What kind of zoning does Chattanooga use?

Chattanooga uses conventional Euclidean, use-based zoning under an ordinance originally adopted in 1961, administered by the city's Planning Department. Downtown and riverfront areas layer additional form-based overlay districts on top of that base zoning.

Do overlay districts affect downtown Chattanooga zoning?

Yes. Downtown and riverfront redevelopment, especially around the Northshore and Riverwalk, has largely been directed through form-based overlay districts applied on top of the underlying base zoning, so a parcel's actual development standards can depend heavily on which overlay applies.

How do I find the zoning for an address in Chattanooga?

The City of Chattanooga Planning Department's zoning maps and open data resources, available through the city's official website, show the current base district and any applicable overlay for a given parcel.

Chattanooga, Tennessee · city zoning districts · 9 districts

Chattanooga, TN zoning map & districts

Chattanooga has operated under Euclidean, use-based zoning since its original zoning ordinance was adopted in 1961, administered today by the city's Planning Department with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency supporting the review process; the City Council acts on rezonings and text amendments following Planning Commission and staff recommendations, and a Board of Zoning Appeals hears variances.

The code Chattanooga Zoning Ordinance

Chattanooga zoning map

The City of Chattanooga's Planning Department publishes zoning maps and open data through the city's official site, and the Chattanooga Zoning Ordinance text is maintained in the city's code of ordinances.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Chattanooga planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Chattanooga

Downtown and riverfront revitalization, particularly around the Northshore and the Riverwalk, has been pursued mainly through form-based overlay districts layered on top of the underlying Euclidean base zoning rather than through a wholesale rewrite of the citywide code, so a downtown-adjacent parcel's development standards may be governed as much by an applicable overlay as by its base district.

Chattanooga zoning districts by family

The 9 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Chattanooga, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Chattanooga Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 2 districts
RN-1-6	Residential Neighborhood 1-6	One of Chattanooga's most common single-family lot-size tiers.
RN-1-7.5	Residential Neighborhood 1-7.5	Larger-lot single-family tier of the Residential Neighborhood series.
Mixed-use 2 districts
B-CX-12	The Bend Commercial Mixed Use 12	Mixed-use district within The Bend form-based-code area, 12-story context.
B-CX-20	The Bend Commercial Mixed Use 20	Taller mixed-use tier within The Bend, 20-story context.
Commercial 1 district
C-C	Commercial Corridor	Corridor-format commercial along Chattanooga's major streets.
Downtown / core 1 district
D-CX-12	Downtown Commercial Mixed Use 12	Downtown mixed-use district permitting residential, retail, and vertical mixing of uses.
Industrial 1 district
I-H	Heavy Industrial	Chattanooga's heaviest industrial tier.
Special purpose 2 districts
A-1	Urban Agricultural	Preserves in-city agricultural and related uses.
OS	Open Space	Parks, greenways, and preserved open land.

Chattanooga zoning — common questions

What kind of zoning does Chattanooga use?: Chattanooga uses conventional Euclidean, use-based zoning under an ordinance originally adopted in 1961, administered by the city's Planning Department. Downtown and riverfront areas layer additional form-based overlay districts on top of that base zoning.
Do overlay districts affect downtown Chattanooga zoning?: Yes. Downtown and riverfront redevelopment, especially around the Northshore and Riverwalk, has largely been directed through form-based overlay districts applied on top of the underlying base zoning, so a parcel's actual development standards can depend heavily on which overlay applies.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Chattanooga?: The City of Chattanooga Planning Department's zoning maps and open data resources, available through the city's official website, show the current base district and any applicable overlay for a given parcel.

Working in Tennessee? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Tennessee opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Tennessee zoning — who holds the zoning power in Tennessee, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Tennessee cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Chattanooga zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.