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

Town of Carthage’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Carthage town (Smith County), TN

  • Official Zoning Code adopted by Ordinance No. 261 (1995) and amended since; Board of Zoning Appeals and municipal planning commission administer it.

  “whereas, the town of carthage, tennessee has adopted a zoning ordinance and map under authority granted in tennessee code annotated (tca) section 13-7-201;”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Carthage town

  • Only R-1 and R-2 chapter 5 text was read; the full code PDF and other districts (R-R, R-3, C-1, C-2, M-2) were not opened.

  “section 11-501 r-1, low density residential district 11-501.1 general description the purpose of the r-1 district is to provide a low density residential environment”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 low density residential district, Carthage town

  • Principal building requirements; R-2 district is 7,500 sq. ft. per single-family dwelling (11-502.5a).

  minimum lot area: >= 10000 sq ft · minimum lot width at building line: >= 75 ft

  “11-501.5a minimum lot area 10,000 sq. ft. 11-501.5b minimum lot width at building line 75 ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 low density residential district, Carthage town, principal building

  • Interior side yard: 15 ft for one or two story buildings, 20 ft for three story buildings.
  • R-2 district: front 30 ft, rear 20 ft, interior side 10 ft (11-502.5).

  front yard: >= 40 ft · rear yard: >= 30 ft

  “11-501.5c minimum depth of front yard 40 ft. 11-501.5d minimum depth of rear yard 30 ft.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-2 medium density residential district, Carthage town

  • R-1 lot coverage not read.

  maximum building area: <= 35 percent of lot

  “11-502.7 maximum building area on any lot the area occupied by all buildings, including accessory buildings, shall not exceed thirty-five (35) percent of the total area of such lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-2 medium density residential district, Carthage town

  • R-1 height limit not read.

  maximum height: <= 35 ft (or 3 stories)

  “11-502.10 maximum building height no structure in the r-2 district shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet or three (3) stories in building height.”

• Manufactured homesProhibited

  Mobile homes in the R-1 district, Carthage town (R-2 also prohibits manufactured and mobile homes, 11-502.4a)

  • Other districts not read.

  “11-501.4 uses prohibited 11-501.4a mobile homes; two-family dwellings; and multi-family dwellings.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments in the R-1 district, Carthage town

  • Special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals after public notice and hearing.
  • Within or connected to the single-family dwelling; max 25% of gross floor area, 800 sq ft, 2 bedrooms.
  • Principal dwelling must be owner-occupied; two additional off-street parking spaces.

  maximum size: <= 800 sq ft

  “11-501.3a accessory apartments meeting the following conditions: 1. only one (1) accessory apartment per single-family dwelling shall be permitted.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision inside Carthage town

  • Details in the 1997 subdivision regulations PDF were not opened.

  “first, in order, you will find subdivision regulations, zoning codes and ordinances, and then specific ordinances.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Carthage town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Carthage town
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Carthage town
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Carthage town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Carthage 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.