Overview
Worth knowing
- 27 base zoning districts create unusually complex district structure for a city of this size
- HPC uses contributing/non-contributing classification system for buildings within historic districts
- Strict floodplain regulations: 50% no-fill rule limits development in flood hazard areas
+ 4 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
com 8res_sf 6res_mf 3off 3ind 3mu 2
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RN-1 | Residential Neighborhood 1 | res_sf | 7,500 sf | 35 ft | — | — | — | — | 25 / 5 / 20 |
| RN-2 | Residential Neighborhood 2 | res_sf | 5,000 sf | 35 ft | — | — | — | — | 15 / 5 / 15 |
| EN | Established Neighborhood | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-1A | Residential 1A | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-1E | Residential 1 Estate | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-2 | Residential 2 | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| RN-3 | Residential Neighborhood 3 | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-3 | Residential 3 | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-4 | Residential 4 | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O-1 | Office 1 | off | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O-2 | Office 2 | off | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O-3 | Office 3 | off | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-1 | Commercial 1 | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-2 | Commercial 2 | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-3 | Commercial 3 | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-4 | Commercial 4 | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-5 | Commercial 5 | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-6 | Commercial 6 | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-7 | Commercial 7 | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-G | Commercial General | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-2 | Industrial 2 | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-3 | Industrial 3 | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-4 | Industrial 4 | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| SW | South Waterfront | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CU | Cumberland Avenue | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
H-1
H-1 Historic Overlay
HPDesignated historic districts and landmarks
| review | Certificate of Appropriateness required; HPC contributing/non-contributing classification |
|---|---|
| scope | Exterior alterations, new construction, demolition |
D-1
D-1 Downtown Design Overlay
DTDowntown core design review area
| effect | Design standards for downtown development including Old City and Market Square |
|---|
NC-1
NC-1 Neighborhood Conservation Overlay
CONDesignated neighborhood conservation areas
| effect | Neighborhood character preservation through infill and compatibility standards |
|---|
TO-1
TO-1 Technology Park Overlay
specTechnology corridor / innovation district areas
| effect | Technology and innovation use provisions |
|---|
IH-1
IH-1 Infill Housing Overlay
specDesignated infill housing target areas
| effect | Flexible standards for infill residential development |
|---|
F-1
F-1 Floodplain Overlay
FPFEMA-designated flood hazard areas
| effect | Strict floodplain standards including 50% no-fill rule |
|---|
Adopted building codes
Major cities adopt newer locally
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- 27 base zoning districts create unusually complex district structure for a city of this size
- HPC uses contributing/non-contributing classification system for buildings within historic districts
- Strict floodplain regulations: 50% no-fill rule limits development in flood hazard areas
- Old City and Market Square function as mixed-use entertainment/residential areas within downtown overlay
- 30% transit parking reduction available for developments near transit routes
- Incentive-based affordable housing only — no inclusionary mandate permitted under Tennessee state law
- Condominium protection per TCA §13-7-208: state law restricts local regulation of condo conversions
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Measured to highest point of structure; 35 ft standard in residential
- lot_coverage
- far
- du_ac
- impervious_cover
- setback_front
- Front setback from property line
- setback_side
- Side setback from property line
- setback_rear
- Rear setback from property line
- parking
- 30% transit parking reduction available near transit routes
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far- max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560- buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2- buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft- buildable_envelope_sf
buildable_width_ft * buildable_depth_ft- max_stories_approx
max_height_ft / 10- max_gfa_from_envelope
min(buildable_envelope_sf * max_stories_approx, max_gfa_sf)- parking_required
units * parking
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
—
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
Copy zoning profile
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Research status
Data quality
30%completeness43 confirmed20 partial15 inferred
Documented gaps
- EN through R-4 dimensional standards
- All office district standards
- C-1 through C-G standards
- Industrial district standards
- SW and CU form-based standards
- Density (du/ac) across all districts
- FAR and lot coverage
- Parking ratios by district
Known issues
schema:v1-legacypriority:lowdata:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.