A homeowner's reading map for the state chapter, with the permit, installer, inspection, and maintenance decisions that matter on a Maury County property.
Rule 0400-48-01 governs how Tennessee permits, designs, inspects, and enforces subsurface sewage disposal systems, including who may install them. TDEC administers it in Maury County, which is not one of the nine contract counties that run their own programs. Homeowners should secure the correct permit before dirt work, protect the approved layout, and keep final records.
The Secretary of State publishes the current chapter as one document. Use your browser's Find command with the section number in the first column.
| Sections | Theme | Plain-English function | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| .01 to .02 | Scope and definitions | Explains which subsurface sewage disposal systems the chapter covers and defines the technical terms used throughout it. | Start here when a familiar word such as repair, disposal field, or conventional system has a narrower regulatory meaning. |
| .03 to .05 | Subdivisions, site suitability, and perc procedures | Sets the site information, soil, mapping, reserve-area, subdivision, and limited percolation-test framework used before design. | Acreage alone does not prove suitability. Protect the proposed and duplicate areas before grading or dividing land. |
| .06 | Construction permits | Requires the state construction permit for constructing, altering, extending, or repairing an SSDS and describes permit conditions. | Obtain the correct permit before dirt work. A prior permit may not cover a new house plan, bedroom count, or repair. |
| .07 to .12 | Fields, tanks, treatment, location, and dosing | Governs conventional disposal-field design, tank capacity and construction, treatment devices, separation, and pumped dosing systems. | The issued design controls tank size, line length, trench details, setbacks, pumps, and controls. Do not substitute from another job. |
| .13 to .17 | Maintenance and nonconventional methods | Addresses system maintenance, grease traps, alternative and experimental methods, privies, and composting toilets. | An alternative product is not a retail workaround. It needs the service, design, permit, and maintenance path that applies to its category. |
| .18 | Approved soil consultants | Sets the approval framework for professionals who evaluate and map soil for the SSDS program. | Check TDEC's current consultant list and map authorization before paying for a soil deliverable. |
| .19 to .20 | Installers and pumping contractors | Covers annual permits, qualifications, responsibilities, installer categories, pumping work, records, and enforcement. | Verify the person holds the current state permit for the exact work being hired; a general business license is not a substitute. |
| .21 to .24 | Fees, septage, advanced maintenance, and severability | Covers program fees, domestic septage disposal, maintenance providers for ATS and subsurface drip systems, and legal severability. | Budget state fees separately and keep advanced-system service obligations with the property records. |
This page summarizes the chapter. It does not replace the rule text, Tennessee Code, current TDEC policy, or a property-specific decision. TDEC's index also links Tennessee Code Title 68, Chapter 221, Part 4, including the variance and hearing provisions.
| Project or change | TDEC service | Why it applies |
|---|---|---|
| New conventional system | Conventional Septic System Permit | New residence, business, or accessory building using a conventional or approved substitute design |
| Failing existing system | Septic System Repair Permit | Required before repair work on the failing system; TDEC issues the repair design |
| House, bedrooms, flow, pool, garage, or site layout changes | Septic System Modification Permit | Used when the change affects the issued plan, initial field, or duplicate area |
| LPP, mound, oxidation lagoon, or ATS/SDD | Alternative Septic System Permit | Requires the alternative path and an extra-high-intensity soil map before state evaluation |
| Land divided for septic-served development | Subdivision Evaluation | Requires the applicable survey and soil map before TDEC evaluates the division |
TDEC's online septic service page describes each application and tells applicants to obtain the permit before dirt work or building-pad construction. The full Maury County permit guide covers fees, timing, soil work, installation, and final inspection.
Confirm sewer availability and the parcel boundaries, then settle the bedroom count and where the house and water supply will sit. Hire a currently approved soil consultant when mapping is needed. Do not grade the building pad or disposal areas first.
Read the issued permit and site sketch, then walk the current plan against it. Anything that moved, from the house footprint to a bedroom count to the field location, needs a modification request before construction.
