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County codes official gives Board of Zoning Appeals a refresher on permitting, land‑use charts and special exceptions
Summary
A county codes official briefed the Board of Zoning Appeals on what information is required for building permits, how zoning maps and land‑use charts indicate permitted uses, and how special exceptions (including mobile‑home parks) are handled; staff also said the county will update its zoning map in new permitting/GIS software.
A county codes official provided an extended training session for the Board of Zoning Appeals covering building permits, land‑use charts, permitted uses by zone, special exceptions, setbacks and minimum lot sizes.
The presenter said that when staff processes a building permit they require a recorded warranty deed (to verify ownership or permission), septic approval from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation specifying the number of bedrooms soils will support, and a site plan for many projects. "One of the things that we look at is zoning," the official said, explaining that county ordinances and land‑use charts list which uses are permitted in each zone and which require a special exception.
Staff walked members through commonly referenced zones: A‑1 (agricultural), R‑1 and R‑2 (residential), C‑1 (commercial) and the various special exceptions associated with each. The official said the county ordinance allows a single mobile home on an A‑1 parcel under certain conditions and that a mobile‑home park is a distinct use requiring a special‑exception application to the board and then planning‑commission review of a site plan.
The presenter described typical technical thresholds discussed in the training: minimum A‑1 lot size can be as small as 2 acres if public water and fire protection (a hydrant within 500 feet with sufficient flow) are available; otherwise larger minimums apply. Setbacks mentioned included a 30‑foot front setback, 15‑foot side setbacks and a 25‑foot rear setback; building‑setback width of 100 feet was cited. The official also discussed maximum lot coverage (20% in A‑1; 40% in R‑1/R‑2) and emphasized that special exceptions require a site plan that demonstrates required dimensions and setbacks.
Staff told the board that the 2020 zoning map contains some rezones that have not been updated and that the county plans to input corrected, current data into new permitting and GIS software to make the map more accurate and easier for the public to use.
The training was presented as information for board members; no policy changes were proposed or voted on at the meeting.
