Zoning › Tennessee › Montgomery County › Clarksville

Clarksville, TN Zoning

Euclidean-zoning. 27 districts · 5 overlays · 6 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed

Residential ladder uses letter+number codes (E-1, R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, R-2D, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6) where the prefix letter indicates housing type (E=Estate, R=Single/Multi-Family) and the numeric suffix is a sequential intensity index (NOT min lot in thousands and NOT density-encoded). Verify per district. Commercial ladder is letter-coded (CBD/C-1 through C-5; O-1, OP, IC). Industrial is M-1/M-2. RM-1 / MHP carry mobile-home-specific provisions. Two map-flexible umbrellas: PUD (Planned Unit Development, §3.3.13 + Table 4.5) and MLUD (Mixed Land Use District, §3.3.15 + Table 4.5). These are floating discretionary districts requiring an approved master plan — Clarksville is NOT a hybrid-pd city (most parcels develop under base district directly), but PUD/MLUD are the path for any non-conforming master-planned site. R-6 is a distinct 'infill' high-density single-family district (NOT inverse-numbered — R-6 is the densest SF district by design). | naming_convention_raw=use-type-index-with-letter-prefix ; sub_flags_raw=[suburban-sunbelt, pdf-only-canonical, regional-planning-commission-hosted, fort-campbell-adjacent] ; narrative_ref=narratives/clarksville-tn/drain-20260518T072625-tn-03.json

Worth knowing
  • Ordinance hosted by the Regional Planning Commission, not the City — The canonical Clarksville Zoning Ordinance text lives on cmcrpc.com (Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission), not on www.clarksvilletn.gov. The City's Building Codes page (clarksvilletn.gov/310/Building-Codes) defers to the CMCRPC as the authoritative zoning source. The CMCRPC is a joint city-county planning agency created under TCA §13-3-101 (§3.1 of the ordinance designates the CMCRPC as the City's Planning Commission). This is uncommon — most TN cities maintain their own zoning ordinance pages. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §3.1; clarksvilletn.gov/310/Building-Codes; cmcrpc.com/zoning]
  • Outlaw Field — NOT Fort Campbell — is the airport overlay airport — Clarksville's Airport Overlay District (§9.1) is the FAA Part 77 obstruction-surface regime around OUTLAW FIELD (Clarksville Regional Airport, ICAO KCKV), a civilian general-aviation municipal airport at 550 ft MSL elevation located ~3 miles north-northwest of downtown. It is NOT an AICUZ implementation for Fort Campbell Army Airfield. Fort Campbell's AICUZ noise contours and APZ surfaces continue to apply as federal-coordination inputs but are NOT codified in Clarksville's zoning text. The 'Fort Campbell Boulevard Design Overlay' (§9.4 Map 9.3) is a CORRIDOR street-design overlay NAMED FOR the road, not an aviation overlay. Prior v1 record materially mischaracterized this as a Military Compatibility Overlay at '§12.18'; no such section exists. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.1.3.A (Airport = Outlaw Field), §9.1.3.B (elevation 550 ft MSL), §9.4 Map 9.3 (Fort Campbell Boulevard street design district)]
  • R-2A and R-6 carry parking-conditional front setback reductions — Both R-2A (Dense Single Family, §4.1.1 R-2A Exceptions) and R-6 (Single Family Infill, §4.1.1 R-6 Exceptions) allow the front setback to drop dramatically — to 10 ft (R-2A) and to 0 ft (R-6) — IF rear access is provided with two off-street parking spaces. These exceptions enable urban-form / alley-loaded SFD on small lots and are load-bearing for the densest residential forms in the code. Site planning that ignores the rear-access requirement and claims the reduced front setback is non-compliant. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §4.1.1 R-2A Additional Exceptions; §4.1.1 R-6 Additional Exceptions]

