Cheatham County workshop: resident complaints about camper draw county zoning clarification

At the April 14 Cheatham County Commission workshop public forum, a resident said a camper parked on private property must be removed and asked why county staff was enforcing codes unevenly. County planning staff replied that in agricultural (AG) zoning a campsite or camper is not permitted as a principal use and noted options such as applying for a conditional use through the Board of Zoning Appeals.

The resident, speaking during the public forum, said, “I have to lose that trailer sitting in my own property,” and described conversations with neighbors and county staff about moving the unit. A county staff member responding at the meeting said, “In an ag zoning would be a single family home or a mobile home, but not a camp site or not a camper. A mobile home. Well, as a home. Yeah. To live there is a principal structure.”

County staff told the commission that an owner could seek an exception: “Well, you'd have to as a conditional use, you could apply for, make application to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a campsite,” the staff member said. Staff also described accessory structures such as enclosed garages as distinct from principal structures and said some uses may be allowed only on larger parcels, noting, “Not unless she's got 15 acres or more.”

Speakers at the forum referenced enforcement history after the 2010 floods, when some residents used campers during rebuilding. A staff speaker said the county’s response after the floods was to enforce zoning, and that there are several open code cases and some pending in court. The resident questioned selective enforcement and urged the commission to consider other locations with long-standing campers.

The discussion at the workshop did not produce a formal vote or a change to policy. Instead, staff described the county’s existing zoning rules and enforcement activity and suggested the channel for remedies is either moving the unit, establishing a permitted principal structure, or applying to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a conditional use permit. Commissioners and staff noted the county has pursued code cases previously and that some are in court.

The exchange highlighted recurring questions about how Cheatham County enforces AG zoning on parcels where campers are present, the distinction between accessory structures and principal residences, and the practical options available to property owners who use campers on their land. The commission did not take a formal action at the workshop; residents were directed to pursue zoning appeal processes or compliance steps described by staff.