Fee schedule confirmed Figures from Sevier County Environmental Health
Sevier County septic permits
Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Seymour and the county. Fee schedule, what you file, and what happens when an inspection fails.
Fee schedule
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Septic permit — new system | $300 |
| Repair permit | $75 |
| Inspection letter | $100 |
| Water sample | $100 |
| Re-inspection | $100 |
| Subdivision evaluation | $75 per lot + $75 per existing home |
Cards are not accepted. Applications go in by mail with payment attached. Budget an extra few days for this in your schedule, particularly if a closing date is driving the job.
The distinction that saves people $225
A repair permit is $75. A septic permit for a new system is $300. The difference is not cosmetic and contractors sometimes default to the more expensive filing because it's simpler for them.
If the existing system is being repaired — a cracked tank swapped out, a section of line replaced, a distribution box fixed — that is repair work. If the system is being installed where none existed, or the design is changing, it's a new permit. Ask your installer which one they filed and why before the paperwork goes in.
When an inspection fails
Sevier County runs this as a defined process rather than an informal conversation, and knowing the sequence keeps a failed inspection from costing you a week.
- The installer gets written or verbal notice of what failed and what has to be corrected.
- A Re-Inspection Application is filed with a $100 fee.
- After the payment clears, the installer calls between 8am and 9am to be put back on the inspector's schedule.
That morning call window matters. Miss it and you wait for the next one. If your contractor is vague about who's making that call, make it clear you expect them to.
Septage disposal filings
Anyone proposing to land-dispose domestic septage from septic tanks or other treatment facilities needs a domestic septage disposal site permit. That filing requires a high-intensity soil map of the proposed disposal area prepared to department rules, plus a plat carrying the seal and signature of a registered surveyor.
This applies to the pumping and disposal side of the business rather than to a homeowner replacing a system, but it's worth knowing that a contractor offering to haul and spread waste should be able to show you this permit.
What it costs to build here
Sevier County sits on the edge of the Smokies, which means a wide spread of site conditions inside one county. Flat valley lots around Seymour behave very differently from steep ground above Gatlinburg, where shallow bedrock pushes sites toward mound systems and roughly doubles the cost of the field.
Because the county spans that range, a countywide "average" is close to useless. Run the numbers against your own site instead.
Nearby counties
Fee schedules and ground conditions change at the county line, sometimes sharply. If your property sits near a boundary, check the neighbouring sheet too.