Administrative overview · FIPS 47091
Johnson 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
State 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 State 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
Johnson County Government; Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (optional state inspection path)
For a project in or near Johnson 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
423-727-9696 (County Mayor’s Office); 423-727-7692 (Property Assessor); 615-741-7170 (State Fire Marshal residential information)
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Johnson County Courthouse, 222 W. Main Street, Mountain City, TN 37683; Property Assessor, 210 College Street, Mountain City, TN 37683
Operating hours
Johnson County Courthouse: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The county does not publish separate building-permit office hours because it has no building-permit department.
Review expectation
N/A; Johnson County publishes no county building-permit review timeline because it does not require county building permits.
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 Johnson County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked State 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 423-727-9696 (County Mayor’s Office); 423-727-7692 (Property Assessor); 615-741-7170 (State Fire Marshal residential information).
How long might review take?
N/A; Johnson County publishes no county building-permit review timeline because it does not require county building permits.
How are inspections scheduled?
For ordinary county construction, obtain the required septic approval through TDEC and electrical permit/inspection through Mountain Electric. Johnson County also says it issues Certificates of Occupancy despite not requiring building permits. Owners or contractors may optionally obtain a State Fire Marshal permit and request inspections through https://core.tn.gov/; state guidance says inspections may result in a Certificate of Occupancy for one- and two-family dwellings in opt-out/non-code jurisdictions.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Johnson County’s official newcomer information and Assessor letter state that the county does not require building permits or inspections. The county’s public materials do not identify a locally enforced building-code edition. For an optional State Fire Marshal inspection, Tennessee uses the 2018 International Residential Code and 2018 International Energy Conservation Code with amendments. No county building permit is currently required for new structures or additions, and the county says it has no building-permit or zoning department. The county’s stated requirements are a septic permit through TDEC and an electrical permit/inspection through Mountain Electric. State guidance separately exempts detached garages, sheds, barns, and other detached nonliving structures from a state residential permit and generally does not require a state permit for manufactured or modular installation unless custom site work is included.