Rules & Permits
Do I Need a Permit for Septic Work in Davidson County?
Pumping does not need a permit. Almost everything else that opens the ground does — and Davidson County is one of the contract counties with an extra layer.
Published 2026-08-16 · Last updated 2026-08-16 · By 615 Septic Tank Pumping
The short answer
Routine pumping needs no permit from the homeowner, but the contractor must hold a TDEC Septic Tank Pumping Contractor permit. Any new system, repair or replacement of a subsurface sewage disposal system requires a construction permit from the county environmental health office, and a licensed installer must do the work.
What needs a permit and what does not
No permit needed by the homeowner: routine pumping, tank cleaning, inspection, effluent filter service, riser installation on an existing access port, and general maintenance that does not alter the system’s design or disturb the disposal field.
Construction permit required: any new subsurface sewage disposal system, and any repair or replacement of a faulty one. That includes replacing a drain field, relocating a tank, and expanding a system to serve additional bedrooms. A licensed subsurface sewage disposal system installer must carry out tank placement and drainfield work, and the inspector signs off before backfill.
The permit sits with the county environmental health office, under the state’s Regulations to Govern Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems.
The contractor’s permit, which matters to you
Anyone removing and disposing of domestic septage in Tennessee must hold a Septic Tank Pumping Contractor permit issued by TDEC’s Division of Water Resources, applied for on form CN-0765.
There is a visible check available to any homeowner: permitted vehicles must carry the firm or operator’s name and address plus the domestic septage removal permit number, in lettering at least two inches high, in bold print on a contrasting background, and must display a department-issued identifying sticker.
If a truck pulls onto a property without that marking, the operator is not permitted to be hauling septage. It is the simplest verification available and it takes five seconds.
What the application involves
The submission covers landowner name and address, the lot’s location and size, number of occupants, number of bedrooms, water use amounts, whether there is an excavated basement, whether basement plumbing fixtures are installed, whether house and lot are staked, and the installer’s name.
It must include a sketch showing property lines, house site, well location, spring location, planned driveway and utilities, plus directions to the site. Soil maps prepared by a soil scientist are required where the site warrants them, and larger conventional or alternative systems need a design from a licensed engineer.
Review generally takes about 10 days and must be completed within 45 days of submission.
Why Davidson County reviews are stricter than you might expect
Middle Tennessee is karst country: soluble limestone bedrock with a thin soil mantle and solution features that route water underground rapidly and with very little filtration.
Environmental health offices in Davidson, Williamson, Maury and Rutherford counties watch karst features carefully and enforce generous setbacks from any visible solution feature. The reasoning is direct — a sinkhole can swallow a drainfield, and fractured limestone lets inadequately treated effluent reach groundwater without passing through the soil column that provides the treatment.
Practical consequences for a homeowner planning work:
- Adequate soil depth to bedrock has to be demonstrated, and on ridge lots it often is not
- A visible depression anywhere near the proposed field can move it, or rule the location out
- Alternative system designs are more common here than the state average, and they cost more
- A replacement field frequently cannot go where the existing one is
The bedroom-count trap
Systems are permitted against a design flow tied to bedroom count. Finishing a basement, converting a bonus room, or adding an extension can push a house past what its system was approved to serve.
That becomes a problem twice: practically, because the system is now undersized and will fail early, and administratively, because it surfaces during a sale when a buyer’s agent compares the permit file to the listing. It is far easier to resolve during planning than under contract.
Pulling the permit file is worth doing for any property with a septic system, and it is usually straightforward — the file typically includes a site sketch showing house, tank and field, which is also the fastest way to find a lost access lid.
Sources
Want this answered for your actual property?
A pump-out with inspection replaces every general figure on this page with the numbers for this specific system — sludge depth, component condition, and a dated next-service interval.
Frequently asked questions
Does pumping a septic tank require a permit?
Not from the homeowner. The contractor doing it must hold a TDEC Septic Tank Pumping Contractor permit for removing and disposing of domestic septage, and permitted vehicles must display the firm name, address and permit number in two-inch lettering.
How long does a septic construction permit take in Tennessee?
The review generally takes about 10 days and must be completed within 45 days of the application date. Sites requiring soil maps from a soil scientist or an engineered design commonly run longer in practice.
What does the application need?
Landowner details, site location and lot size, number of occupants and bedrooms, water use, whether there is an excavated basement with plumbing, the installer's name, and a sketch showing property lines, house site, well and spring locations, driveway and utilities. Soil maps and an engineered design are required for larger or alternative systems.
Is Davidson County different from other Tennessee counties?
Yes. Davidson is one of the contract counties — along with Blount, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Madison, Sevier, Shelby and Williamson — which may require an additional county permit alongside the state process.
Keep reading
- Rules & Permits
What Do Tennessee Septic Regulations Require of Homeowners?
The parts of Chapter 0400-48-01 that actually affect a homeowner, in plain terms, with the rule numbers so you can check them.
Read the guide
- Decision Guide
How Does Karst Ground Affect a Septic System in Middle Tennessee?
Fractured limestone under a thin soil mantle is the defining ground condition across Davidson County, and it changes both how a system fails and where a new one can go.
Read the guide
- Cost Guide
How Much Does Drain Field Replacement Cost in Nashville?
The five-figure number that routine pumping exists to prevent — what it covers, what moves it, and the cheaper findings worth ruling out first.
Read the guide
- Rules & Permits
Is a Septic Inspection Required to Sell a House in Tennessee?
There is no blanket state requirement. There is, in practice, a buyer's agent who will ask — and the timing of when you find out is worth real money.
Read the guide