Fayette County, Tennessee Building Permit Guide

Outside the towns, Fayette County’s Planning & Development office at 16265 Hwy 64, Somerville, issues building permits through its iWorQ online portal, and those permits also cover plumbing and mechanical work. A new house costs $0.20 per heated square foot plus $10 per plumbing fixture, and the county’s Adequate Facilities Tax of $0.99 per heated square foot is paid when the permit is issued. An approved septic permit and an approved plan review come first; review can take up to 20 business days.

What needs a permit in unincorporated Fayette County?

The county requires a building permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert or demolish any building or structure. Its online application covers houses, houses with garages, additions, accessory buildings and single-wide or double-wide mobile homes, for both residential and commercial work.

Since October 1, 2023, plans have to be submitted for review for every house, every addition and every accessory building over 400 sq ft built on site. A prefabricated accessory building with no living space does not need plan review. Each plan set needs a site plan showing property lines, existing buildings and their locations, the proposed building site and the driveway; the planning office can supply a general map to start from.

Who issues permits in Fayette County?

Fayette County enforces its own building codes, so the state lists the county as exempt from the state residential program. Planning & Development handles building permits, zoning, subdivisions and code enforcement complaints for the unincorporated county.

The ten incorporated places in the county are listed on the State Fire Marshal’s table (August 21, 2026) like this:

• Oakland: runs its own Building & Code Enforcement office at Town Hall, 170 Doss Circle (901-465-8523), and is on the state’s list of places that run their own electrical permits and inspections.
• Piperton: has its own Building Department and Building Official (901-853-4830, ext. 4); work started before the permit is approved costs double the permit fee.
• Rossville: exempt from the state program and lists a town building inspector in the MTAS municipal directory.
• Somerville: the town’s Codes Department issues building permits (901-465-9500) and enforces the 2015 International Codes; a house needs the deed, the plat showing where it sits, a house plan for the building inspector’s review and the fee.
• Gallaway: City Hall, 333 Old Brownsville Road (901-867-3333), takes commercial building permit applications, with a $4 issuing fee on top of the permit fee, plus its own accessory building and fence permits, and books the inspections.
• Grand Junction: the city asks owners to get approval and a building permit from City Hall, 226 Hwy 57 East (731-764-2871), before building anything; the town also reaches into Hardeman County.
• La Grange and Moscow: exempt from the state program, but neither town publishes a permit process, so ask town hall: La Grange 901-878-1246, Moscow 901-877-3584.
• Braden and Williston: in the State Residential Building Program, so a new home or an addition over 30 sq ft needs a state residential permit bought through CORE, with state-contracted inspections.

Applying through the iWorQ portal

Applications are filed online in the county’s iWorQ citizen portal. You pick the property from the search results, give applicant and owner details, acreage, map and parcel number, subdivision and lot, say whether the job is residential or commercial and what is being built, confirm whether the septic permit is approved, sign on screen and upload the plans. Submitting the form is an application only: it does not let you site or start the building.

The same portal holds the county’s forms and handouts:

• Owner Authorization To Pull Permit Form, for an owner who wants someone else to pull the permit.
• Employee Affidavit, a county affidavit form posted with the application.
• How to obtain a Building Permit from Fayette County, the county’s fee and procedure sheet, which also carries the septic and culvert instructions.
• Significant Changes to 2018 International Codes and Common Failures, a list of items inspectors often fail.

A permit can be pulled by a general contractor licensed in Tennessee or by the property owner; a new owner may be asked for a copy of the deed. Commercial permits must be pulled by a commercial contractor and need a copy of the signed contract.

Electrical, plumbing, septic and driveway approvals

• Plumbing and mechanical: covered by the county building permit. Plumbing is charged per fixture.
• Electrical: not part of the county permit. Outside Oakland, buy the permit from the State of Tennessee and have the state electrical inspector carry out the inspections. The state’s local issuing agent in Fayette County is Lan Mark Plumbing & Electrical Supply in Somerville (901-465-5078). The county will not do the framing inspection until the rough-in electrical inspection has passed, or the final until the final electrical has passed.
• Septic: an approved TDEC septic permit is required before the county issues a building permit. Applications go through TDEC’s online septic system; the county’s sheet lists $500 for a new system or perc test and $100 for a repair, and TDEC’s ground water staff can be reached at 731-441-5593.
• Driveway culverts: every culvert on a county road is sized and installed by the Fayette County Public Works Department, 115 Yancey Street, Somerville (901-465-5222). Mark the spot with two stakes about 24 feet apart; a supervisor sizes the culvert, you buy it from a supplier, and the $575 installation fee for new construction is paid by check or money order before installation. Culverts must be 24 to 50 feet wide.

