Building permits, zoning and land rules in Loudon County, Tennessee

Residential construction in unincorporated Loudon County, Tennessee requires a county building permit¹. Loudon County enforces adopted building, plumbing, mechanical and residential codes⁵. County inspections include footings, slabs, framing, plumbing, mechanical, energy and final work; state inspectors through the utility provider handle electrical inspections⁵. Homeowners acting as their own contractor must comply with T.C.A. 62-6-103 and still supply the ordinary building-permit materials and applicable approvals¹. Farragut, a town mainly in Knox County that reaches into Loudon County, handles its own building permits inside town limits⁹. For addresses in Loudon County, septic permitting remains with TDEC’s Division of Water Resources³.

Loudon County Planning and Codes Enforcement is at 101 Mulberry Street, Suite 101, Loudon, TN 37774; call Codes Enforcement at 865-458-4470 or the Inspection Hotline at 865-458-4680¹. Residential building-permit applications are completed in the office, and the published checklist calls for an approved address, applicable septic and driveway permits, a site plan, building-size and construction-cost information, contractor licensing and insurance, school-facilities privilege-tax documentation and payment, and owner signatures¹. Building-permit fees vary with factors such as project scope, square footage, valuation or development intensity; ask Codes Enforcement for the current amount because we could not confirm a complete fee schedule^1,10. For zoning questions, call the Planning Office at 865-458-2055¹. Septic permits belong to TDEC's Division of Water Resources; apply online or call its Knoxville Field Office at 865-594-6035³.

Loudon County zoning applies outside municipal corporations, and land uses and structures must follow the parcel’s district rules². The county planning commission represents unincorporated land and Greenback; the Loudon City planning commission represents Loudon and Philadelphia¹¹. Farragut, mainly in Knox County but extending into Loudon County, administers its own zoning inside town limits; TDEC handles septic permits for Loudon County addresses^3,12. County district boundaries come from zoning maps and amendments maintained in the Building Commissioner’s office⁷. In county R-1, minimum lot area is 21,780 square feet, with an existing-lot exception subject to public-water and minimum-area conditions⁷. R-1 building coverage, including accessory buildings, cannot exceed 40 percent of lot or buildable area, whichever is less⁷. R-1 setbacks include a 30-foot front yard, 25-foot principal-building rear yard and 15-foot side yards for one- and two-story structures⁷. R-1 height is limited to 3 stories or 36 feet, subject to the ordinance’s exception⁷. Minimum dwelling size and accessory-dwelling rules could not be confirmed; ask the Planning Office¹.

TDEC's Division of Water Resources, not Loudon County, administers septic permits³. A septic permit is required for a new system and for repair or modification of an existing system, and the county building-permit checklist requires the septic permit when applicable^1,4. Apply online or call the Knoxville Field Office at 865-594-6035; local Division of Water Resources staff no longer keep office hours³. After installation, the installer must arrange a final inspection before covering the system, and approval leads to a Certificate of Completion⁴. Only about 34.1% of Loudon County soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so make septic suitability a purchase contingency¹³. Rules for off-grid sanitation could not be confirmed; ask TDEC before choosing an alternative system³.

Private-parcel RV living and tiny-home occupancy in unincorporated Loudon County could not be confirmed; ask the Planning Office about the parcel, dwelling classification, proposed duration and utility plan¹. County-regulated RV-park camper sites are rental-only and may not be sold or leased for longer than 29 days⁶. Regulated RV parks must supply underground water, sewer and electric service to the clubhouse and all RV sites; RV-site water and sewer need approval from the county health department or appropriate utility district⁶. Tent camping associated with regulated RV parks is restricted to designated open-space areas and parking capacity, within 200 feet of clubhouse/restroom facilities; primitive camping is exempt from these RV-park regulations⁶. Those park standards do not establish residential occupancy rights on private land⁶. Mobile homes are expressly permitted in some county districts, including R-1, with building, septic, floodplain and other applicable requirements still applying⁷.

1. Identify the planning jurisdiction and zoning district; county zoning applies outside municipal corporations, while municipalities may use separate ordinances¹⁴.
2. Confirm the proposed use, minimum lot area, lot coverage, setbacks and height with the Planning Office before finalizing a site plan^1,7.
3. Obtain the approved address and, where applicable, the TDEC septic permit and driveway permit listed on the county checklist¹. A driveway onto state-highway right-of-way separately requires a TDOT entrance permit¹⁵.
4. Complete the residential building-permit application in the county office with the site plan, building-size and cost information, contractor documents, tax documents and signatures¹.
5. If acting as your own contractor, meet the owner-builder conditions without skipping the ordinary permit approvals¹.
6. Schedule the required construction-stage inspections and arrange the septic final inspection before that system is covered^4,5.

Start with jurisdiction and zoning because county rules apply outside municipal corporations and municipal ordinances may differ¹⁴. Subdivision regulations cover Loudon County and the municipal and regional jurisdictions of Lenoir City and Loudon⁸. If a tract will be divided, a qualifying subdivision needs plat approval before recording; the cited definition excludes divisions where the resulting parcels are at least 5 acres⁸. About 52.2% of Loudon County land has a slope of 15% or less, while 48.2% is wooded, so inspect the driveway route and build area on foot¹³. Only about 34.1% of soils rate free of severe limitations for a conventional drain field¹³. County-designated floodplain or floodway areas can trigger additional floodplain-development review alongside zoning and building requirements². Private-well permitting could not be confirmed; ask Planning and Codes Enforcement what approvals apply to the parcel¹. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.4%, with a median annual bill near $1,163¹³.