Rhea County, Tennessee
Sell your land in Dayton for cash
Parcel Buyers buys vacant lots and land for cash in Dayton, including city lots with no sewer tap and parcels outside city limits. You get a written, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours, and closings run through an independent title company, typically in about 10 days, with no fees or commissions.
By Parcel Buyers · · Lot figures from the 2026 Tennessee parcel and assessment data · How we made this page
Quick answers
- Who buys land for cash in Dayton?
- Parcel Buyers is a direct land buyer that makes written, no-obligation cash offers on vacant lots and acreage in Dayton, Rhea County, usually within 24 hours. Sales close through an independent title company, typically in about 10 days, with no fees or commissions to the seller.
- How many vacant lots are in Dayton?
- The 2026 Tennessee parcel and assessment data lists 579 vacant residential lots in Dayton; 13% are quarter-acre lots, and the median lot is 0.37 acre.
- How is a cash offer for land in Dayton set?
- We start from recent sales of similar lots nearby, like the 2025 prices on this page, then adjust for water and sewer, road access, flood zone, lot size and any title issues, and for the time and cost of reselling. You get one written number, not a range.
- How do I know a land buyer in Dayton is legitimate?
- A real buyer closes through an independent, licensed title company and never asks you to pay anything up front. We never charge sellers a fee, deposit or closing-cost advance, and the title company pays you by check or wire at closing.
Local data
Dayton land at a glance
Tax-roll figures cover parcels on the Rhea County roll whose community code is Dayton in Rhea County. Local rules and services are sourced below.
| Vacant residential lots | 579 parcels classified vacant residential on the 2026 Tennessee parcel and assessment data [1] |
|---|---|
| Most common lot size | Quarter-acre lot (9,000–13,000 sq ft): 13% of vacant lots; next, standard city lot at 13%. Median lot: 0.37 acre (16,310 sq ft). [1] |
| Typical appraised value | $36,900 median appraised value for a vacant lot; the middle half fall between $23,500 and $51,700 [1] |
| Recent lot sale prices | Too few arm's-length vacant-lot sales in 2025 to report a reliable median for Dayton [1] |
| Owners who live elsewhere | 7% of vacant lots have an owner mailing address outside Tennessee (most often MI, FL, GA) [1] |
| Laurel-Snow State Natural Area | Laurel-Snow is a 2,259-acre state natural area in Rhea County on Walden Ridge, cut by deep creek gorges. Part of Richland Creek was dammed as the Dayton Reservoir, once the town's water supply. [9] |
| Local government | Dayton is a city in Rhea County, incorporated December 1, 1903. Its Building Inspector works from the municipal building at 399 1st Avenue, where the Planning Commission also meets, and a Board of Zoning Appeals hears variances. [7],[2] |
| Building codes | The city lists the 2021 ICC codes, with the 2021 International Residential Code for houses. Applications go by email to the Building Inspector, and floodplain work needs its own development permit. [2] |
| Planning review calendar | The Planning Commission meets the third Monday of each month at 5:15 p.m. and the Board of Zoning Appeals at 5:00 p.m. Applications are due by close of business the Monday before, 7 days ahead. [2],[3] |
| Sewer tap fees | A residential gravity sewer tap is $500 if a tap is already present and $1,200 if not. New developments also owe a development fee, $2,225 for a 3/4-inch meter. [4] |
| Water tap fees | The city's water tap fees are $1,500 for a 3/4-inch tap, $2,000 for 1-inch and $4,000 for 2-inch, plus a $30 meter set fee. Larger taps are quoted by the superintendent. [5] |
| Inside versus outside city limits | Residential sewer carries a $21.60 minimum inside the city and $32.45 outside (effective July 1, 2024). Residential water starts at $16.54 inside and $24.81 outside (posted as of September 1, 2023). [4],[6] |
| County offices in town | Rhea County's Assessor of Property, Trustee, Register of Deeds and Building Department are listed at 375 Church Street in Dayton, which helps with deeds, tax bills and permits outside the city. [8] |
Pricing
What is a lot in Dayton worth?
These are open-market sale prices. A direct cash offer is usually lower, because a cash buyer closes in days and takes on the time and cost of reselling the lot.
