Administrative overview · FIPS 47101
Lewis 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
City of Hohenwald Building & Codes Department
For a project in or near Lewis 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
931-796-2231; Building Official cell: 931-628-2768
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
City Hall, 118 W Linden Avenue, Hohenwald, TN 38462
Operating hours
Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM-4:30 PM Central Time.
Review expectation
Ask the agency for its current review estimate
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 Lewis 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?
No verified online portal was located in the reviewed public materials. Contact 931-796-2231; Building Official cell: 931-628-2768 and request the current application route before preparing a final submittal.
How long might review take?
A typical review timeline was not verified. Ask the agency for its current completeness and review estimate.
How are inspections scheduled?
Unincorporated Lewis County publishes no county building-inspection program because it requires no county building permit. For projects inside Hohenwald, call the Building & Codes Department at 931-796-2231 or the Building Official at 931-628-2768 to schedule required footing, foundation/framing, plumbing, mechanical/gas, energy, and final inspections; the city publishes separate inspection checklists on its Building & Codes page.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Lewis County states that it has no building-and-codes department and requires no county building permit for any size or type of residential or commercial structure outside Hohenwald. County residents still must comply with Tennessee septic-system and electrical-safety requirements. Within Hohenwald, the municipal fallback's codified adoptions are the 2012 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Energy Conservation, Existing Building, and Property Maintenance Codes, with local amendments; applicants should confirm whether later administrative amendments apply before relying on an edition. All structures in unincorporated Lewis County are exempt from a county building permit, and the county specifically says no permit is required for an emergency backup generator; state septic and electrical requirements still apply. Within Hohenwald, locally retained permit exemptions include fences not over 7 feet; painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work; prefabricated pools under 24 inches deep; swings and playground equipment; qualifying wall-supported window awnings; and certain shade-cloth or nonfixed display fixtures. The city deleted other standard model-code exemptions, so verify the project with the Building Official.