+ 11 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

res_sf 8com 8res_mf 4ag 2ind 2pd 1mu 1inst 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
AGAgricultural Districtag——————40[1] / 20[2] / 40[3]
AGCAgricultural Commercial Districtag——————40[4] / 20[5] / 40[6]
E-1Single-Family Estate Districtres_sf——————40[7] / 20[8] / 40[9]
R-1Single-Family Residential Districtres_sf——————40[10] / 10[11] / 25[12]
R-1ASingle-Family Residential Districtres_sf——————40[13] / 10[14] / 25[15]
RM-1Single-Family and Mobile Home Residential Districtres_sf——————40[16] / 10[17] / 25[18]
R-2Single-Family Residential Districtres_sf——————40[19] / 8[20] / 25[21]
R-2ASingle-Family Residential District (Dense Infill)res_sf——————30[22] / 5[23] / 20[24]
R-2DTwo-Family Residential Districtres_mf——————20[25] / 5[26] / 20[27]
R-3Moderate Density Residential District (Single/Two/Three-Family)res_mf——————20[28] / 5[29] / 20[30]
R-4Multiple-Family Residential Districtres_mf——————40[31] / 10[32] / 25[33]
R-5Residential District (Townhouse / Common-Wall)res_mf——————40[34] / 10[35] / 25[36]
R-6Single-Family Infill District (High-Density Detached)res_sf——————20[37] / 5[38] / 20[39]
PUDPlanned Unit Development Districtpd——————20[40] / 5[41] / 10[42]
MHPMobile Home Park Districtres_sf——————— / — / —
MLUDMixed Land Use Districtmu——————30[43] / 15[44] / 25[45]
ICInstitutional/Civic Districtinst——————40[46] / 15[47] / 25[48]
O-1Office Districtcom——————40[49] / 15[50] / 25[51]
OPOffice/Professional Districtcom——————40[52] / 15[53] / 25[54]
CBDCentral Business Districtcom——————0[55] / — / —
C-1Neighborhood Commercial Districtcom——————40[56] / — / 25[57]
C-2General Commercial Districtcom——————40[58] / — / 25[59]
C-3Regional Shopping Center Districtcom——————50[60] / — / 25[61]
C-4Highway Interchange Districtcom——————50[62] / 25[63] / 30[64]
C-5Highway and Arterial Commercial Districtcom——————50[65] / 15[66] / 25[67]
M-1Light Industrial Districtind——————40[68] / 15[69] / 20[70]
M-2General Industrial Districtind——————40[71] / 50[72] / 30[73]

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

AOD
Airport Overlay District (Outlaw Field)
SPEC
Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.1; TCA §§42-6-101 through 42-6-116; FAA 14 CFR Part 77 obstruction surfaces

All land lying within the FAR Part 77 airport imaginary surfaces (horizontal, conical, approach, primary, transition, clear zone) around Outlaw Field (Clarksville Regional Airport, ICAO KCKV), a general-aviation municipal airport at 550 ft MSL elevation, located approximately 3 miles north-northwest of downtown Clarksville. Boundaries shown on the official Airport Zoning Map maintained by the Regional Planning Commission Office. Surface radii: 5,000 ft (utility/visual runways) or 10,000 ft (other runways) for horizontal surface; conical extends another 5,000 ft beyond. The 1:20 conical slope and 1:34 / 1:50 approach slopes per §9.1.5 generate sloped caps well beyond the runway end.

FPO
Floodplain Overlay District
SPEC
Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.2; 44 CFR §60.3 (FEMA NFIP minimums); TCA §§13-7-201 through 13-7-210

All Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) as mapped on the current Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Montgomery County, Tennessee, and the Flood Boundary and Floodway Map for the City of Clarksville. Covers the Cumberland River corridor through Clarksville (notably the riverfront downtown and McGregor Park), the Red River and its tributaries, and lesser creek floodplains. Zone A (no BFE), Zone AE (BFE established), and Zone AE Floodway are differentiated per §9.2.5-9.2.8.

HOD
Historic Overlay District
SPEC
Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.3; TCA §13-7-402 (state historic-district enabling statute); §8.6 Historical Districts (signage)

Geographically definable areas possessing significant concentration / linkage / continuity of historic sites or structures, designated by City Council ordinance after Regional Historic Zoning Commission review. Boundaries on the official zoning map or special overlays maintained at the RPC office. Designation criteria in §9.3.9: associated with significant historic events; lives of historically significant persons; embodying distinctive characteristics of a period/style/master; archaeological yield; National Register listing; or city/county acquisition-cost relevance.

DOD
Clarksville Design Overlay Districts (Madison St / Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy / Fort Campbell Blvd / Tiny Town Rd)
SPEC
Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.4 (Clarksville Design Overlay Districts); standards prepared by Gresham Smith and Partners, incorporated by reference

Four corridor overlay districts mapped on Maps 9.1-9.4: (1) Madison Street, (2) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, (3) Fort Campbell Boulevard, (4) Tiny Town Road. Each is further subdivided into 'Centers' subdistricts (Walnut Hill/Liberty Pkwy, Hilldale/Memorial Dr, Beachaven/Barksdale Elementary, Richview Rd, Fort Campbell Blvd center, Dover Crossing) per Maps 9.5-9.8.

