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Basinwise

Tennessee

The stormwater permit for construction in Tennessee

Tennessee runs its own NPDES programme, so a state issued construction general permit governs. Below is what our engine can say about it, and where we have not read that permit, what it will not say.

Governing permit

Not verified for Tennessee

We have not read the construction general permit that governs this jurisdiction, so we will not name one. Confirm which permit applies with the state permitting authority before you break ground.

Who may prepare the plan

Conditional, depends on the site

Tennessee gates plan preparation only above a threshold this site does not meet. The gate applies at 10 acres or more. This site is 1 acres. On what we have verified, a generated plan can be adopted without a credentialed signature.

Qualifying routes

  • Level II certification (exceptional waters only)
  • PE or RLA stamp above threshold

Tennessee's section 3.1.1 language is permissive ("may... such as") and is widely misread as a mandate. Citations are from the 2011 permit; the 2021 version could not be retrieved and MUST be reconfirmed before client-facing use.

Not verifiedTNR100000 section 3.1.1Source

Does a site in Tennessee need coverage

Worked for a one acre site as a reference point. Change the acreage in the tool below and the answer, and its reasoning, change with it.

Coverage

Permit coverage required

Not verified

The project disturbs 1 acres, at or above the 1 acre threshold, so it needs permit coverage.

Determined against dataset version 2026-07-19.

Read these before you act on the answer

  • We could not verify which permit governs a construction site in Tennessee. Confirm with the state permitting authority before you break ground.
  • Tennessee gates plan preparation only above a threshold this site does not meet. The gate applies at 10 acres or more. This site is 1 acres. On what we have verified, a generated plan can be adopted without a credentialed signature.
  • Basinwise does not perform the physical site inspections the permit requires. Those must be carried out on site by a qualified person.
How this answer was reached, step by step
  1. 1

    Coverage threshold

    The project disturbs 1 acres, at or above the 1 acre threshold, so it needs permit coverage.

    VerifiedPart 1.1.2Source
  2. 2

    Permitting authority

    Tennessee runs its own NPDES programme, and we have not verified its construction general permit. We will not guess its requirements.

  3. 3

    Preparer credential

    Tennessee gates plan preparation only above a threshold this site does not meet. The gate applies at 10 acres or more. This site is 1 acres. On what we have verified, a generated plan can be adopted without a credentialed signature.

    Not verifiedTNR100000 section 3.1.1Source

What to do next

  1. 1. Confirm the governing permit. We have not verified this. Contact the Tennessee permitting authority and ask which construction general permit covers your site. the Tennessee permitting authority
  2. 2. Settle the preparer question before you draft. Getting this wrong costs a redraft at best. The detail is on the credential page for this state. Preparer credential in Tennessee
  3. 3. Screen the site. Run the real acreage and receiving water facts through the tool below. You get the inspection frequency, the stabilisation deadlines and the filing path with the permit section behind each.
  4. 4. Read the requirements in full. SWPPP requirements in Tennessee

Screen a Tennessee site now

Runs in your browser. Nothing about the site is transmitted.

Screen your site

Runs in your browser

Total land disturbance over the whole project, including staging and access. This decides whether you need a permit at all.

Optional. If you phase the work, the most that will be disturbed at once. Leave blank if the whole site is open together. The stabilisation deadline turns on this figure, not the total.

A half acre lot inside a 40 acre subdivision is covered even though the lot alone is under the threshold. This is the most commonly missed trigger in the permit.

Receiving water and site conditions(optional, but they change the inspection frequency)

May allow a reduced inspection frequency during the seasonally dry period.

EPA keeps permitting authority in Indian country even inside a state that runs its own programme.

No account, no card, nothing transmitted.

What people ask about the Tennessee construction stormwater permit

Do I need a stormwater permit for a construction site in Tennessee?

Permit coverage is triggered at one acre of land disturbance, and below one acre if the project is part of a larger common plan of development or sale that will ultimately disturb an acre or more. The project disturbs 1 acres, at or above the 1 acre threshold, so it needs permit coverage.

Who issues the construction stormwater permit in Tennessee?

We have not verified which permit governs construction stormwater in Tennessee. Confirm with the Tennessee permitting authority before you break ground. We will not name a permit we have not read.

Does Tennessee require a qualified preparer for the plan?

Tennessee gates plan preparation only above a threshold this site does not meet. The gate applies at 10 acres or more. This site is 1 acres. On what we have verified, a generated plan can be adopted without a credentialed signature.

Keep the record Tennessee will ask you for

The screening is free. Holding the written plan and the retained inspection log is what the permit actually demands.

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