Land Clearing Permits in LaFollette & Campbell County, TN

Inside the City of LaFollette, the building permit form the city has posted says a grading permit has to be issued before any land disturbing activity, and asks for a site plan once the disturbed area reaches a tenth of an acre. The same form lists a 25-foot undisturbed buffer along free-flowing streams. Treat those as what the form asks for, and confirm current requirements with the City of LaFollette codes office before work starts. Out in unincorporated Campbell County, no county clearing permit was found; state stormwater coverage applies from one acre. On Norris Lake, TVA decides what may be cut on its shoreland.

Every rule below links to its source. Requirements vary by parcel, scope and jurisdiction, and the governing authority makes the determination. Cut Brush can flag what commonly applies and help you find the right office, but the decision is theirs.

Inside LaFollette: The Grading Permit Comes First

The city’s building permit application carries a grading section, and its first line is the requirement that matters most for clearing: a grading permit must be issued prior to any land disturbing activity. There is no one-acre floor in that sentence, so on the form’s wording, clearing that changes the ground on a city lot falls under it.

The same form lists the paperwork it expects by size:

• From 0.1 acre (4,356 square feet) up to one acre, the applicant supplies a site plan of the proposed activity on a supplemental page.
• At one acre or more, a TDEC stormwater construction permit may be required before the city application, and a named person with at least TDEC’s Level 1 erosion and sediment control training has to be responsible for the site.
• On every site, erosion and sediment controls go in and are inspected before grading, the contractor follows the Tennessee Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook, and mud tracked onto the road has to be cleaned up straight away.

The form also asks whether the site holds water bodies, wetlands or sinkholes, and the permit expires after 180 days if work has not started. Applications go to the city at 207 South Tennessee Avenue, 423-563-0686. The form does not state a grading fee, so ask the city for the current figure.

The 25-Foot Stream Buffer

One line on the posted city form changes more layouts than any other. It calls for an undisturbed vegetative buffer of 25 feet, measured from the top of bank, beside all free-flowing waters of the state.

If the codes office confirms that line still applies, the strip along a creek or branch stays as it is. A mulcher cannot simply run to the water’s edge, and a house pad or driveway cannot be laid inside that strip without the city’s say. If a stream runs through or beside your lot, mark the top of bank before anyone draws a layout, and raise it with the city at the start.

Unincorporated Campbell County

Outside the city limits, the county’s rule on record is about buildings rather than clearing. Private Acts of 1984, Chapter 157 requires anyone erecting, building or rebuilding a structure in Campbell County, or altering one by more than $5,000, to get a building permit from the Campbell County Clerk.

No county permit for clearing or grading on its own was found. That is not proof that none exists, so treat it as unconfirmed and call the County Clerk in Jacksboro before a large job. Jacksboro, Caryville and Jellico are their own towns and may set their own rules; check with each town hall rather than assuming the county answer applies.

State Stormwater Coverage From One Acre

Tennessee’s Construction General Permit covers stormwater from clearing, grading, filling and excavating one or more acres, or less than an acre when the site is part of a larger common plan of development. The operator prepares a stormwater pollution prevention plan and files a notice of intent with the TDEC field office, generally at least 30 days before land disturbance starts.

Clearing alone can trigger this. A five-acre mulching job on a parcel being readied for sale or building counts toward the acre, even if no structure is planned this year. In the city, the coverage question comes before the grading permit, so settle it first.

Norris Lake: TVA’s Shoreland Rules

Norris Reservoir reaches 73 miles up the Clinch and 56 up the Powell, with 809 miles of shoreline by TVA’s count. Along much of it, the land between a private lot and the water belongs to TVA. On that ground, 18 CFR 1304.203 sets the vegetation rules:

• A 50-foot shoreline management zone is designated on TVA property, and trees there may not be removed except in approved erosion control work.
• An access corridor to the water may be cleared up to, but not beyond, 20 feet wide, and mowing is allowed only inside it.
• Above the zone, selective thinning is limited to trees and other vegetation under three inches in diameter at ground level.
• All vegetation work on that TVA land needs TVA’s advance written permission and an approved vegetation management plan.

That is TVA’s determination to make. Whether the strip in front of your lot is TVA land, and what may be cut there, is a question for TVA before any machine goes near the water. Your own ground behind that line falls under the city, county and state rules above.

Burning the Debris

If clearing produces a pile, burning it brings its own rules. Tennessee requires a Division of Forestry burn permit from October 15 through May 15, available online or by phone at 877-350-2876. The Division’s county and municipality list shows LaFollette with its own local burn rules, and Clinton, Norris and Lake City (now Rocky Top) on the same list. That is how the list read when checked in October 2026. Grinding the material in place avoids the question entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to clear a small lot inside LaFollette?

The city form says a grading permit must be issued before any land disturbing activity, and a site plan is needed from a tenth of an acre. Confirm current requirements with the City of LaFollette codes office before work starts, even on a small lot.

Can I clear right up to the creek?

Not inside the city, on the posted form’s terms: it lists a 25-foot undisturbed buffer from the top of bank beside free-flowing streams. The codes office can confirm the current rule.

Who decides what I can cut on my Norris Lake frontage?

TVA, if the shoreline strip is TVA land. Any vegetation work there needs its written permission and an approved plan.

Get the Paperwork and the Price Lined Up

Permits add steps and time, not rate. One more check belongs on your list: Tennessee law treats anyone offering to grade, excavate or build a project of $25,000 or more as a contractor who needs a licence before making that offer, so ask whoever you hire which licence covers your job size. The LaFollette pricing guide lists every band, the forestry mulching cost guide for LaFollette explains the figure, and the LaFollette land clearing page covers the local ground. When you are ready, request a free quote and mention any stream or lake frontage.