Chattanooga, TN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential cap
- 60% building coverage, most zones
- Nonresidential cap
- 50% (60% in TRN-3)
- Townhouse exemption
- RN-2, RN-3, TRN-2, TRN-3, TRN-4
- Cottage court impervious cap
- 65% (Sec. 38-42(i))
- Variance body
- Board of Appeals
- Governing table
- Table 38-16.1 / Table 38-16.2
Summary
Chattanooga's Table 38-16.1 dimensional standards cap how much of a residential lot a building can cover: 60 percent for residential development in every RN and TRN zone, dropping to 50 percent when the lot carries a nonresidential use (60 percent stays in TRN-3). Townhouses in RN-2, RN-3, TRN-2, TRN-3 and TRN-4 are exempt from the coverage cap entirely under Zoning Code Sec. 38-16.
(a)Table 38-16.1: Residential Zone Dimensional Standards establishes the dimensional standards for the residential zones. These regulations apply to all uses within each zone unless a different standard is listed for a specific use.
Table 38-16.1: Residential Zones Dimensional Standards, Maximum Building Coverage (RN-1-7.5 | RN-1-6 | RN-1-5 | RN-1-3 | RN-2 | RN-3): 60% NR: 50% | 60% NR: 50% | 60% NR: 50% | 60% NR: 50% | 60% (TH is exempt from this standard) NR: 50% | 60% (TH is exempt from this standard) NR: 50%.
Table 38-16.2: Residential Zones Dimensional Standards, Maximum Building Coverage (TRN-1 | TRN-2 | TRN-3 | TRN-4): 60% NR: 50% | 60% (TH is exempt from this standard) NR: 50% | 60% (TH is exempt from this standard) NR: 60% | 60% (TH is exempt from this standard) NR: 50%.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 38-16 sets the Residential Zones Dimensional Standards that apply to all uses within each zone unless a different standard is listed for a specific use. Table 38-16.1 governs the RN-1-7.5, RN-1-6, RN-1-5, RN-1-3, RN-2 and RN-3 zones; Table 38-16.2 governs TRN-1 through TRN-4. Both set Maximum Building Coverage at 60 percent for the residential portion of a lot. Where the abbreviation NR (nonresidential, defined at Sec. 38-8) appears, the cap drops to 50 percent, except TRN-3, which keeps its nonresidential cap at 60 percent. Townhouse (TH) development is carved out of the coverage standard entirely in RN-2, RN-3, TRN-2, TRN-3 and TRN-4, per the parenthetical note on those table rows.
The zoning code does not set a separate citywide impervious-surface percentage for ordinary residential lots, but it does for one specific housing type: a cottage court development, regulated as a principal use under Sec. 38-42(i), must keep the development as a whole under 50 percent building coverage and under 65 percent impervious surface coverage, even though individual lots inside the cottage court are exempted from the base zone's lot-area, lot-width, setback and building-coverage standards.
Exceeding the applicable coverage percentage without approval is treated as a zoning-standard violation. Sec. 38-46(a)(1) states that no existing structure may be enlarged, altered, reconstructed, or relocated in a manner that conflicts with the requirements of the zone in which the structure is located unless a variance is approved. Property owners who need relief from the coverage cap apply to the Board of Appeals for a variance.
Violations & Fines
Building beyond the Table 38-16.1/38-16.2 coverage cap without City approval violates Sec. 38-46(a)(1), which bars enlarging, altering, reconstructing or relocating a structure in a way that conflicts with the zone's requirements unless a variance is approved. The Land Development Office checks the coverage tables before issuing a building permit; relief requires a variance application to the Board of Appeals, the body Chattanooga's zoning code designates to hear such requests.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum lot coverage for a house in Chattanooga?
Are townhouses exempt from the coverage limit?
Is there a separate impervious-surface limit?
What happens if I build over the limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chattanooga
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