DUDOD
Downtown Urban Design Overlay District
SPEC
Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.5 (Downtown Urban Design Overlay District)

Downtown Clarksville boundary depicted in Image 9.1 of the ordinance (§9.5.2). Centered on the Cumberland River frontage and the CBD core; encompasses the historic downtown commercial grid, the riverfront, and surrounding mixed-use blocks.

State preemptions

TN-STR-ACTapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": ["Clarksville is a TN municipal corporation (Montgomery County); population 180,716 (2024 Census PEP)", "Clarksville Zoning Ordinance Chapter 3 Land Use Tables (\u00a73.4.5 Commercial Uses) treats Vacation Rental / Short-Term Rental as a defined use category subject to district-specific permitting", "TN Short Term Rental Unit Act applies to all 'local governmental units' statewide with no population threshold"], "vintage": "2018-05-24 statute; 2024 PC 963 extension; current Clarksville ordinance As Amended Through January 8, 2026", "threshold_compared": "Statute applies to all TN municipalities \u2014 no population threshold"} | applies_reason=Clarksville regulates STRs via its zoning ordinance use tables; any pre-ordinance lawfully-licensed STRs are grandfathered in perpetuity under §13-24-102. Clarksville cannot retroactively prohibit STRs that were lawfully operating + licensed before the relevant restrictive amendment effective date. ; city_specific_note=Clarksville's STR effective date and inventory of grandfathered pre-ordinance licensees: not_found in the zoning ordinance extract — that data lives in the business-license / hotel-motel-tax chapters of the broader municipal code (not the zoning ordinance). Site-selection on properties claiming grandfathered STR rights must verify business-license issuance date against the Clarksville STR ordinance effective date. The Fort Campbell military-personnel rental market generates above-average STR demand around the Fort Campbell Boulevard corridor.
Effect
Clarksville may regulate STRs prospectively (district-specific permitting via Chapter 3 use tables, registration, occupancy limits, parking, tax collection) but cannot retroactively prohibit or eliminate STRs that were lawfully operating + licensed before the restricting ordinance. Functional-denial schemes (registration / permitting / fee / definitional regimes that effectively eliminate grandfathered operation) barred by 2024 PC 963.
TN-IZ-BANapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": ["Clarksville is a TN municipal corporation", "Clarksville Zoning Ordinance (extract) contains no mandatory affordable set-aside percentage or rent-restriction language tied to zoning approval / building permit / CO"], "vintage": "2016-05-20 statute; 2024 attainable-housing carve-out", "threshold_compared": "Statute applies to all 'local governmental units' \u2014 no population threshold"} | applies_reason=TN statutory mandatory-IZ ban applies universally to all TN municipalities. ; city_specific_note=Clarksville Zoning Ordinance extract contains no mandatory IZ language; mandatory_iz_preempted = false. The PUD (§3.3.13) and MLUD (§3.3.15) frameworks offer density-bonus negotiation flexibility that could be structured as voluntary opt-in under the 2024 PC carve-out, but no formal attainable-housing program is operationalized in the zoning extract. Clarksville's high-growth profile (180,716 pop., +14k in 3 years) is precisely the type of market the 2024 carve-out was designed to enable — track for late-2026 program adoption.
Effect
Clarksville may not enact mandatory affordable set-asides or rent restrictions as a condition of zoning approval / building permit / CO. Voluntary density-bonus opt-in, fee waiver, expedited permitting, or direct-subsidy-tied affordability covenants permitted (post-2024 PC carve-out).
