Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Millington, Tennessee

Millington’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building work inside Millington city limits

  • Separate permits are required for plumbing, electrical and mechanical work.
  • Permitting and inspections are performed by Shelby County Code Enforcement.
  • If no work has begun within 180 days of issuance, the project is deemed abandoned unless pursued in good faith or extended.

  “a permit is required for any alteration or repair to a building, any new building, demolition, swimming pool, sign (new or face change), detached building, siding, windows, decks, and special events.”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Homeowners building in a residential zone inside Millington city

  • In a commercial zone a Tennessee-licensed contractor must pull the permit.
  • Plumbing, electrical, mechanical and gas piping permits must be pulled by licensed contractors of that trade.
  • This is a permit-applicant rule, not an exemption from the permit.

  “if property is in a residential zone, the homeowner can apply for a building permit. in a commercial zone, a licensed contractor by the state of tennessee must pull the permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Occupying an existing commercial space inside Millington city

  • The FAQ only addresses existing commercial space; the residential rule was not found.
  • The certificate is obtained through Shelby County.

  “you must always apply for a certificate of occupancy before occupying any existing commercial space through shelby county.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Millington city limits

  • Chart 2 is revised 5/13/19 by ordinance 2019-7; the full ordinance text was not opened.

  “conditional and special land use requests rezoning requests variance requests”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Millington city

  • Chart 2 lists districts including A, R-O, R-1 to R-5, R-11, B-1, B-2, M-1, M-2, M-3, M-P, O-T, P-C and a Veterans Parkway corridor overlay.

  “r-1 residential district single family detached dwelling public uses schools, public private and parochial churches golf courses or country clubs”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures on lots inside Millington city

  • District-specific yard distances are in Zoning Ordinance Chart 2 and were not tied to individual districts.

  “no. structures cannot be constructed within the required yard setbacks.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Properties inside Millington city limits where city water and sewer are available

  • Applies where city service is available.
  • The FAQ gives no distance rule.
  • An application and a service connection fee are presented in person at city hall.

  “the city provides water, sewer and sanitation services and requires citizens to obtain the services from the city where available. applications and a service connection fee must be personally presented in city hall”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision inside Millington city

  • Subdivision regulations are posted on the city site; their text was not opened.

  “coordinate site plan review and approval coordinate subdivision plat review and approval”

Still unanswered

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

• Building code adopted — Building codes inside Millington city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Millington city
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Millington city
• Minimum lot size — Single-family residential and agricultural districts inside Millington city
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Millington 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.