Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Brownsville, Tennessee

Brownsville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, moving, adding to or structurally altering buildings inside Brownsville city

  • Permit issued by the building inspector only if the proposal complies with the zoning ordinance.
  • A landscape plan is required for a building permit (Ch.10).

  “no building or other structure shall be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without a building permit issued by the building inspector.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Uses in commercial, mixed-use and industrial districts inside Brownsville city; the ordinance also provides for use and occupancy permits generally (9.03)

  • The quoted certificate requirement is stated per district for the district types listed; residential-district text was not found to carry the same sentence.
  • Required before Brownsville Energy Authority installs services.

  “prior to the installation of services provided by the brownsville energy authority for uses within gc-general commercial districts, a certificate of occupancy / compliance shall be obtained from the city of brownsville building and codes enforcement department.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Brownsville city (Haywood County), TN limits

  • Source is a PDF on the Locable asset host used by the city's website; the city's own brownsvilletn.gov copy was not opened.

  “no building or other structure shall be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without a building permit issued by the building inspector.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Brownsville city

  • Residential districts R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-TH, MH, PRD; commercial NC, MPO, SCC, CB, GC, MU; industrial; flood hazard (FH).

  “establishment of districts, uses permitted in each district and provision for official zoning map”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-2A medium density single-family residential district inside Brownsville city

  • Minimum lot width at building line 60 feet.
  • R-1A and R-2 also 8,000 sq ft; R-3 single-family 6,000 sq ft.

  minimum lot area R-2A: >= 8000 sq ft

  “within the r-2a districts, the minimum required lot area for one-family detached dwelling shall be 8,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 low density residential district inside Brownsville city

    “within the r-1 districts, the minimum required lot area shall be 15,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 low density residential district inside Brownsville city

  • Interior side yard 15 ft; corner lots street side 40 ft, non-street side 15 ft; rear yard 25 ft.
  • Front yard may be reduced by averaging adjacent yards but never below 15 ft in residential districts (1.04 a).
  • Accessory buildings not within 5 ft of any property line or building.

  front yard R-1: >= 40 ft (averaging exception, min 15 ft)

  “in all r-1 districts, front yards shall be a minimum of forty (40) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2A medium density single-family residential district inside Brownsville city

    “in all r-2a districts, front yards shall be a minimum of thirty (30) feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 and R-2A residential districts (same limit in R-1A, R-2, R-3) inside Brownsville city

  • Limit does not apply to uses listed in section 1.04(d) exceptions on height limitations.

  maximum height: <= 75 ft (1.04(d) exceptions)

  “the maximum height of a front wall or other portion of a building or other structure at the street level shall be seventy-five (75) feet above the finished grade.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Boats, travel trailers, campers and motorized dwellings parked or stored on residential lots inside Brownsville city

  • Not to be parked in any front yard of a residential lot; may park up to 24 hours for loading/unloading.
  • Prohibition applies on residential lots or any location not approved for such use.

  “no such equipment shall be used for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes when parked or stored on a residential lot, or in any location not approved for such use.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes on individual lots in residential districts inside Brownsville city

  • Must meet HUD construction standards and Tennessee fire prevention rules at installation.
  • Must look like a site-built home (roofing standards etc.).
  • Must connect to public gas, electric, water and sewer.
  • Mobile homes (as defined) are separate and are limited to approved mobile home parks (MH district, 2-acre minimum park).

  “a manufactured home having the same general appearance as a site-built home shall be allowed on individual lots in any residential district provided the following conditions are met:”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Manufactured homes on individual residential lots inside Brownsville city; general rule for site-built homes not found

  • Does not apply to manufactured homes in an approved mobile home park.
  • No distance/availability threshold stated in the quoted text.

  “all such units shall be required to connect to a public utility system which includes, gas, electric, water and sewer in compliance with the international building code and national electric code.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Brownsville city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Brownsville city
• Inspections — Inspections inside Brownsville city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Brownsville city
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage in R-1/R-2A inside Brownsville 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.