Administrative overview · FIPS 47079
Henry County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
Municipal Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked Municipal Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
Henry County Mayor’s Office for unincorporated areas; applicable municipal building department, including City of Paris Building & Codes
For a project in or near Henry County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
731-642-5212 (Henry County Mayor’s Office); 731-641-1402 (City of Paris Building & Codes); 731-642-1322 (Paris Board of Public Utilities)
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Henry County Mayor’s Office, 101 W. Washington Street, Paris, TN 38242; City of Paris Building & Codes, 100 N. Caldwell Street, Paris, TN 38242
Operating hours
Henry County office hours are not published on the cited permit page. City of Paris Building & Codes: Monday-Thursday, 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; closed Friday-Sunday; lunch 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Review expectation
N/A countywide. City of Paris publishes next-business-day inspection scheduling when called by 3:00 p.m. the prior business day, but no general permit-review timeline.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Henry County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 731-642-5212 (Henry County Mayor’s Office); 731-641-1402 (City of Paris Building & Codes); 731-642-1322 (Paris Board of Public Utilities).
How long might review take?
N/A countywide. City of Paris publishes next-business-day inspection scheduling when called by 3:00 p.m. the prior business day, but no general permit-review timeline.
How are inspections scheduled?
For City of Paris projects, call Building & Codes at 731-641-1409 to schedule inspections; requests must be made by 3:00 p.m. the day before and are scheduled for the following business day. New construction generally has footing, slab/foundation, framing, and final inspections; remodels have pre-concealment and final inspections; mobile homes have footing and final inspections. Electrical work is inspected by the State, gas work requires a separate permit, and septic work requires Health Department soil testing. For unincorporated property, contact the County Mayor’s Office and relevant state inspectors before beginning work.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Henry County states that unincorporated areas have no local zoning regulations and do not require building permits; commercial businesses must follow Tennessee State Fire Codes, electrical connections require State Electrical Inspector inspection, and septic installations require Health Department soil testing. For the municipal fallback, City of Paris lists the 2018 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, Energy Conservation, and Property Maintenance Codes, plus 2018 NFPA Life Safety 101. In unincorporated Henry County, the official county page says building permits are not required and there is no county zoning. Commercial businesses remain subject to Tennessee State Fire Codes; electrical and septic requirements still apply. Within municipalities, exemptions and permit thresholds vary and must be confirmed with the applicable city; the City of Paris packet does not publish a consolidated cosmetic-exemption list.