Use an installer permitted for the approved category unless TDEC has confirmed a lawful owner-performed path. Build the state design, protect open excavations, and notify the Division for the required inspection before covering work when directed.
Keep every paper the project generated: the permit, the final record, the soil map, and any service agreement. Protect both fields and keep pumps, alarms, and access maintained for the life of the system.
Rule .19 says the annual installer-business permit does not apply to a property owner or the owner's tenant doing their own work on their own property when it is their residence. The same sentence expressly keeps the construction-permit requirement. That is a narrow licensing exception, not blanket permission to start excavation.
The issued design, construction permit, inspection, safety duties, and other trade requirements still apply. Alternative systems can involve pumps, control panels, treatment equipment, specialized products, startup, and maintenance-provider rules. Ask the Columbia Environmental Field Office for written direction on the exact owner, residence, system category, installer role, and inspection sequence.
If TDEC does not confirm that the exception fits, use a state-permitted installer. Even when owner work is allowed, be honest about what a botched trench costs to correct. Weigh the excavation risk and the resale paper trail against a licensed and insured contractor's complete written scope.
TDEC's installer guidance says the Division may inspect each SSDS installation for compliance with permit conditions and regulatory requirements. The installer must notify the Division after installation. Keep the field accessible and follow the permit's inspection sequence rather than covering work on a contractor's schedule.
TDEC also states that a person who violates the statutes, rules, or regulations may be subject to civil penalties. Installer permits can be denied, suspended, or revoked. For a homeowner, unpermitted or nonconforming work can also create correction costs and missing documentation during construction, financing, or sale.
Research and review. The Maury Septic editorial team checked this guide against current TDEC rules and service pages, plus the Secretary of State's current rule chapter, TDEC's section index, permit services, installer program, and documentation standards. Private-market costs are identified as planning ranges. For a specific property, rely on the issued permit and a written contractor scope.
Tennessee Secretary of State
Official current chapter text governing Tennessee subsurface sewage disposal systems.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Official rule index for permits, design, maintenance, soil consultants, installers, and fees.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Who needs a permit, application requirements, review timing, current state fees, and inspection duties.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Conventional, repair, and alternative-system applications, plus soil-map requirements.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
State licensing requirements and the current installer and pumper lookup.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Current state policy for digital permit sketches, attachments, reproducible field references, setbacks, and FileNet record quality.
TDEC's Division of Water Resources administers the SSDS program for Maury County through regional staff and the Columbia Environmental Field Office. The state reviews site information, issues construction or repair permits, and inspects permitted work. Local planning, building, electrical, zoning, and utility requirements can still apply separately.
Yes. Rule 0400-48-01-.06 covers the construction permit, and TDEC tells applicants to obtain the appropriate septic permit before dirt work or building-pad construction. A soil map, consultant opinion, contractor proposal, or old permit is not authorization to construct a new or changed system for the current plan.
Rule .19 contains a narrow owner or tenant exception from the annual installer-business permit for work on their own residential property. It expressly keeps the construction-permit requirement. Do not assume that exception approves self-installation, alternative-system work, electrical work, or inspection. Get written TDEC direction for the exact property and design first.
Not automatically. TDEC lists a modification service when bedroom count or expected flow changes, or when a house, pool, garage, shop, barn, or other site-plan change affects the initial or duplicate septic area. Submit the revised plan before grading or construction reaches the protected soil and permitted layout.
TDEC states that people who violate the governing statutes, rules, or regulations may face civil penalties. The Division can inspect installations and deny, suspend, or revoke installer permits for violations or unsatisfactory work. Unpermitted construction also haunts the paperwork later, stalling inspections, lending, and property-sale documentation until it is resolved.
This form is for installation, replacement, repair, and aerobic service requests. It does not provide legal advice, determine an owner-work exception, or issue a permit.
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Related: septic permit guide · setbacks and lot size · septic tank size · soil and site evaluation · septic records lookup · septic installation · off-grid wastewater rules
Regulatory claims are checked against primary sources. Site-specific approval and pricing still require TDEC and a written installer estimate.