What moves the price in Dayton
City sewer and water taps set the cost of a buildable lot
A lot with an existing sewer tap is cheaper to build on than one without. The city's residential gravity sewer tap is $500 when a tap is present and $1,200 when it is not, and a new development owes a $2,225 development fee on a 3/4-inch meter. A 3/4-inch water tap is $1,500. Those posted fees do not prove a line reaches a given lot, and the city lists separate water districts with their own rates. A lot beyond the lines pays higher outside-city rates once served, or needs another plan. We check utilities and access on every parcel before offering. [4],[5],[6]
Lot size and shape in the roll
Most vacant residential parcels here are small town lots. The roll counts 579 of them with a median size of 0.37 acres, about 16,310 square feet, and 13% fall in the quarter-acre lot group. Small lots sold together with a neighbor can give a builder more room than either alone. The median appraised value on the roll is $36,900, with the middle half between $23,500–$51,700. Appraised value is the assessor's figure, not a sale price or a Parcel Buyers offer, and it says nothing about access or setbacks.
Review steps before a lot can be split or rezoned
Any change beyond a plain building permit goes through the Planning Commission. The city uses a separate application for subdividing property and another for a zoning change or annexation, and a variance goes to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Meetings fall on the third Monday and papers are due a week before. A city floodplain development permit is required before any man-made change in a mapped floodplain or floodway. [2],[3]
The yearly cost of holding an empty lot
Holding a lot means a property tax bill. Under Tennessee's standard calendar, taxes are due in October and become delinquent on March 1 of the following year. Interest then adds 1.5% on March 1 and another 1.5% on the first day of each following month. Tax bills are handled by the Rhea County Trustee, whose office is at 375 Church Street. If a delinquent parcel is sold through a court suit, the owner has a right to redeem, normally for one year but only 30 days for vacant land shown to be abandoned. [10],[11],[12],[8]
Common situations
Selling land in Dayton in these situations
Your lot is outside the city limits
Yes, it can still be sold. The roll groups parcels by a community code, so a lot labeled Dayton may sit inside or outside the city. Outside the city, the city's sewer and water rates are higher, and Rhea County lists its own Building Department at 375 Church Street, Suite 112. We buy parcels in or outside a city boundary and check utilities, access and title during our land inspection. A failed inspection costs the seller nothing. [4],[6],[8]
You inherited a lot and have never visited
Yes. You can sell an inherited lot without visiting it. The Rhea County Register of Deeds in Dayton holds the recorded deeds, and an independent title company works from them at closing. You can sign electronically, close by mail and be paid by check or wire. Closing is typically about 10 days after the purchase agreement is signed, depending on title. [8]
The taxes have fallen behind
Yes. You can sell a lot with back taxes. Interest of 1.5% is added on March 1 and every month after. Liens or back taxes can be paid from the sale proceeds at closing, with the seller's consent. That can clear the debt without you sending a check first, which matters when the lot has been unpaid for several years. [11],[10]
You live out of state
Yes. 93% of the owners of vacant residential parcels in this roll group use a Tennessee mailing address, and 7% list an address in another state. Everything runs remotely: electronic signing, a mail-away closing through an independent title company, and payment by check or wire.
Step by step
How do I sell my land in Dayton?
From your first message to money in hand, with nothing left out. Requesting an offer costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
See every detail of the process-
Tell us about your land
Fill out the short form (about 60 seconds) or email us. A land specialist reaches out to confirm the details, usually the same business day.
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Get your cash offer within 24 hours
We review the property and send a written, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours. It is a real number, not a range. Take it or leave it, with no pressure either way.
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Sign electronically
If you accept, everyone signs the purchase agreement electronically. There is nothing to print or mail at this stage.
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We inspect, the title company verifies
Our team inspects the land and an independent title company runs a title search for liens or taxes owed. If the land does not pass inspection, you are never charged anything.
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Close and get paid
The title company prepares the closing documents for notarization and issues your funds by standard check, overnight check, or wire transfer. A typical sale closes in 10 days.
Questions
Selling land in Dayton: common questions
Who issues building permits for a lot in Dayton?
Inside the city, the Building Inspector at 399 1st Avenue issues them under the 2021 ICC codes. Applications go by email, and the Planning Commission handles subdivision and zoning changes. Outside the city, Rhea County lists its own Building Department, so confirm which side of the line your lot is on.
What does a sewer tap cost in Dayton?
A residential gravity sewer tap is $500 if a tap is already in place and $1,200 if not. New developments also owe a development fee, $2,225 for a 3/4-inch meter. Water taps start at $1,500 for 3/4-inch. Ask the city for a current quote on your lot.