Fayette County permit fees

Two charges are paid when the permit is issued: the building permit fee to the Fayette County Planning Office and the Adequate Facilities Tax to the Fayette County Trustee, each by check or money order.

For a house with 2,000 heated sq ft, a 500 sq ft garage and 10 plumbing fixtures, the permit fee is $400 + $50 + $100 = $550, and the Adequate Facilities Tax is $1,980. A mobile home permit needs the home’s size, year, cost and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. State electrical permit fees, the TDEC septic fee and any culvert fee are separate.

Plans and letters the county asks for

• House plans showing the heated and unheated square footage and every plumbing fixture
• A site plan with property lines, existing buildings, the new building and the driveway
• Seismic straps and panels, attic ventilation and crawl space ventilation shown on house plans
• The water heater location, as hot water lines are limited to 50 feet
• Engineer-stamped plans when the inspector asks for them
• An engineer letter for monolithic slabs and for block foundations 5 blocks or more high; other components may need one at the Building Official’s request
• A termite pretreatment letter

The engineer letter and the termite letter must both be in the county’s file before the framing inspection can take place. The county does not keep copies of house plans.

Getting a Fayette County building permit, step by step

County inspections

Inspection requests go through the iWorQ portal, where the permit is found by searching (the county keeps permits issued before and after May 1, 2025 in separate searches), and need the contractor access code; questions go to 901-465-5250. The order matters: the rough-in electrical must pass the state inspection before the county framing inspection, and the final electrical before the county final.

The county’s common-failures sheet for the 2018 International Codes flags items such as 4-inch address numbers on the house or mailbox, purple primer on all PVC and CPVC joints, a galvanized or aluminum pan under the water heater, dryer ducts run in 2x6 walls, a crawl space access door of 16 by 24 inches outside or 18 by 24 inches inside, and splash blocks or drain hoses at gutter downspouts.

Zoning, appeals and planning in Fayette County

The county’s Zoning Resolution and Subdivision Regulations are on the Planning & Development page, with an online zoning map. The Fayette County Planning Commission meets on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Bill G. Kelley Criminal Justice Center in Somerville, unless another date is posted on the courthouse bulletin board. Building code appeals go to the county’s Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals.

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

Fayette County permit search and official resources

• Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office
• Tennessee Residential Jurisdictions & Inspectors
• Fayette County services and building permits
• Fayette County Planning & Development
• Fayette County iWorQ permit portal
• How to obtain a building permit in Fayette County (PDF)
• Owner authorization to pull permit form (PDF)
• 2018 codes: significant changes and common failures (PDF)
• Fayette County Zoning Resolution (PDF)
• Tennessee electrical permit issuing agents
• Town of Piperton building permits
• Town of Oakland building permit information

Fayette County permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Fayette County, TN?

$0.20 per heated square foot and $0.10 per unheated square foot, plus $10 per plumbing fixture, with a $50 minimum. The Adequate Facilities Tax adds $0.99 per heated square foot.

Do I need a permit for a shed or detached building?

Yes, the county permits accessory buildings. Plans are only reviewed for site-built accessory buildings over 400 sq ft; prefabricated buildings with no living space skip plan review.

How long does plan review take?

Up to 20 business days after the application is complete.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes. The property owner or a Tennessee-licensed general contractor can pull it, and an owner can authorize someone else in writing using the county’s form.

Who handles electrical permits?

The State of Tennessee, except inside Oakland, which runs its own electrical inspections. The county permit does not include electrical work.

Do I need a septic permit first?

Yes. The county will not issue a building permit until TDEC has approved the septic permit.

Who issues permits in Oakland, Piperton or Somerville?

Oakland and Piperton have their own building departments, and Somerville’s Codes Department (901-465-9500) issues building permits inside the town.

Simplify Fayette County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Tennessee. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Fayette County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.