Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Watertown, Tennessee

Watertown’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, moving or alteration of buildings inside Watertown city

  • Issued by the city building inspector
  • Permit issued at least 3 days after a conforming application
  • Permit void 12 months after issuance unless substantial progress made
  • Applicant submits dimensional sketch or scale plan

  “it shall be unlawful to commence excavation for the construction of any building including accessory buildings, or to commence the moving or alteration of any building including accessory buildings, until the building inspector has issued a building permit for such work.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land or buildings erected or altered in use or structure inside Watertown city

  • Issued by the building inspector after finding conformity with the zoning ordinance

  “no land or building, or part thereof, hereafter erected or altered in its use or structure shall be used until the building inspector shall have issued a certificate of occupancy stating that such land, building, or part thereof, and the proposed use thereof are found to be in conformity with the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Watertown city, Wilson County, TN

  • Ordinance is administered with Wilson County planning staff serving as Watertown's planning director
  • Code copy is hosted by MTAS; ordinance text is hosted on the Wilson County site

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

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Watertown city

  • Table of contents also lists B-1, B-2, B-3, I-1, I-2, agricultural and floodway districts

  “section 1 (r-1) residential - low density 31 section 2 (r-2) residential - medium density 34”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Residential - Low Density district inside Watertown city, single-family

  • Each additional dwelling unit requires 3,000 sq. ft.
  • Passage is from the R-1 article section 1.4(4)

  minimum lot area single family: >= 7500 sq ft · minimum lot width at building line: >= 75 ft (100 ft for uses permitted on appeal)

  “minimum lot area for single family 7,500 sq. ft. each additional dwelling unit 3,000 sq. ft. minimum lot width at building line: for residences 75 feet for uses permitted on appeal 100 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Residential - Medium Density district inside Watertown city, single-family

    “minimum lot area for single family 6000 sq. ft. minimum lot area for each additional family 3000 sq. ft. minimum lot width at building line 60 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Residential - Low Density district inside Watertown city

  • Front setbacks from street right-of-way depend on street classification (arterial, collector, minor) per section 1.4(2)
  • Corner lot street-side yard is minimum plus 50 percent

  minimum rear yard: >= 30 ft · minimum side yard, one- or two-story: >= 10 ft (15 ft for three-story)

  “minimum rear yard 30 feet minimum side yard: for one-or two-story buildings 10 feet for three story buildings 15 feet for street side portions of corner lots maximum plus fifty (50) percent.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Residential - Medium Density district inside Watertown city

    “minimum rear yard 30 feet minimum side yards: for one- or two-story buildings 10 feet for three-story buildings 15 feet for street side portions of corner lots minimum plus fifty (50) percent”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision plats inside Watertown city

  • Application filed with Wilson County planning office; fee $50 plus $5 per additional lot
  • Planning commission approval, then recording at register of deeds within one year

  plat fee: 50 USD (plus $5 for each additional lot)

  “subdivision plats must meet requirements outlined in the watertown zoning ordinance and watertown subdivision regulations.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway cuts in residential districts inside Watertown city

  • Access point not within 30 ft of street intersection curb line in residential districts
  • One access point per street on lots under 100 ft frontage

  max driveway cut width residential: <= 25 ft

  “10.4 in residential districts, a driveway cut may not exceed twenty-five (25) feet in width.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Flood damage control inside Watertown city

  • Governed by separate Ordinance #94-2 (Dec. 1994) and amendments, not reviewed; permit terms unknown

  “regulations governing flood damage control within the city of watertown shall be governed by ordinance #94-2, and any amendments thereto.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Planning applications inside Watertown city handled by Wilson County planning office (not building permit fees)

  • Rezoning $150; site plan $50; variance $50; plat $50 plus $5 per additional lot
  • Building permit fees not found

  rezoning fee: 150 USD

  “the application must be submitted to the wilson county planning office with a fee of $150.00.”

• Permit processPartial

  Rezoning, site plan, plat and variance review inside Watertown city

  • Rezoning needs two council readings and 15-day minimum before council hearing
  • Building permit process itself is in zoning ordinance Article XII

  “the planning commission will issue a recommendation and forward it to the watertown city council. there is a 15 day minimum before the item can be heard by the city council. it must pass two council readings before it becomes official.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Watertown city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Watertown city
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Watertown city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Watertown city
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Watertown 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.