When do property taxes go delinquent in Tennessee?
Taxes are due in October and become delinquent on March 1 of the following year. Interest of 1.5% is added on March 1 and on the first day of each month after. Rhea County's Trustee at 375 Church Street collects the county bill.
Can I sell my lot before a tax sale?
Yes. You can sell before a court sale of the parcel, and back taxes can be paid from the proceeds at closing with your consent. After a confirmed sale, owners generally have a right to redeem, normally for one year, shorter for long delinquency or vacant abandoned land.
Does Parcel Buyers buy land outside Tennessee?
Yes. Parcel Buyers buys vacant lots and land for cash nationwide. For a Dayton lot you get a written, no-obligation offer within 24 hours and no fees or commissions, and we cover closing costs. The only contingency is our land inspection.
Owner resources
Guides for your situation
- Can You Build on a Vacant Lot?
Maybe. A vacant lot is buildable only if the proposed use fits the rules that apply to that parcel and the site can satisfy access, utility, environmental, and permit requirements. Start with the local planning or zoning office, confirm that the parcel is a legal lot, and get a written parcel-specific answer. A zoning label or tax parcel number alone is not approval to build.[1][2]
- Can You Sell Land With a Lien?
Yes. Land with a lien can often be sold, but signing a deed does not by itself erase a valid claim. The lien may need to be paid, released, discharged, or otherwise resolved under the law that applies. With the seller's consent, an approved payoff can come from sale proceeds at closing. If the balance or lien is wrong, dispute it before closing and require proof of the cure.
- How to Sell Land in a Flood Zone
Flood-zone land can be sellable and sometimes buildable. A FEMA flood zone describes mapped risk; it is not a building permit. The buyer must verify the current effective Flood Insurance Rate Map and any map changes, then ask the local floodplain administrator what elevation, floodway, coastal, permit, and design rules apply.[1][2][4] Vacant land itself is not covered by an NFIP policy; flood insurance covers qualifying buildings and contents, not land value.[5][6]
More places in Rhea County
Your written offer
Get your cash offer
Four short steps, about 60 seconds. We review your property and send a written, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours. You can take it or leave it.
What happens after you send this
- A land specialist reaches out, usually the same business day, to confirm the details.
- You get a written cash offer within 24 hours: a real number, not a range.
- You decide. Requesting an offer costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
You will never be asked to pay us anything. No deposit, no processing fee, no closing-cost advance.
Nearby areas we buy
- Rhea County
5,132 vacant lots countywide
- Soddy Daisy
795 vacant lots
- Waldens Ridge
428 vacant lots
- Athens
928 vacant lots · 2025 median lot sale $30,000
How we made this page
Parcel Buyers is a land-buying company based in Florida. We buy vacant land directly from owners and publish these local pages so owners can see what land in their area is doing before they sell, to us or anyone else. We count the tax-roll figures ourselves from state data, take local rules and fees from the official sources listed below, and use AI tools to help research and draft the text. Every number links to its source, and we update the page when the data changes.
Method and sources
Parcel and assessment figures cover parcels on the Rhea County roll whose community code is Dayton. Source [1] is our own count of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury's county parcel and assessment files (assessment data dated August 28, 2026): a vacant lot is a residential parcel with no buildings, mobile home or improvement value; values are the county assessor's appraised (market) value; sale prices count only 2025 warranty-deed sales of a single lot that was vacant when it sold, at $1,000 or more, with bulk deeds and development-land deals removed. Treat medians as a guide to recent recorded amounts, not as an offer or an appraisal. Page updated November 7, 2026.
- [1] Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury (data); Parcel Buyers (analysis), Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Office of Local Government parcel and assessment data (accessed 2026-10-01)
- [2] City of Dayton, Tennessee, Zoning, Codes and Permits (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [3] City of Dayton, Tennessee, Dayton Planning Commission (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [4] City of Dayton, Tennessee, Sewer rates and tap fees (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [5] City of Dayton, Tennessee, Water other fees and charges (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [6] City of Dayton, Tennessee, Water rates (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [7] University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service, Dayton city directory entry (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [8] Rhea County, Tennessee, Rhea County departments (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [9] Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Laurel-Snow State Natural Area (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [10] University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service, Delinquency date for property taxes (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [11] University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service, Interest on delinquent property taxes (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [12] University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service, Redemption after a delinquent tax sale (accessed 2026-11-07)