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Chattanooga, TN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Base height cap
35 feet
Mixed-use exception
65 ft in RN-3 only
Transition rule
35 ft within 35 ft of RN zones
Governing table
Table 38-16.3, Sec. 38-16

Summary

Chattanooga's Table 38-16.3 caps residential building height at 35 feet across its RN-1 through RN-3 zones, with a step-down rule near single-family districts limiting even taller mixed-use structures within 35 feet of the boundary.

Maximum Building Height1 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' MU: 65' 1 Maximum height of a structure is limited to 35' within 35' of an RN-1-7.5, RN-1-6, RN-1-5, RN-1-3, RN-2, TRN-1, or TRN-2 zone. This limitation applies only to that portion of a structure within the 35' distance.

View official code

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 a flat 35-foot maximum building height in the RN-1-7.5, RN-1-6, RN-1-5, RN-1-3, RN-2 and RN-3 Residential Neighborhood Zones (Table 38-16.3), rising to 65 feet only for mixed-use (MU) structures in RN-3. A footnote adds a transition rule: any portion of a building within 35 feet of an RN-1-7.5, RN-1-6, RN-1-5, RN-1-3, RN-2, TRN-1 or TRN-2 zone boundary is capped at 35 feet regardless of the district's own allowance, protecting adjacent lower-density neighborhoods from an abrupt jump in building scale.

Violations & Fines

A building permit exceeding the mapped height limit, or a taller structure built too close to a lower-height residential zone without the 35-foot stepback, is a zoning code violation subject to Land Development Office permit denial or a stop-work order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a mixed-use building go higher than 35 feet next to a house?
Not right next to it: even where 65 feet is otherwise allowed, any part of the building within 35 feet of a residential zone boundary is still capped at 35 feet.
Does the 35-foot cap apply citywide?
No: it governs the RN-1 through RN-3 Residential Neighborhood Zones under Table 38-16.3; other zones like the Downtown Form-Based Code districts set their own height limits by number of stories.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Chattanooga

Noise Ordinances: Quiet HoursSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Construction HoursSome RestrictionsSetback RulesSome RestrictionsLot Coverage LimitsSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Barking DogsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Towing & Impound RightsSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Preferential Parking DistrictsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Loading ZonesSome Restrictions

All Chattanooga rules

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