Sullivan County, TN Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Max driveway coverage
- 50% of required yard
- Districts covered
- M-1, M-2, PMD-1, PMD-2
- Front parking setback
- No parking within 10 ft of front line
- Uncovered yard use
- Must be landscaped (Sec. 8-1071)
- Jurisdiction
- Unincorporated Sullivan County only
Summary
In Sullivan County's unincorporated manufacturing districts, a driveway can cover no more than 50 percent of any required front, side or rear yard under Zoning Resolution Section 5-103.4. The rest of that yard must be landscaped, and parking is barred within 10 feet of the front property line, which must stay a vegetative reserve strip.
4. Uses of Required Yard Areas - The following uses may be made of yard areas, provided such uses are otherwise permissible in this district. a. Landscaping/Buffering/Reserve Green Strip - All required yard areas not occupied by driveways or sidewalks shall be devoted to landscaping. The minimum design standards are detailed in Section 8-1071. b. Driveways - Driveways may be located within any required yard; provided, however, that no more than fifty (50) percent of the area of any required yard may be used as a driveway. ... d. Parking - Within all manufacturing districts any yard may be used for off-street parking or loading, except as provided in Subpart 7, of this section. However, such areas shall not be used for storage or processing of any kind. No parking shall be permitted within ten (10) feet of the front property line and shall become a vegetative reserve green strip subject to minimum measures as required in Section 8-107.2.
Full Breakdown
4, Yard Regulations. Subpart 4 of that section, "Uses of Required Yard Areas," lists what a property owner may put in a required yard. Item (b) sets the driveway limit directly: driveways may sit within any required yard, but no more than 50 percent of that yard's area can be used as a driveway. Item (a) covers the remainder: any part of the required yard not occupied by a driveway or sidewalk must be devoted to landscaping, with minimum design standards spelled out in Section 8-1071.
Item (d) adds a separate rule for parking and loading areas: within manufacturing districts any yard may be used for off-street parking or loading, except where Subpart 7 of the same section restricts it along district boundaries, but those areas cannot double as storage or processing space, and no vehicle may park within 10 feet of the front property line. 2. These rules apply only to Sullivan County's unincorporated planning jurisdiction; Kingsport, Bristol and Bluff City administer their own zoning and are not bound by the county's Zoning Resolution. 2 already bars issuing a building permit for a lot that fails the dimensional standards tied to this article.
Violations & Fines
A driveway exceeding the 50 percent yard-coverage cap, parking placed within the required 10-foot front green strip, or a required yard left unlandscaped can each hold up a building permit or site plan approval from the Sullivan County Planning and Codes Department. Under Section 5-103.2, no building permit or zoning approval may issue for development that fails the dimensional and yard-use standards in this article, and the Building Commissioner enforces compliance during permit review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 50 percent driveway limit apply to my house in Blountville?
What happens to the part of my manufacturing-zone yard the driveway doesn't cover?
Can I park a vehicle right up against the front property line in a manufacturing district?
Does this rule apply inside Kingsport or Bristol city limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sullivan County
Compare Sullivan County to another location·View the Tennessee parking rules overview
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