Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Rossville, Tennessee

Town of Rossville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of any building, including accessory buildings, inside Rossville town limits

  • Site plan drawn by licensed surveyor or engineer required with application
  • Permit void six months after issuance unless substantial progress made
  • 12-102 exempts ordinary minor repairs from the building code permit requirement; a grading/excavation permit is also required (12-104)

  “building permits are required and it shall be unlawful to commence the excavation for the construction of any building, including accessory buildings, until the building inspector has issued a building permit for such work.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Rossville town limits

  • Adopted with local modifications (12-102); code host is MTAS, not the town site
  • Title 12 also lists plumbing, electrical, gas, mechanical, residential and energy codes

  International Building Code edition: 2018

  “pursuant to authority granted by tennessee code annotated, §§ 6-54-501 to 6-54-506, and for the purpose of regulating the construction, alteration, repair, use, occupancy, location, maintenance, removal, and demolition of every building or structure, the international building code,2 2018 edition, as prepared by the international code council, is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference as part of this”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings inside Rossville town limits

  • Final inspection within 14 days of written notice that building is ready for occupancy

  “within fourteen (14) days of receipt by the building inspector of a written notification that a building or premises or part thereof is ready for occupancy or use, it shall be the duty of the building inspector to make a final inspection thereof and to issue a certificate of occupancy”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land or buildings erected or altered in use inside Rossville town limits

  • Issued only if the land/building conforms to the zoning ordinance

  “no land or building or part thereof hereafter erected or altered in its use of structure shall be used or occupied until the building inspector shall have issued a certificate of occupancy”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Rossville town limits (Fayette County, TN)

  • Adopted under T.C.A. 13-7-201 to 13-7-210; administered by a building inspector appointed by the legislative body

  “the lands within the corporate limits of the town of rossville, tennessee, are divided into districts designated as follows”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Rossville town zoning districts and official zoning map

  • Districts include FAR, R-15, R-10, R-8, R-6, R-HD, R-MH, R-H, business, manufacturing and overlay districts

  “far forestry, agricultural, residential district r-l5 residential district (single family) r-10 residential district (medium density) r-8 residential district (medium density) r-6 residential district (high density) r-hd residential high density r-mh residential mobile home district r-h residential historic district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  FAR Forestry, Agricultural, Residential District inside Rossville town limits (permitted uses)

  • Public uses: one acre except schools (five acres plus one acre per 100 students) and others

  minimum lot area: >= 43560 sq ft (public uses have separate minimums) · minimum lot width at building line: >= 100 feet

  “5. minimum lot area (a) permitted uses: one acre or 43,560 sq. ft. (b) public uses: one acre or 43,450 sq. ft. except as set forth below”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-15 Residential District (single family) inside Rossville town limits

    “5. minimum lot area (a) single-family dwellings: 15,000 sq. ft. (b) public uses: 40,000 sq. ft. except as set forth below”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit applications inside Rossville town limits

  • Refusals stated in writing; permit void after six months without substantial progress
  • Application forms and a fee schedule not located

  “a building permit shall become void six (6) months from the date of issuance unless substantial progress has been made”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Rossville or Fayette County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Rossville town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in FAR and R-15 districts
• Setbacks — FAR and R-15 districts
• Lot coverage — FAR and R-15 districts
• Building height — FAR and R-15 districts

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.