Land Clearing Permits in Roane County, TN

Which land clearing permits a Roane County job needs depends on what you're doing, not on the clearing itself. Building a house, putting in septic, disturbing an acre or more, working near a creek, cutting along TVA shoreline, and burning the debris each bring in a different office. This guide is organized that way, for Roane County and western Loudon County, with each rule's threshold, the office that decides it, a phone number, and a link to the official page. Everything was checked in October 2026. Rules change, so open the linked page and confirm a rule before you count on it.

At a glance

Building a house

Unincorporated Roane County. The Building Codes and Zoning Department enforces the 2024 International Building Codes and the county's zoning ordinances: 308 N. 3rd Street, Kingston, 865-717-4230, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The county's Planning and Zoning Department (200 E. Race Street, Kingston, 865-717-4232) says it administers zoning in the unincorporated areas and handles subdivision review. Under the county's zoning resolution, agricultural lands and structures are treated as state law (Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-7-114) provides.

Kingston, Harriman, and Rockwood. The county's planning page says these cities set their own zoning. Call the city before you clear. In Harriman, the zoning ordinance assigns driveway permits to the city's building official.

Western Loudon County. Loudon County Planning and Codes Enforcement, 101 Mulberry Street, Suite 101, Loudon: planning 865-458-2055, codes 865-458-4470.

The house-site guide puts these steps in order.

Putting in septic

TDEC's Knoxville Environmental Field Office serves both Roane and Loudon counties and takes septic questions on its main line, (865) 594-6035; it's at 3711 Middlebrook Pike, Suite 101, Knoxville. Loudon County's codes site sends septic applicants to TDEC's Division of Water Resources in the same way. TDEC's septic FAQ (updated July 21, 2026) says to apply online, mark property lines and corners, stake the house pad, and mow or bush hog the house site and evaluation areas, but that "Soil disturbance, cutting and filling should not take place." Processing can take up to 45 days from a complete application.

On new Roane County subdivisions, the subdivision regulations (revised November 2024) call for a TDEC certificate that the subdivision is "generally suitable for subsurface sewage disposal systems" and allow lots to be denied for soils with a perc rate over 70 minutes per inch.

Disturbing an acre or more

TDEC's construction stormwater permit page (last modified October 2, 2026) says coverage is required for construction where "clearing, grading or excavation" disturbs one acre or more, and for smaller sites that are part of "a larger common plan of development or sale." The final 2026 general permit took effect October 1, 2026 and expires September 30, 2031. The primary operator prepares a stormwater pollution prevention plan and files a Notice of Intent, site map, and fee through MyTDEC Forms, and TDEC answers with a Notice of Coverage.

• Application fees: $250 for 1 to under 5 acres; $1,000 for 5 to under 20; $3,000 for 20 to under 50; $6,000 for 50 to under 150; $10,000 for 150 or more.
• Annual maintenance fees for projects lasting over a year: $125 at 1 to under 5 acres, rising to $3,750 at 150 acres or more.

Loudon County's urbanized area. Loudon County's stormwater program applies only inside the Census Bureau's urbanized area. Its 2013 stormwater resolution covers development sites of one acre or more there and requires a 30-foot natural buffer along streams on construction sites, 60 feet on impaired or high-quality waters. Ask Planning and Codes, 865-458-2055, whether your property is inside that area.

Farm work. TDEC's ARAP page notes that some conservation practices on agricultural land may still need stormwater or ARAP coverage. If you're clearing for pasture or hay rather than building, ask the Knoxville field office what applies.

Working near a creek, branch, or wetland

TDEC's ARAP page (updated July 9, 2026) says that physically altering a stream, wetland, or other water of the state takes an Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit or a Section 401 certification. The examples it gives include excavation, bank sloping and stabilization, channel relocation, road and utility crossings, structural fill, and "Flooding, excavating, draining and/or filling a wetland." General permits cost $500 when notice to TDEC is required, $50 for a personal residence or family farm, and nothing when no notice is required; individual permits run $2,500 or $5,000, or $50 for a personal residence or family farm. General permit applications go on Form CN-1091 to the regional field office. TDEC's page also names the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which issues federal Section 404 permits for work in federal waters; ask the Knoxville field office, (865) 594-6035, whether your project touches either one.