TN-MH-PARITYapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": ["Clarksville permits site-built SFD in E-1, R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, R-2D, R-3, R-6 districts per \u00a73.4.12 Residential Uses + Chapter 3 use tables", "Clarksville's RM-1 district (\u00a73.3.7) explicitly permits HUD-code mobile homes alongside conventional SFD in platted subdivisions", "Clarksville's MHP district (\u00a73.3.14) is a dedicated mobile-home-park zone \u2014 separate from the parity question (parity applies in non-MH-exclusive districts)"], "vintage": "2025 PC amendment tightening parity test", "threshold_compared": "Parity requirement attaches wherever local compatibility standards (roof pitch, foundation, skirting, width, orientation) apply to housing"} | applies_reason=Clarksville permits SFD in residential districts; MH parity rule attaches automatically in those districts. ; city_specific_note=Clarksville has dedicated MH districts (RM-1 single-family-and-mobile-home subdivisions; MHP mobile home parks). The dedicated MH districts do NOT relieve the parity obligation in the non-MH districts (E-1, R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, etc.) where SFD is permitted. No explicit MH-exclusion or stricter compatibility standard observed in the Chapter 4 bulk tables. Pre-HUD-code (pre-1976) mobile homes NOT protected by §13-24-211 and may be banned. Definitions in Chapter 2 distinguish 'mobile home' from 'manufactured home' from 'modular home' — re-verify against current §13-24-211 parity test before site-selection.
Effect
HUD-code manufactured homes must be allowed on parity with site-built SFD in residential districts where SFD is permitted. Any Clarksville compatibility standard (roof pitch, foundation, skirting, etc.) must be 'facially and functionally equivalent' to standards applied to site-built SFD under the 2025 amendment.
TN-Greenbeltapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": ["Clarksville's AG and AGC districts (\u00a73.3.1-3.3.2; Table 4.1) require 1.5-acre minimum lots \u2014 directly compatible with Greenbelt agricultural classification (15+ ac farming; forest 15+ ac plan; open space 3+ ac)", "Montgomery County is the 4th-largest TN county by 2024 PEP (~230k) with substantial farmland-conversion pressure as Clarksville annexes northward and eastward", "Fort Campbell adjacency drives military-personnel housing demand that pulls SFD conversion onto historically-Greenbelt parcels"], "vintage": "1976 statute (Greenbelt Law); current parcel classifications maintained by Montgomery County Assessor", "threshold_compared": "Statute applies countywide; parcel-specific classification determines applicability"} | applies_reason=Clarksville's AG / AGC / E-1 districts on the urban fringe overlap active Greenbelt-classified farms in Montgomery County. ; city_specific_note=Clarksville is the fastest-growing major TN city (Census 2020-2024); Montgomery County's eastern + northern urban fringe carries significant Greenbelt exposure. Verify per-parcel classification with Montgomery County Assessor before site-selection. Newly-annexed parcels retain Montgomery County zoning until rezoned (§3.1 retention rule) — so Greenbelt parcels carry county AG / Greenbelt status + active rollback exposure until specifically rezoned by city ordinance.
Effect
Conversion of Greenbelt-classified land to non-qualifying use triggers rollback tax (3-yr ag/forest; 5-yr open space) plus interest at rezoning / subdivision / change of use. Material acquisition-stage cost on urban-fringe sites in Clarksville's high-growth annexation corridor.
TN-13-7-208-Nonconformingapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": ["Clarksville Zoning Ordinance Chapter 10 (Non-Conforming Buildings, Structures, Uses and Lots) operationalizes TN enabling-act nonconforming protection", "Clarksville's 2010 ordinance adoption + subsequent amendments (most recently 2025-26 sign/lighting; consolidated through January 8, 2026) create transition-rule complexity per \u00a71.6"], "vintage": "2010-11-10 original adoption; consolidated through 2026-01-08", "threshold_compared": "Any lawful industrial/commercial use predating a zoning change"} | applies_reason=TN statutory nonconforming-use protection applies to all TN municipal zoning changes. ; city_specific_note=Clarksville §1.6 sets explicit transition rules for pre-existing permits, variances, uses-permitted-on-review, and approved planned developments (PUDs, site plans, design review approvals) — operationalizes §13-7-208 inside the zoning code. Section 1.6.3.2 specifically protects approved PUDs and approved site plans valid on the 2010 effective date 'until their expiration date.' Track any 2010 onward rezoning changes that affected industrial / commercial parcels in the Fort Campbell Boulevard, Madison Street, and Riverside Drive corridors.
