Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Norris, Tennessee

Norris’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Excavation, construction, moving, alteration, repair or filling of land inside Norris city

  • Routine maintenance items defined in 14-203 are excepted
  • Permit void after six months unless substantial progress made
  • Permit does not waive any zoning provision

  cost threshold: > 100 USD (routine maintenance excepted)

  “a building permit shall be required for the following ac vi es when the cost of such ac vi es exceeds $100 with the excep on of rou ne maintenance items as defined in chapter 2, sec on 14- 203.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Final inspection before certificate of occupancy inside Norris city

  • Inspection is tied to zoning conformity and the certificate of occupancy
  • Other inspection stages not located

  “it shall be the duty of the building inspector to make a final inspec on thereof, and to issue a cer ficate of occupancy”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land or structures erected, moved or changed in use inside Norris city

  • Issued by building inspector once structure conforms to the zoning ordinance
  • Inspector to inspect within three days after notification of readiness

  “no land or building or other structure or part thereof herea er erected, moved, or altered in its use shall be used un l the building inspector shall have issued a cer ficate of occupancy”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Norris city limits (Anderson County, TN)

  • Administered by the city building inspector and Municipal Planning Commission
  • Document is a 2010 text retyped with amendments as revision 2024-1

  “ordinance, chapter 2 through 6, inclusive of this code shall be known as the zoning ordinance, and a map en tled "zoning map of norris, tennessee", dated february 1986”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Norris city

  • Districts include FAR, R-1, R-2, R-3, C-1, C-2, I-1, W-1, P-1, S-1, S-2 per table of contents
  • Zoning map dated February 1986 as amended

  “14-305. r-1 - low density residen al district 12 14-306. r-2 - high density residen al district 13 14-307. r-3 - small lot residen al district 14”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  FAR Forest, Agriculture and Recreation District inside Norris city

  • Livestock not allowed on lots smaller than 4 acres

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres · minimum street frontage: >= 100 ft (75 ft at cul-de-sac bulb)

  “e. minimum street frontage for lots shall be one hundred (100) feet, except that seventyfive (75) feet shall be the minimum frontage at the bulb (end) of the cul-de-sac street”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 Low Density Residential District inside Norris city

    “a. minimum lot area 10,000 sq b. minimum lot width at building line 100. c. minimum building setback, front 30. d. minimum building setback, rear 25. e. minimum building setback, side 15.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Low Density Residential District principal structures inside Norris city

  • Accessory structures not in front or side yard; at least 10 ft from all lot lines and other buildings
  • Corner lots use front setback on both streets
  • Exceptions in 14-506

  front setback: >= 30 ft · rear setback: >= 25 ft · side setback: >= 15 ft

  “no accessory structure shall be erected in any front or side yard. accessory structures shall be at least ten (10) feet from all lot lines and from any other building on the same lot.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — FAR Forest, Agriculture and Recreation District principal buildings inside Norris city

    “a. minimum lot area 2 acres b. minimum building setback, front 50 feet c. minimum building setback, side 35 feet d. minimum building setback, rear 25 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  FAR Forest, Agriculture and Recreation District inside Norris city

  • R-1 coverage limit not located

  combined building area: <= 10 percent of land area

  “the combined building are for primary and accessory structure shall not exceed 10 percent of the land area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Low Density Residential District inside Norris city

  • Exceptions in 14-505

  principal building height: <= 35 ft (max 3 stories) (14-505) · accessory structure height: <= 25 ft (max 2 stories)

  “no building shall exceed three (3) stories or thirty-five (35) feet in height except as provided in sec on 14-505. no accessory structure shall exceed two (2) stories or twenty-five (25) feet in height.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes (as defined in 14-203) inside Norris city

  • Temporary mobile home permit up to 12 months while a permanent building is under construction, subject to Board of Zoning Appeals approval
  • Existing non-conforming mobile homes governed by 14-502
  • Definition covers mobile homes; HUD-code or modular treatment not verified

  temporary permit max: <= 12 months

  “a temporary permit to install a mobile home on a lot while a permanent building is under construc on may be granted for a period not to exceed twelve (12) months subject to review and approval by the board of zoning appeals.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit application inside Norris city

  • Building inspector states reasons in writing if disapproved
  • Permit void after six months without substantial progress

  “applica on for a building permit shall be made in wri ng to the building inspector on forms provided for that purpose.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Norris or Anderson County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Norris city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Norris city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Norris city
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Norris city
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Norris city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.