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

Town of Gates’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Gates town limits

  • Adopts the 1997 Southern Building Code; the board may adopt later provisions by resolution.
  • Code copy last updated 2007; later adoption of newer codes not checked.

  adopted code edition: Southern Building Code 1997

  “the town of gates, tennessee, does henceforth adopt the southern building code, in its latest provisions, being 1997 edition, as its official building code.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Gates town limits

  • The zoning ordinance itself is published separately and is of record with the town recorder; its text was not located online.
  • Code copy is hosted by MTAS (University of Tennessee), last updated 2007; may be out of date.

  “land use within the town of gates shall be governed by ordinance number, titled 1 "zoning ordinance, gates, tennessee," and any amendments thereto.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private sewage disposal inside Gates town

  • Private systems permitted only where public sewer is not available.
  • Must be in accordance with local, county and state law.

  “the disposal of sewage by private disposal systems shall be permissible only in those instances where service from the available sanitary sewage system is not available.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Properties used for human occupancy inside Gates town abutting a street, alley or right-of-way with a public sewer

  • Connection required within 90 days after official notice.
  • Applies only where the public sewer is within 100 feet of the property line.
  • Water connection requirement not found.

  distance to public sewer: <= 100 feet · time to connect after notice: 90 days

  “within ninety (90) days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within one hundred (100) feet (30.5 meters) of the property line.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in special flood hazard areas inside Gates town

  • Application made to the building official as administrator.
  • Based on Lauderdale County FIRM panels dated September 2007.

  “a development permit shall be required in conformity with this chapter prior to the commencement of any development activity.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Gates town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Gates town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Gates town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Gates town
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Gates town

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.