Franklin, TN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Franklin's form-based Zoning Ordinance, effective January 13, 2026, does not set one citywide lot-coverage cap; it assigns dimensional standards district by district in Chapter 3, Zoning Districts. 5 caps building coverage, the ground-floor footprint of a building measured as a percentage of net lot area, at a maximum of 85%. 4 defines 'Building Coverage' as 'the gross area of a lot, parcel of land, or building site occupied by all of the ground floor of a building or structure that is under roof,' expressed as the relationship between that ground-floor area and the net area of the site.

4 as the portion of a lot not covered by impervious surface and available for plant material, soil, mulch, or pervious hardscape, at 0% for DD-zoned lots: downtown parcels carry no mandatory pervious-surface minimum, a deliberate trade-off for the build-to-the-street pattern the district is meant to produce. x tables. 10; the Board of Zoning Appeals may grant one only where exceptional narrowness, shape, or topography creates undue hardship and the relief will not substantially impair the Ordinance's intent. 5: any person violating the Ordinance is guilty of a misdemeanor, fined under Title 12 of the Municipal Code's general penalty clauses, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense.