Tennessee
Buying Land in Giles County, Tennessee
County seat and largest city Pulaski, near the Alabama border in Tennessee's southern tier. Giles County's own government confirms directly that unincorporated county land is not subject to zoning regulations at all -- though the county's own subdivision standards still govern how that land can be divided. Here's what that means for a rural land buyer, and what still applies regardless of the lack of zoning.
No zoning in unincorporated Giles County -- confirmed directly
Giles County's own government is direct about its zoning status: unincorporated areas of the county are not subject to zoning regulations. That places Giles squarely in the unzoned half of Tennessee's 95 counties described on our state page -- for land outside any of the county's towns, there's no zoning district to check, no allowed-use table, and no zoning-based restriction on lot size or setback imposed by the county itself.
That absence is specific to unincorporated land, though: property within the incorporated limits of Pulaski (the county seat and largest city), Ardmore, Elkton, Minor Hill, and Lynnville is not regulated by the county at all -- each of these towns runs its own separate municipal code and, in Pulaski's case, its own zoning ordinance. Confirming whether a specific parcel sits inside one of these five incorporated boundaries or in unincorporated county territory is the essential first step for any Giles County land search, since the answer determines which set of rules -- a municipal zoning ordinance, or no zoning at all -- actually applies.
Subdivision standards still apply, even without zoning
Tennessee law treats zoning and subdivision regulation as two separate powers a county can exercise independently, and Giles County is a clear example of that split: even though the county has no zoning ordinance, it does maintain its own Subdivision Standards, administered through the Giles County Regional Planning Commission, that govern how unincorporated land can be divided into smaller parcels. If a specific tract is being marketed with subdivision potential, or if you're considering dividing a larger parcel after purchase, these standards -- covering things like minimum road frontage, plat approval process, and infrastructure requirements for new lots -- apply regardless of the county's lack of general zoning. Confirm the current version of these standards directly with the Regional Planning Commission before assuming a straightforward, unregulated subdivision process just because the county has no zoning ordinance.
Outside of subdivision activity, Giles County's rural land market is a fairly typical mix of pasture, row crops, and wooded acreage found across Tennessee's southern-border tier, with agricultural use remaining common enough that the Right to Farm Act's one-year nuisance-suit presumption, described on our state page, is directly relevant to any purchase near an established farm operation.
Septic through a named TDEC regional contact
Septic system permits in Giles County are issued through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Office of Water Resources, operating out of the Giles County Health Department at 209 South Cedar Lane in Pulaski (931-363-5506), with a specific named current contact for the office (Brennan Hood, reachable through that same health department line). This is a slightly more direct TDEC-branded permitting relationship than the general county-health-department pattern described on our Tennessee state page, though the underlying statewide technical standard -- TDEC Rule 0400-48-01 -- is the same. Confirm current processing times and site-specific soil requirements directly with that office before treating a parcel as build-ready.
Water rights in Giles County follow the same statewide riparian, reasonable-use framework as the rest of Tennessee, and manufactured housing remains regulated at the state level regardless of the county's own lack of zoning -- though whether a specific unincorporated lot allows a manufactured home at all is, in the absence of county zoning, more likely to turn on subdivision-plat restrictions or deed covenants than on a zoning district.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Giles County
Confirm whether a specific parcel sits inside Pulaski, Ardmore, Elkton, Minor Hill, or Lynnville -- each governs its own municipal code -- or in unincorporated Giles County, where no zoning ordinance applies but the county's own subdivision standards still do.
Other
Giles County Regional Planning Commission
Subdivision Standards for dividing unincorporated Giles County land; confirming zoning status (none countywide) for a specific parcel.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Giles County Health Department / TDEC Office of Water Resources
Septic system site evaluations and permits under the statewide TDEC standard.
Planning & Zoning
City of Pulaski
Zoning and codes for parcels inside Pulaski city limits.
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Get local guidanceSources
- Giles County Regional Planning Commission — Giles County, Tennessee (accessed 2026-09)
- Giles County, Tennessee — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
- Giles County Health Department — Giles County, Tennessee (accessed 2026-09)
- FENCE RULES – GILES (COUNTY), TENNESSEE — Tennessee Fence Rules (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09