Tennessee Solid Waste Permit-By-Rule

A Solid Waste Permit-By-Rule is the authorization the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) gives to solid waste facilities that do not need a landfill permit. Its Waste Management Branch says any solid waste processing facility that changes the chemical or physical characteristics of a solid waste must obtain one, and that coal ash fill areas, tire storage facilities, convenience centers and transfer stations must have one too.

In a Phase I ESA

These authorizations are part of the Tennessee form of the state landfill and solid waste site records that ASTM E1527-21 lists as a standard source. The general reading of a solid waste listing is on the landfills and solid waste page. Disposal facilities are a separate record, landfill permits.

• There is no facility-specific permit. TDEC says a Permit-by-Rule is based on the regulations and not on a facility-specific document. The applicant demonstrates that the facility complies with the rule, and receives an authorization letter with the Permit-by-Rule conditions attached. Do not expect a tailored permit in the file. Expect the notification, the narrative and the letter.
• One authorization can cover several operations. TDEC says multiple operations at the same location can operate under one permit. Read the description of activity to see what was done there.
• Inspections are frequent. TDEC says the Division has the responsibility to inspect a facility at a minimum of once every three months, and the right to inspect without announcement. Ask for the inspection reports. TDEC's Dataviewer names them among the things it searches.
• Some sites sit outside it. Junkyards, on-site baling of solid wastes and other exempted solid waste disposal facilities or practices are not required to obtain a Permit-by-Rule. Facilities that process non-hazardous material for recovery, reuse and recycling can instead notify the branch to qualify for permit-exempt status as Recovered Materials Processing Facilities.

What the record shows

The application is the Solid Waste Permit by Rule Notification, form CN-1035. TDEC says it asks for the facility location, name and address, the type and description of activity at the facility, and the characteristics of the waste being handled. With it go a topographic map and scaled drawing of the operation, a work sheet on storage capacity, and a narrative explaining how the facility will comply. Any facility that stores solid waste must submit financial assurance documents, though transfer stations and convenience centers are exempt from that in most cases.

The Environmental Field Office reviews and approves the application and sends it to the branch's central office, where it is logged in and given a number. Copies of the complete package go to the applicant, the field office, the central office and the Division's Waste Audit Section. The authorization is valid as long as the maintenance fees are paid or until a significant modification requires a new application.

The conditions include a duty to mitigate releases to the environment and to guard against disposal of hazardous wastes and unauthorized special wastes. Penalties range from administrative orders to fines of up to $500 per day per incident. The rule TDEC cites is Rule Chapter 0400-11-01-.02, paragraphs (2) to (5), with exemptions at T.C.A. 68-211-106.

Where to look a site up

TDEC's Solid Waste Dataviewer searches facility information, inspection reports, complaints and forms. TDEC says to select the "Permit" tab to find a solid waste project.

Getting the file

TDEC says copies of the complete package are sent to the field office and the central office, so either is a place to ask. 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:

• Solid Waste Permit-By-Rule, last modified April 28, 2026.
• Tennessee Waste Management Permits, last modified July 9, 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.
• Public Records Request, last modified November 3, 2025.