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

Town of Surgoinsville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Excavation, construction, moving, or alteration of buildings, including accessory buildings, inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • The building inspector must issue the permit and state that plans, specifications, and intended use conform to the zoning ordinance.

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

• Building code adoptedPartial

  Property, buildings, and structures inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • The located municipal-code provision adopts the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code; this finding does not establish adoption of a full structural building code.

  adopted code edition: 2021 International Property Maintenance Code

  “the 2021 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference as a part of this code”

• InspectionsRequired

  A building or structure for which the town has granted a building permit.

  • A final inspection follows an application for a certificate of occupancy; the inspection must find conformity before the certificate issues.

  final-inspection timing: <= 3 days after certificate-of-occupancy application

  “Within three (3) days of such application, the building inspector shall make a final inspection of the property in question”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land or buildings erected or altered in use inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • The requirement follows construction or alteration for which a building permit was granted; use may not begin until the certificate is granted.

  “No land or building hereafter erected or altered in its use, shall be used until such a certificate of occupancy has been granted.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within the Town of Surgoinsville, Tennessee.

  • Land use is governed by the town zoning ordinance and its amendments.

  “Land use within the Town of Surgoinsville shall be governed by the "Zoning Ordinance of Surgoinsville, Tennessee," and any amendments thereto.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family, two-family, and multifamily dwelling units constructed or placed inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • Livable floor area excludes garages, carports, open or unenclosed porches or patios, unfinished basements, and unfinished attics.

  minimum livable floor area: >= 800 square feet

  “No single-family dwelling, two-family dwelling (duplex), or multi-family dwelling unit shall be constructed or placed within the corporate limits of the Town of Surgoinsville with a livable floor area of less than eight hundred (800) square feet.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  A tiny home that is constructed or placed as a single-family, two-family, or multifamily dwelling inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • The dwelling unit must have at least 800 square feet of livable floor area; livable area excludes garages, carports, open or unenclosed porches or patios, unfinished basements, and unfinished attics.

  minimum livable floor area: >= 800 square feet

  “No single-family dwelling, two-family dwelling (duplex), or multi-family dwelling unit shall be constructed or placed within the corporate limits of the Town of Surgoinsville with a livable floor area of less than eight hundred (800) square feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Residential occupancy of mobile homes within mobile-home parks inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • A residential mobile-home space may not be rented for fewer than 30 days.

  minimum residential rental period: >= 30 days

  “No space shall be rented for residential use of a mobile home in any such park except for periods of thirty (30) days or more.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Lots proposed for building construction inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • A building permit is unavailable unless the access street was accepted or opened as a public street, or corresponds to a street on a subdivision plat approved by the Surgoinsville Regional Planning Commission and recorded in writing on the plat by its secretary.

  “Public and private roads in all developments in which property is to be subdivided must be constructed to standards set forth in the Surgoinsville Subdivision Regulations”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development within a regulatory floodway inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • Development may be permitted only if hydrologic and hydraulic analyses demonstrate no increase in water-surface elevation, velocities, or floodway widths during a base-flood discharge, with supporting technical data and certification from a Tennessee registered professional engineer.

  “Development may be permitted however, provided it is demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analyses performed in accordance with standard engineering practices that the cumulative effect of the proposed encroachments or new development shall not result in any increase in the water surface elevation of the base flood elevation, velocities, or floodway widths during the occurrence of a base flood discharge at any point within the community.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • The town page states that the applicant completes an application at City Hall and pays the stated application fee.

  building-permit application fee: 25 USD

  “To obtain a Building Permit, visit Surgoinsville City Hall at 1735 Main Street to complete an application along with payment for the $25 application fee.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • Applicant visits City Hall, completes an application, and pays the $25 application fee; the building inspector follows up to discuss further.

  application fee: 25 USD

  “To obtain a Building Permit, visit Surgoinsville City Hall at 1735 Main Street to complete an application along with payment for the $25 application fee. From there, our Building Inspector, Bill Rupert, will follow up with you to discuss further.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Surgoinsville

Town of Surgoinsville does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Low Density Residential District inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  minimum lot area: >= 15000 square feet

  “R-1 15,000 80 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. 30 ft. 35 ft. 30%”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings in the R-1 Low Density Residential District inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  minimum front yard: >= 30 feet · minimum side yard each side: >= 10 feet · minimum rear yard: >= 30 feet

  “R-1 15,000 80 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. 30 ft. 35 ft. 30%”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Low Density Residential District inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • The limit includes accessory buildings.

  maximum building coverage: <= 30 percent of lot area (includes accessory buildings)

  “On any lot, within an R-1 Residential District, the area occupied by all buildings including accessory buildings, shall not exceed thirty (30) percent of the total area of such lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the R-1 Low Density Residential District inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “R-1 15,000 80 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. 30 ft. 35 ft. 30%”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Subsurface sewage disposal for mobile-home parks inside Surgoinsville town limits.

  • This documented authority finding is limited to mobile-home parks.

  “The property must be approved for subsurface sewage disposal by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside Surgoinsville town limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Surgoinsville town limits.
• Septic permit — Onsite wastewater systems inside Surgoinsville town limits.
• Septic inspection — Onsite wastewater systems inside Surgoinsville town limits.
• Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid sanitation inside Surgoinsville town 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.