Effect
Lawfully established industrial/commercial uses pre-dating any Clarksville zoning change (including the 2010 ordinance and subsequent amendments) cannot be terminated by a subsequent zoning change absent discontinuance. Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §1.6 (Transitional Regulations) + Chapter 10 (Non-Conforming Buildings, Structures, Uses and Lots) operationalize this protection. Material for M-1 / M-2 industrial parcels affected by district-line shifts since 2010 and for C-1 through C-5 commercial parcels in the high-growth corridors.
TN-PC-1101-GrowthPlanapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": ["Clarksville is a TN municipality in Montgomery County", "Montgomery County has an adopted PC-1101 growth plan with UGB / PGA / RA designations under the LGPAC framework", "Clarksville Zoning Ordinance \u00a73.1 (Areas and territories incorporated into the City of Clarksville are and will retain the zoning classification assigned to these areas by the Board of County Commissioners of Montgomery County, Tennessee, until and unless rezoned by Ordinance of the City of Clarksville) operationalizes the annexation-zoning interaction"], "vintage": "1998 statute; Montgomery County growth plan adopted under LGPAC framework; periodically amended", "threshold_compared": "All 95 TN counties subject; Clarksville's 20-year annexation reserve = its Urban Growth Boundary"} | applies_reason=PC-1101 binds every TN municipality's annexation eligibility and pre-zoning land status. Clarksville's exceptional growth velocity (+14k pop. in 3 years) puts continuous pressure on the UGB. ; city_specific_note=Montgomery County's UGB / PGA / RA polygons govern Clarksville's 20-year annexation horizon. Clarksville's high-velocity growth puts more pressure on the UGB than any other TN city — Sumner, Williamson, Rutherford county growth plans are typically amended every 5-7 years; Montgomery County's plan likely on shorter amendment cycle. Site-selection on parcels outside the city's current UGB must factor in either ineligibility for annexation OR a growth-plan-amendment process via the county-municipal coordination committee. TACIR maintains the growth-plan registry.
Effect
Clarksville's future annexations are bounded by its Montgomery-County-adopted Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). Parcels outside the UGB cannot be annexed; parcels in the PGA (Planned Growth Area, unincorporated) are zoned by Montgomery County under §13-7-201 (with the agricultural carve-out). Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §3.1 says annexed territory retains its Montgomery County zoning classification until specifically rezoned by City Ordinance — interplay with the §3.1 retention rule + Chapter 10 nonconforming protections.
Non-applicable laws (1)
TN-ADU-NONEunder_review
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": ["TN General Assembly 2024 ADU bill failed", "TN General Assembly 2025 ADU bill failed", "2026 SB 104/HB 109 pending, not enacted as of May 2026"], "vintage": "May 2026", "threshold_compared": "No enacted statute"} | reason=No TN statewide ADU-by-right preemption has been enacted; 2024-2025 bills failed in committee; 2026 SB 104/HB 109 still pending. ADU regulation entirely local in Clarksville.
Effect
ADU regulation is fully local. Clarksville Zoning Ordinance Chapter 3 Residential Uses tables govern accessory dwelling provisions without state preemption. Track 2026 session for any late-session enactment.

