Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Charleston, Tennessee

Charleston’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration, excavation, or moving of structures inside Charleston city

  • Permit issued by the zoning/building official only when ordinance and applicable building and fire codes are met
  • Site plan approval by planning commission not required for single and two-family dwellings, agricultural buildings and signs, though a sketch plan may be required
  • Denial reasons must be written on the application

  “a building permit is required prior to the excavation, site preparation, alteration, construction, or moving of any structure, building, or parking lot.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings and land inside Charleston city after construction requiring a building permit

  • Issued if the official determines the ordinance, applicable building and fire codes, and permit conditions are satisfied
  • Denial reasons must be written on the application

  “no building or land shall hereafter be occupied unless a certificate of occupancy has been issued.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Charleston city (Bradley County) limits

  • Enforced by the zoning/building official; Charleston Municipal Planning Commission also serves as board of zoning appeals
  • Copy hosted by Southeast Tennessee Development District (sedev.org), which the city site links to; the city's own site was not opened to its zoning page

  “the "zoning ordinance of the city of charleston, tennessee" consisting of sections 1 through 13 is hereby adopted in its entirety.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Charleston city zoning districts

  • Boundaries are depicted on the Zoning Map of the City of Charleston; the map itself was not opened

  districts: R-1 low density residential, R-2 medium density residential, C commercial, I industrial

  “the city of charleston is hereby divided into four (4) districts, as follows:”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile (manufactured) homes on private lots inside Charleston city

  • R-1 low density residential permits single and two-family dwellings excluding mobile homes
  • Mobile home parks require an approved site plan
  • Only R-2 is shown as permitting mobile homes; commercial and industrial districts list only mobile home/RV sales and repair

  “single and two-family dwellings, excluding mobile homes.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permits inside Charleston city

  • Site plan approval by planning commission required except for single and two-family dwellings, agricultural buildings and signs
  • Official may require a sketch plan for those excepted types
  • No application forms or fee schedule found

  “where the building official determines that all requirements of this ordinance and applicable building codes have been met, a building permit shall be issued.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Charleston city
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Charleston city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Charleston city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Charleston city
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Charleston 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.