Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Elizabethton, Tennessee

Elizabethton’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Elizabethton city limits

  • Page states codes as of March 2021: IRC 2018, IBC 2018, IEBC 2018, IPC 2018, NEC 2017, IMC 2018, IFGC 2018, IECC 2018, 2010 ADA standards; may have been updated since.

  International Residential Code edition: 2018

  “the city of elizabethton is operating under the following codes as of march 2021: international building code 2018 edition international residential code 2018 edition”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Elizabethton city limits

  • The city-hosted Title 14 copy is a code compilation with amendments through about 2020; the zoning map referenced is dated August 1971 plus amendments.

  “chapters 2 through 8 of this title shall be known as the "zoning ordinance of the city of elizabethton, tennessee,"”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Elizabethton city

  • Districts: R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, M-R, B-1 to B-4, M-1, M-2; annexed land is R-1 until reclassified.

  “section 14-301. r-1 (low density) residential district. 14-302. r-1a (low density) residential district. 14-303. r-2 (medium density) residential district.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 low density residential district, Elizabethton city

  • Table columns: minimum lot area (sq ft), lot width at building line (ft).

  R-1 minimum lot area: >= 10000 sq ft · R-1 minimum lot width: >= 75 ft

  “r-1 10,000 -- 75 30 10 25 3 35 30 r-1a 5,000 -- 50 30 6 25 3 35 201”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1A low density residential district (smaller original-neighborhood lots), Elizabethton city

    “r-1 10,000 -- 75 30 10 25 3 35 30 r-1a 5,000 -- 50 30 6 25 3 35 201”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 district, Elizabethton city

  • Corner lots: side yard along an intersecting street is 50% greater than the district side yard.

  front setback: >= 30 ft · side setback: >= 10 ft · rear setback: >= 25 ft

  “r-1 10,000 -- 75 30 10 25 3 35 30 r-1a 5,000 -- 50 30 6 25 3 35 201”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1A district, Elizabethton city

    “r-1 10,000 -- 75 30 10 25 3 35 30 r-1a 5,000 -- 50 30 6 25 3 35 201”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential districts in Elizabethton city (R-1: 30%; R-2 and R-3: 35%)

  • Table shows R-1A at 20% with a footnote allowing averaging with existing block ratios.

  R-2 and R-3 maximum building coverage: <= 35 percent

  “on any lot within an r-1 residential district, the area occupied by all buildings including accessory buildings shall not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the total area of such lot. in r-2 and r-3 residential districts, lot area occupied by all buildings including accessory buildings shall not exceed thirty-five percent (35%) of the total area of such lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 and R-1A districts, Elizabethton city

  • Same limit in both districts.

  maximum stories: <= 3 stories · maximum height: <= 35 ft

  “r-1 10,000 -- 75 30 10 25 3 35 30 r-1a 5,000 -- 50 30 6 25 3 35 201”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured homes in the R-1 district inside Elizabethton city limits

  • R-1 and R-1a permitted uses exclude mobile homes; modular/double-wide homes meeting permanent-foundation and code standards are treated as other residential structures (14-102 definition); mobile home parks governed by chapter 15 (e.g., 30-day minimum rental, municipal water and sewer).

  “the following uses are permitted: (1) single-family dwellings excluding mobile homes.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Elizabethton city limits

  • Separate Elizabethton subdivision regulations apply; planning commission review.

  “each parcel of land shall be treated as an individual lot and shall meet lot size requirements, density requirements, and all other provisions of the elizabethton subdivision regulations and zoning ordinance.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Elizabethton city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Elizabethton city limits
• Inspections — Inspections inside Elizabethton city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Elizabethton city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwelling size inside Elizabethton city limits

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.