Building in Oak Hill
Oak Hill is a separate city inside Davidson County, with 4,891 residents at the 2020 Census, Radnor Lake State Park on one side and Franklin Pike on the other. Building permits come from the City Manager rather than Metro Codes. Lots range from 10,000 square feet in Residential A to 4 acres in Residential F, and each zone caps how much of the lot can be paved or roofed: 40 percent or 6,000 square feet in Residential A, down to 20 percent in E and F.
Patios, gazebos and outdoor kitchens
Patios and sports courts go in the rear yard. A gazebo can be up to 14 feet tall and 600 square feet, 10 feet from the lot lines, and arbors and trellises up to 14 feet can stand in any yard with the same setback. A grill or other outdoor cooking equipment has to sit inside the accessory building envelope, so an outdoor kitchen is placed with those setbacks in mind. A pool house is limited to a quarter of the main house or 1,200 square feet, whichever is smaller, with a wet bar but no kitchen.
Grading, slopes and trees
Moving the ground takes a land-disturbance permit once the work reaches 500 square feet, or 50 cubic yards of cut or fill. That covers most patios with retaining walls. Slopes of 15 percent or more over 1,000 square feet go to the planning commission, and removing trees needs a permit.
Lighting and fences
Oak Hill has dark-sky rules for outdoor lights, with low-voltage landscape lighting allowed, so path and step lights aimed down are the usual approach. The city changed its fence rules with Ordinance 2026-05, adopted August 19, 2026. Until the new section is published in the code, check the current height and opacity limits with the city before a fence is ordered.
Sources
- Oak Hill Municipal Code — 14-114 and 14-121 lots and coverage, 14-123 fences (amended by Ord. 2026-05), 14-130 and 14-132 accessory structures, 14-138 steep slopes, 14-141 lighting, 14-151 permits, 14-159 land disturbance, 14-904 trees
- Oak Hill, Tennessee (Wikipedia) — 2020 Census population