Tennessee landfill permits

Anyone who wishes to construct or operate a solid waste disposal facility in Tennessee must obtain a landfill permit from the Waste Management Branch of the Division of Land Protection, in the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). The branch's Solid Waste Program regulates solid waste disposal facilities, composting facilities, transfer stations, processing facilities and convenience centers under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, T.C.A. section 68-211-101 and following.

In a Phase I ESA

TDEC's landfill permit records are the Tennessee form of the state landfill and solid waste disposal site records that ASTM E1527-21 lists as a standard source. The general reading of a landfill listing is on the landfills and solid waste page. Four Tennessee details shape how to read one.

• The class says what the landfill took. Tennessee permits four classes of disposal facility, defined in the table below.
• Not every disposal site has a landfill permit. TDEC says facilities covered by Permit-by-Rule, junkyards, and other exempted solid waste disposal facilities or practices are not required to obtain one. It also says dumping without a permit is illegal unless a private landowner is managing their own waste on their property. Processing facilities and transfer stations are on the Solid Waste Permit-By-Rule page.
• A permit runs for the life of the facility. TDEC says a landfill permit is valid for the life of the facility as permitted, as long as it complies with regulations and annual maintenance fees are paid. The annual maintenance fee schedule includes a line for post closure, so a landfill that has closed may still appear as a permitted facility.
• The file holds monitoring results. A permittee is responsible for monitoring groundwater, surface water and landfill gas and submitting the results. The application includes a hydrogeologic assessment and a topographic map showing wells, springs and other surface water within a quarter mile of the property boundaries. When a landfill is on or next to the property, ask for the monitoring results.

The permittee must also keep records on the sources and weight of all wastes received and guard against the disposal of hazardous waste, unauthorized special waste and PCBs. Special waste goes into a permitted landfill only with a special waste approval from the branch. Penalties for noncompliance range from administrative orders to fines of up to $5,000 per day per violation. The rules TDEC cites are Rule Chapter 0400-11-01, at .02 for solid waste storage, processing and disposal facilities and at .03 and .04 for financial assurance and specific requirements.

The pages read describe permitted facilities. They do not name an inventory of old or unpermitted dumps.

Where to look a site up

• TDEC's Solid Waste Dataviewer. TDEC says it searches facility information, inspection reports, complaints and forms, and that to find a landfill or solid waste project you select the "Permit" tab.
• The Solid Waste Program page also links a page of pending and final permit documents for non-hazardous waste facilities, and the branch's public notices of permitting actions.

Getting the file

A landfill application is submitted to Waste Management Branch staff at the appropriate Environmental Field Office, so the field office is a place to ask as well as the central office. The Solid Waste Program's front desk is at 615-532-0780 and Solid.Waste@tn.gov. TDEC's Public Records Request page carries the department's records request route.

Sources

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation pages, read October 7, 2026:

• Landfill Permit, last modified July 7, 2026.
• Solid Waste Program, last modified September 23, 2026.
• Tennessee Waste Management Branch, last modified September 23, 2026.
• Tennessee Waste Management Permits, last modified July 9, 2026.
• Public Records Request, last modified November 3, 2025.