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

Town of Huntsville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Excavation, site preparation, alteration, construction, or moving of any structure, building, or parking lot inside Huntsville town limits.

  • For uses other than single- and two-family dwellings, agricultural buildings, and signs, the site plan must be approved by the planning commission and the proposal must meet applicable building or fire codes.
  • For the listed excepted uses, the zoning/building official may issue a permit only after determining ordinance requirements are met.

  “A building permit is required prior to the excavation, site preparation, alteration, construction, or moving of any structure, building, or parking lot.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Electrical equipment and wiring inside Huntsville town limits.

  • The electrical inspector may enter premises at a reasonable time and may refuse or discontinue electrical service for noncompliance.

  “He is authorized and directed to make such inspections of electrical equipment and wiring, etc., as are necessary to insure compliance with the applicable regulations, and may enter any premises or building at any reasonable time for the purpose of discharging his duties.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Construction or activity requiring a building permit inside Huntsville town limits.

  • The zoning/building official issues the certificate only after determining that the ordinance, applicable building and/or fire codes, and permit conditions are satisfied.

  “Upon the completion of any construction or other activity requiring a building permit, an application shall be made to the zoning/building official for a certificate of occupancy. The certificate shall be issued if the zoning/building official determines that the provisions of this ordinance, applicable building and/or fire codes, and conditions of the permit are satisfied. No building or land shall hereafter be occupied unless a certificate of occupancy has been issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the corporate limits of Huntsville town, Scott County, Tennessee.

  • The zoning map and its explanatory material are part of the ordinance.

  “The zoning process, for purposes of economic development, begins with the Huntsville Planning Commission”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction of a septic tank system, privy, or other sewage-disposal facility requiring health-officer approval inside Huntsville town limits.

  • Before construction, the applicant must obtain health-officer approval for the design and location and secure a permit.

  “Any person, firm, or corporation proposing to construct a septic tank system, privy, or other sewage disposal facility, requiring the approval of the health officer under this chapter, shall before the initiation of construction obtain the approval of the health officer for the design and location of the system and secure a permit from the health officer for such system.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Sanitation where water-carried sewage facilities are not used inside Huntsville town limits.

  • A sanitary pit privy or other approved disposal method must be provided.
  • Construction of a privy or other disposal facility requiring health-officer approval requires design/location approval and a permit before construction.

  “Wherever a sanitary method of human excreta disposal is required under § 18-102 and water-carried sewage facilities are not used, a sanitary pit privy or other approved method of disposal shall be provided.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in areas of special flood hazard inside Huntsville town limits.

  • The administrator reviews all development permits and verifies permits required by federal or state law.
  • New construction and substantial improvements in special flood-hazard areas must meet the chapter's flood-hazard reduction standards.

  “Review all development permits to assure that the permit requirements of this chapter have been satisfied, and that proposed building sites will be reasonably safe from flooding.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building-code permits and inspections inside Huntsville town limits.

  • The town adopted one-half of the building-code Appendix K recommended schedule; the code sets a $5.00 minimum fee for an inspection.

  minimum inspection fee: >= 5 USD

  “The recommended schedule of permit fees set forth in Appendix "K" of the building code is amended so that the fees to be collected shall be exactly one-half of the sums therein recommended. Provided, however, that the minimum fee for an inspection shall be $5.00.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Huntsville

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

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational-vehicle or travel-trailer parks in the C-2 Highway Commercial district inside Huntsville town limits.

  • The cited provision permits RV or travel-trailer parks only as a listed C-2 district use; it does not establish permission for private-lot long-term RV occupancy elsewhere.

  “To achieve the intent of this district, as shown on the "Zoning Map of the Town of Huntsville, Tennessee," the following uses are permitted: [...] (d) Recreational vehicle or travel trailer parks.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Mobile homes and mobile-home parks in the R-1 Residential district inside Huntsville town limits.

  • The use is listed as permitted in the R-1 district shown on the town zoning map.

  “To achieve the intent of this district, as shown on the "Zoning Map of the Town of Huntsville, Tennessee," the following uses are permitted: [...] (b) Mobile homes and mobile home parks.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Huntsville town limits where a septic system is or will be used.

  • The state subdivision evaluation applies to division into two or more lots, sites, or divisions for immediate or future development where septic is or will be used.
  • A survey and soils map must be submitted; the soils map must be created by a Tennessee-licensed soils consultant.
  • A subdivision does not include divisions where all resulting tracts or parcels are 5 acres or larger.

  excluded tract size: >= 5 acres (All divided tracts or parcels must be at least this size.)

  “A Subdivision Evaluation is required if you want to divide any tract or parcel of land into 2 or more lots”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside Huntsville town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Huntsville town limits.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Huntsville town limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Huntsville town limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Huntsville 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.