In practice: keep machines out of the channel, don't push brush or soil into a branch, and if a crossing or bank work is part of the plan, ask TDEC before you start.

Clearing on lake property

TVA-owned shoreland. TVA's shoreline construction FAQ says "Written approval from TVA is always needed to trim or remove any vegetation on TVA property," through a vegetation management plan that is part of a Section 26a application. Under 18 CFR 1304.203, TVA designates a 50-foot shoreline management zone where trees aren't cut outside an approved access corridor no more than 20 feet wide, and allows selective thinning of stems under three inches at ground level above that zone. Applications can take up to 120 days. TVA Public Land Information Center: 1-800-882-5263.

Private land under a TVA flowage easement. TVA's regulations say vegetation work there "generally does not require approval by TVA," while structures built on easement land are treated as obstructions under Section 26a. Lake lot clearing has the full rundown.

Low ground and subdividing

Roane County's subdivision regulations require each lot to have a building site not subject to flood, set building sites at least one foot above the base flood elevation, and keep floodway land from being platted for building. They also cap new subdivision street grades at 14 percent and list steep slopes, flooding, bad drainage, and soils as conditions that can make land unsuitable for subdividing. Before grading or filling low ground, ask Building Codes and Zoning (865-717-4230) where the flood lines fall; for a subdivision, start with Planning and Zoning (865-717-4232).

Burning the debris

• State. The Division of Forestry's free permit is needed in the October 15 to May 15 season for any open-air fire within 500 feet of a forest, grassland, or woodland; online 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, or 877-350-2876 on weekdays (permit page).
• Kingston. City burn permits are required 365 days a year, issued the day of the burn; Kingston Fire Department, 865-376-2936.
• Oliver Springs. On the state's list of towns with their own rules; contact 865-435-7722.
• City of Loudon. No permits for burning wood waste for land development unless an air curtain destructor or incinerator is used on a 20-acre site; city hall 865-458-2033.
• What can burn. TDEC allows branches, limbs, woody vegetation, and clean untreated wood, never tires, plastics, vinyl, trash, or chemicals, with extra limits within 200 feet of someone else's occupied building. TDEC: 1-888-891-8332.

Burning clearing debris covers every rule in detail.

Digging: Tennessee 811

The Tennessee Public Utility Commission's damage prevention FAQ says anyone planning excavation, which includes grading, digging, trenching, and drilling, must give notice no more than ten and no fewer than three working days before the work begins. There's no charge, utilities have three business days to mark, and penalties can reach $15,000 per incident. Call 811.

Who to call

Permit questions

Who gets the permits, the landowner or the contractor?

It depends on the permit. The state stormwater permit goes to the site's operators, a burn permit to whoever burns, and a TVA application to the applicant. Settle in writing who files each one before work starts.

Is a permit needed to clear an overgrown pasture?

Clearing for farming is treated differently from construction, but TDEC says some conservation practices on farmland can still need coverage, so ask the Knoxville field office. Burning the brush needs the state permit in season, and a city permit in Kingston.

Does a one-house lot need the state stormwater permit?

Only if the disturbed area reaches an acre or the lot is part of a larger common plan of development. Count the drive and septic area along with the house.

Can trees on the TVA strip be cut without a permit?

No. TVA says written approval is always needed for vegetation work on its property.

How this site can help

Call or send a short request, and mention any creek, lake frontage, or septic plans. One independent contractor serving your part of the county will get it, walk the land, and give you a quote. You decide whether to hire them, and the referral is free. This page is general information, not legal advice; the offices listed have the last word on their own rules.

Related pages

• House-site clearing
• Lake lot clearing
• Burning clearing debris
• Land clearing cost
• Hiring a clearing contractor