Chattanooga, TN Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

The Downtown Chattanooga Form-Based Code was adopted June 21, 2016, effective July 5, 2016, and amended November 28, 2023. Sec. 38-692(4)(A) states the Code provides the means to guide implementation of the citizen-endorsed vision for property within the following Downtown neighborhoods: North Shore; Riverfront (South Shore); City Center; ML King; Southside; The Bend; Westside; and Chestnut Street. Sec. 38-692(4)(B) explains the Code works by prescribing the physical form of buildings and other elements and addressing the relationship between building facades and the public realm, the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another and the scale and types of streets and blocks.

Sec. 38-692(5) sets three intent tracks: balancing conservation and development along transit corridors, achieving design excellence in building and site design (including parking, access and landscape standards), and guiding a prosperous and sustainable future through predictable review processes and diverse housing options. Sec. 38-692(6) applies the Code to all property within the Downtown Code Context Areas shown on the City's Official Zoning Map, including both public and private streets. Sec. 38-692(7) lists which parts of the general Zoning Code, Chapter 38, still apply inside the Downtown boundary, including Article II Definitions, Article IV General Regulations, Article VIII Board of Appeals and Special Permits, and Article XIV Enforcement, Violations and Penalties, while provisions such as Sec. 38-509 (side yards on corner lots) are expressly disapplied. Where the Downtown Code conflicts with the general Zoning Code, Sec. 38-692(8)(A) makes the Downtown Code control.