as a tax lien for one year, or until the house is ready to occupy or sold if sooner; the deferral can be extended twice with Planning Department approval. The zoning compliance fee is due when the permit is issued.
Cannon County inspections
Only the permit holder may request an inspection, through the iWorQ permit search; subcontractors should not book them. Inspections are carried out within three working days of the request, and footer inspections within one working day.
Rather not deal with the Cannon County building department?
Get a free quote →- Foundation: after excavation, forms and reinforcing steel, before concrete. Monolithic slabs are inspected like a footing.
- Non-monolithic slab: a fifth inspection for a living-space slab poured separately from its footings, after fill, reinforcement and forms.
- Rough-in/framing: with framing, fire and draft stopping, bracing and the plumbing, mechanical and electrical rough-ins in place; batt insulation installed, loose-fill or spray insulation not yet.
- Plumbing and mechanical systems.
- Final: when the work is complete, before occupancy.
Any inspection can be waived by a signed approval letter from a Tennessee-registered architect or engineer. Work must start within 180 days of issue, and a permit expires after two years or when the certificate of occupancy is issued, unless an extension is granted in writing.
Local details for Cannon County
Addresses: once the footing or foundation is poured, request a street address from the county’s 911 address coordinator, William F. Ayers & Associates (1-800-794-1981).
Manufactured homes: they must be set by a licensed installer and carry an installation decal; an owner who wants the county to inspect the installation can call the Planning Department.
Zoning: the county zoning resolution dates from August 16, 2018 and was last amended on April 2, 2026; the zoning map is published online.
Code books: the Planning Department has electronic ICC subscriptions to the residential and energy codes that the public can use at its office.
Tennessee statewide rules
Tennessee licenses contractors through the Board for Licensing Contractors for jobs of $25,000 or more; a Home Improvement licence applies below that only in the nine counties that opted in. Tennessee rules
Official Cannon County government resources
County permit documents and the state electrical program:
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →- Tennessee state residential permit instructions
- Tennessee residential jurisdictions and inspectors
- Cannon County government information
- Cannon County Planning Department
- Cannon County residential building permit FAQs
- Cannon County iWorQ permit portal
- Cannon County building permit fee schedule (2026)
- Commercial, industrial and multi-family permit fee schedule
- Cannon County zoning resolution (amended April 2026)
- State electrical permits
Cannon County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Cannon County, TN?
The Cannon County Planning Department, 200 West Main Street, Woodbury (615-563-5263), for the whole county including Woodbury but not Auburntown.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much does a building permit cost in Cannon County?
The 2026 schedule charges $200 up to $5,000 of construction cost, $450 from $5,001 to $100,000, then $50 more for each $50,000 band ($600 for a $250,000 house). Add $0.90 per heated sq ft in facilities tax and, outside Woodbury, $0.95 per heated sq ft in zoning compliance fee.
Do I need a permit for a manufactured home?
No residential building permit is needed to place a manufactured or modular home, but the facilities tax and zoning compliance fee still apply.
How fast are inspections?
Within three working days of a request, or one working day for footers. The first re-inspection is free; later ones cost $100.
Can I build my own house?
Yes, without a contractor’s licence, if the house is for your own use and you have not built another in the past two years.
Who issues electrical permits in Cannon County?
The State Fire Marshal’s Office. The county permit does not cover electrical work.
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More Tennessee permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Cannon County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.