What site work does a new home in Putnam County need, and in what order?

Permits come first. Putnam County's building codes office lists the order as a new 911 address, then a septic permit from the state environmental office, then the building permit, then the plumbing and mechanical permits.

Keep clearing light until the septic site evaluation is done. TDEC asks owners to mow or bush hog for access but not to cut, fill or grade the soil, because disturbed soil can complicate the septic approval.

• 911 address for the new home
• TDEC septic construction permit
• County building permit
• Plumbing and mechanical permits

Once the septic area is approved and marked, the house site, driveway path and work areas are cleared of trees, stumps and brush. Grading then shapes the lot so water drains away from the house and off the driveway, and builds a compacted pad where the house will sit.

Before any digging, Tennessee law requires notice to Tennessee 811 at least three working days ahead so underground utilities are marked.

Footings are dug and formed to the plans, and the county footer inspection happens before concrete is ordered. Inside Cookeville city limits, the city's local amendment to the residential code sets a minimum footing of 24 inches wide by 8 inches thick, continuous around the structure, and at least 12 inches below undisturbed ground.

After the footer passes, footings are poured, followed by the foundation walls or slab the plans call for. Garages and storage buildings over 200 square feet need their own county permit.

The septic system is installed to the TDEC permit, usually once the house location is fixed and heavy equipment traffic over the drain field area is finished. The installer schedules TDEC's final inspection before the system is covered, and TDEC issues a Certificate of Completion when it passes.

Keep trucks, concrete mixers and equipment off the drain field. Compacted soil in the field is one of the most common causes of septic trouble later.

The finished concrete driveway, walks and patio usually go in near the end, after the heaviest construction traffic is done. Many builders run a gravel construction drive first and pour concrete over a corrected base once the house is closed in. Inside Cookeville, the building permit site plan shows the driveway and drainage, and a driveway onto a state highway needs a TDOT highway entrance permit.

Morgan's does the clearing, grading, site prep, footings, septic installation and residential concrete with its own crews, so one company can carry a lot from raw ground to a finished driveway. Request a site visit at /request-estimate.