State coverage plus Knox County's tiered grading permits and a federal wildlife review that can hold up your plans: what an East Tennessee site really needs.
Knox County and the City of Knoxville run one of East Tennessee's most detailed local stormwater programs, and it layers on top of the statewide permit. What surprises a lot of builders here is that Knox County can require a local permit well below the one-acre state line, and that some sites need a federal wildlife review before the county will even look at the plans.
Answer a few questions about your site and get a field-ready SWPPP built to TDEC permit TNR100000, ready to review, sign, and submit.
Get startedAnywhere in Tennessee, a project that disturbs one acre or more (including a lot inside a larger common plan of development) needs coverage under the Construction General Permit (TNR100000): a written SWPPP, a Notice of Intent filed in MyTDEC (form CN-0940), twice-weekly inspections documented on form CN-1173, and a Notice of Termination at closeout. If that is new to you, start with Do I need a SWPPP in Tennessee? and how to file your NOI.
Knox County Stormwater Management issues the local Land Disturbance / Grading Permit, and the trigger depends on the site:
| Site | What Knox County requires |
|---|---|
| One acre or more (or part of a common plan) | Land Disturbance / Grading Permit plus a TDEC Notice of Coverage |
| Under one acre with 5+ ft of cut/fill, or over 10,000 sq ft of planned impervious | Land Disturbance / Grading Permit |
| Under one acre with less than 5 ft of cut/fill | Small Lot Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Plan |
The grading permit line is (865) 215-5540; the small-lot EPSC form goes through Knox County Codes at (865) 215-5800. A grading permit stays valid one year and renews administratively if work started on schedule under the approved plan. A pre-construction meeting with Knox County Engineering and Public Works is required before the grading permit is issued.
Here is the Knox County wrinkle worth planning around: if your site sits within, or drains to, a mapped buffer for a threatened or endangered species or critical habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Cookeville office) must review it before Knox County Engineering reviews your grading or stormwater plan. Knox County cannot expedite that federal review, so factor the extra time into your schedule if your parcel is anywhere near a mapped buffer. Karst and sinkhole areas also carry their own regulations here.
The City of Knoxville runs its own qualified local program. Site development of one acre or more requires a city construction general permit, and commercial EPSC plans must be stamped by a Tennessee-licensed engineer, architect, or landscape architect. The rules live in Chapter 22.5 of the city code and the city's Land Development Manual.
Confirm whether your parcel is county or city, check where you fall on the county's threshold table, and find out early whether a Fish and Wildlife review applies. Your SWPPP should be ready for the pre-construction meeting and match the local plan the reviewer expects. When in doubt, call Knox County Stormwater at (865) 215-5540 before you disturb soil.
SWPPP Builder generates a field-ready Tennessee SWPPP built to the state Construction General Permit in about an hour. Pricing is flat and posted up front: $349 for a standard non-engineered contractor SWPPP, $99 for a single-family homebuilder plan (built on TDEC form CN-1249), and $499 when your site needs engineered or pre-approved plans. That is a fraction of the $1,500 to $5,000 a consultant typically charges, and you keep the file in your account to reuse and update as the job changes.
For any site of one acre or more, and for sites under an acre that have 5 or more feet of cut/fill or over 10,000 square feet of planned impervious area. Smaller sites with less than 5 feet of cut/fill use a Small Lot EPSC Plan instead.
If a Knox County site is within or drains to a mapped buffer for a threatened or endangered species or critical habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must review it before Knox County Engineering reviews the grading or stormwater plan. Build the extra time into your schedule.
Yes. The City of Knoxville runs its own qualified local program under Chapter 22.5 of the city code; commercial EPSC plans must be stamped by a licensed engineer, architect, or landscape architect. Confirm whether your parcel is city or county.
Knox County Stormwater Management at (865) 215-5540 for the grading permit, or Knox County Codes at (865) 215-5800 for the Small Lot EPSC form. Verify current requirements with them.