Building in Ashland City
Ashland City is the seat of Cheatham County, on the Cumberland River, with 5,193 residents at the 2020 Census. The town’s Building Codes, Planning and Zoning department issues permits online. Lots there are on either town sewer or septic, and septic permits go through the county environmentalist, so where the field lines run decides where a patio or pavilion can go.
Decks and outbuildings
A small detached deck under 200 square feet, no more than 30 inches high and not serving an exit door, needs no permit; anything bigger or attached does. One-story accessory buildings of 200 square feet or less are exempt too. Accessory buildings go in the rear yard, 5 feet from any easement or property line, and their total is held to 40 percent of the house and 600 square feet, with a variance possible on lots of 2 acres or more.
Fences
The town’s FAQ says a fence under 7 feet needs no permit, while the zoning ordinance caps fences at 6 feet, and the two give different front-yard heights. Ask the Building Codes department for the right number on your lot before choosing the style. A pool fence must be at least 4 feet. On a corner, nothing between 3½ and 10 feet tall goes within 75 feet of the intersection.
Driveways and the river
Ashland City requires a driveway permit before any other building permit, and the driveway is designed by a Tennessee professional engineer unless the public works director waives it. Land along the Cumberland River and Cheatham Lake falls under the town’s floodplain rules, which need a development permit before anything is built there.
Sources
- Town of Ashland City, building and permits
- Ashland City Zoning Ordinance — 3.080 sight triangle, 3.100 accessory structures, 4.160 fences, 4.230 pools
- Ashland City Municipal Code, Title 16 — 16-502 driveways
- Ashland City, Tennessee (Wikipedia) — 2020 Census population