Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Camden, Tennessee

Camden’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, excavation, filling, moving or alteration of buildings inside Camden city

  • Permit issued by the building inspector under the zoning ordinance.

  “it shall be unlawful to commence the excavation or filling of any lot for the construction of any buildings, including accessory buildings, or to commence the moving or alteration of any building until the inspector has issued a building permit for such work.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Camden city limits

  • Ordinance and amendments are published separately and are of record with the city recorder; the copy cited is hosted by MTAS, not the city's own site.

  “land use within the city of camden shall be governed by ordinance #98-09, titled "zoning ordinance, camden, tennessee," and any amendments thereto.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Camden city

  • Districts also include business, industrial and flood hazard districts per the table of contents.

  “5.1.5. minimum lot area a. single-family dwellings twelve-thousand (12,000) sq. ft.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 low density residential district, Camden city

  • Other districts (R-2, R-3, R-4) not extracted.

  minimum lot area, single-family: 12000 sq ft · minimum lot width at building line: 70 feet

  “5.1.5. minimum lot area a. single-family dwellings twelve-thousand (12,000) sq. ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 low density residential district, Camden city

  • Rear yard and other districts not extracted.

  side yard, single-family, each side: 15 feet · front yard, all lots: 40 feet

  “all lots forty (40) feet minimum required side yard on each side of the lot a. single-family dwellings fifteen (15) feet”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Placement of manufactured homes inside Camden city

  • Must have exterior covering customarily used on conventional dwellings (§ 3.16.2)
  • R-4 is the mobile home residential district; district permissions not extracted.

  “3.16.1. the unit must be installed on a permanent foundation system in compliance with all applicable requirements of the southern standard building code.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Camden city
• Building code adopted — Camden city
• Inspections — Camden city
• Certificate of occupancy — Camden city
• Minimum dwelling size — Camden 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.