County Building Permits
Sevier County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)
How to apply for a building permit in unincorporated Sevier County, Tennessee. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
Covers construction in unincorporated Sevier County outside municipal limits. County planning and zoning, environmental health, utility, and Fire Marshal requirements may also apply depending on project type and use.
- Department
- Sevier County Building Inspections
- Address
- 227 Cedar Street, Sevierville, TN 37862
- Phone
- 865-774-7120
Online Permit Portal
Platform: MGO Connect / MyGovernmentOnline • Account required: Yes • Submission: Online only
Additional resources:
Application Process
- Determine whether the property is in unincorporated Sevier County and whether county permitting applies.
- Gather prerequisite items. The county says the building permit cannot be issued until required permits and documents are in hand, including environmental health, zoning compliance, floor plan, and contractor information.
- Create an account in MGO Connect and submit the application online.
- Pay permit and plan review fees after review.
- Post permit and proceed to inspections as listed on the permit.
- Complete required inspections, which typically include footing, under slab plumbing, rough framing, rough plumbing, energy/HVAC/gas piping, and final.
Typical processing time: No general county turnaround estimate was publicly posted on the main Building Inspections page reviewed.
General Requirements
Any new construction, accessory structures, remodels, and additions require a building permit.
Required Documents
- Environmental health approvals when applicable
- Zoning compliance
- Floor plan
- Contractor information
- Online application
- Additional forms for specific programs such as third-party inspections or STRU-related approvals
- Permit validity
- Not clearly posted on the main county Building Inspections page reviewed.
- Building code
- 2018 IRC; 2018 IBC; 2018 IPC; 2018 IMC; 2018 IFC; 2018 IFGC; 2018 ISPSC; 2018 IEBC; NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, with posted county amendment resolutions and an energy code amendment.
- Owner-builder
- Not clearly posted in a general county building-permit rule on the accessible page reviewed.
- Contractor requirements
- County page links users to Tennessee contractor lookup at https://verify.tn.gov/ and expects contractor information with the permit application.
Fees
- Minimum permit fee
- $30 base fee
- Plan check fee
- $50 up to $250 depending on valuation per posted county commercial fee schedule
- Permit fee formula
- Valuation-based building fee schedule: $30 base to $2,000; then escalating per-thousand charges; commercial fee PDF is the publicly posted schedule and the county page separately links residential and commercial permit fee PDFs
- Reinspection fee
- $50
- Penalty (no permit)
- Building without permit first offense $200 and second offense $350
- Payment note
- Online permitting is through MGO Connect; county page does not publish separate card-processing notes
Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
Contact the Sevier County Building Inspections to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.
Inspections
How to Schedule
- Permit-specific inspections required (permit_requirement)
- Inspection hours
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Typical inspection sequence: Footings; under slab plumbing; rough framing; rough plumbing; energy including HVAC and gas pipe; final
Additional Resources
- Building code: 2018 IRC; 2018 IBC; 2018 IPC; 2018 IMC; 2018 IFC; 2018 IFGC; 2018 ISPSC; 2018 IEBC; NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, with posted county amendment resolutions and an energy code amendment.
- Verify contractor license: Tennessee Contractor Lookup
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- Building Inspections
- New Build Steps
- Commercial Permit Fees
- Environmental Health
- License lookup guide: Tennessee Contractor License Requirements
- Contract template: Tennessee Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
- Tennessee hub: Tennessee Contractor License & Permit Hub
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the Sevier County Building Inspections before applying.
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