Adopted building codes

Major cities adopt newer locally

IBC
2012
IRC
2021
NEC
2017
IFC
2012
IECC (Residential)
2009
IECC (Commercial)
2012

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Quirks & notes

  • Ordinance hosted by the Regional Planning Commission, not the City — The canonical Clarksville Zoning Ordinance text lives on cmcrpc.com (Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission), not on www.clarksvilletn.gov. The City's Building Codes page (clarksvilletn.gov/310/Building-Codes) defers to the CMCRPC as the authoritative zoning source. The CMCRPC is a joint city-county planning agency created under TCA §13-3-101 (§3.1 of the ordinance designates the CMCRPC as the City's Planning Commission). This is uncommon — most TN cities maintain their own zoning ordinance pages. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §3.1; clarksvilletn.gov/310/Building-Codes; cmcrpc.com/zoning]
  • Outlaw Field — NOT Fort Campbell — is the airport overlay airport — Clarksville's Airport Overlay District (§9.1) is the FAA Part 77 obstruction-surface regime around OUTLAW FIELD (Clarksville Regional Airport, ICAO KCKV), a civilian general-aviation municipal airport at 550 ft MSL elevation located ~3 miles north-northwest of downtown. It is NOT an AICUZ implementation for Fort Campbell Army Airfield. Fort Campbell's AICUZ noise contours and APZ surfaces continue to apply as federal-coordination inputs but are NOT codified in Clarksville's zoning text. The 'Fort Campbell Boulevard Design Overlay' (§9.4 Map 9.3) is a CORRIDOR street-design overlay NAMED FOR the road, not an aviation overlay. Prior v1 record materially mischaracterized this as a Military Compatibility Overlay at '§12.18'; no such section exists. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.1.3.A (Airport = Outlaw Field), §9.1.3.B (elevation 550 ft MSL), §9.4 Map 9.3 (Fort Campbell Boulevard street design district)]
  • R-2A and R-6 carry parking-conditional front setback reductions — Both R-2A (Dense Single Family, §4.1.1 R-2A Exceptions) and R-6 (Single Family Infill, §4.1.1 R-6 Exceptions) allow the front setback to drop dramatically — to 10 ft (R-2A) and to 0 ft (R-6) — IF rear access is provided with two off-street parking spaces. These exceptions enable urban-form / alley-loaded SFD on small lots and are load-bearing for the densest residential forms in the code. Site planning that ignores the rear-access requirement and claims the reduced front setback is non-compliant. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §4.1.1 R-2A Additional Exceptions; §4.1.1 R-6 Additional Exceptions]
  • Block-face majority front yard overrides Table 4 setback (capped at 50 ft) — §4.1.1.4.A: In residential districts, if the majority of buildings on a block face have a front yard greater or lesser than the district required, NEW buildings may be erected at the prevailing block-face setback rather than the district minimum — but never required to exceed 50 ft. This 'context override' is automatic (not discretionary BZA) and load-bearing for infill in established neighborhoods. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §4.1.1.4.A]
  • State / federal highway setbacks override district minimums — §4.1.1.4.E.I: Any structure adjoining a state or federal highway must be set back at least 100 ft from the centerline OR 50 ft from the near R/W line (greater wins) — regardless of district. §4.1.1.4.E.II: City-maintained roads require 60 ft from centerline OR 40 ft from near R/W (CBD, MLUD, PUD excepted). §4.1.1.4.E.III: In R-1, R-1A, RM-1, R-2, R-2A on subdivision-approved roads (not state/federal/city-maintained), front setback reduces to 30 ft from near R/W. These layered highway/road setback rules can dramatically increase the effective front yard on parcels along US 41A, I-24, and other state/federal corridors. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §4.1.1.4.E.I-III]
  • Floodplain freeboard: 2 ft above BFE (1 ft above TN state minimum) — Clarksville §9.2 Freeboard definition sets lowest-floor elevation requirement at BFE + 2 ft in mapped SFHAs with established BFEs. Where no BFE is established, the requirement is 3 ft above highest adjacent grade. The TN state minimum is 1 ft above BFE; Clarksville's 2-ft requirement is a local enhancement (lowers flood-insurance rate map flooding risk and reduces NFIP rate-class exposure). — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.2 Freeboard definition (line ~10700)]
  • Airport Overlay suspends Chapter 4 height exemptions — §4.1.2.4: Notwithstanding the §4.1.2.2 height exemptions for chimneys, smokestacks, spires, flagpoles, ventilators, antennas, cellular towers, water tanks, etc., NONE of those exemptions apply inside the Airport Overlay District. Inside the airport hazard area, every structure (including normally-exempt vertical accessories) must respect the Part 77 sloped surfaces. Load-bearing for telecom-tower siting in northern Clarksville near Outlaw Field. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §4.1.2.4]
  • R-4 and R-5 have no district-wide height cap in the bulk table — Table 4.3 lists 'N/A' for both R-4 (Multiple-Family) and R-5 (Townhouse / Common-Wall) maximum height. The R-5 §3.3.11 description and Table 4.3 Note 5 imply a tract-level side-setback step-up (+1 ft per 5 ft of height over 35 ft) but no absolute cap. Effective height is governed by setback envelope, the Airport Overlay sloped caps, transitional-step-down equivalents (where applicable), and the §4.1.1.4.E highway setbacks. The 16 du/ac density cap (Note 4) is the binding constraint for R-4 / R-5 / R-6 per gross-acre intensity. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance Table 4.3 (R-4 / R-5 / R-6 columns) + Note 4 + Note 5]
  • PUD and MLUD are floating districts requiring approved comprehensive development plan — Both PUD (§3.3.13 + Table 4.5) and MLUD (§3.3.15 + Table 4.5) are NOT euclidean districts mapped at adoption — they are floating discretionary districts requiring (a) rezoning to the floating category and (b) approval of a professionally-prepared comprehensive development plan. Table 4.5 carries only tract-perimeter setbacks; all interior bulk standards come from the approved master plan. PUD requires 1-acre minimum new zone-district size; MLUD has no minimum. Site plan required for both. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §3.3.13 + §3.3.15 + Table 4.5 + §5.6]
  • C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) has a 2-acre MAXIMUM zone-district size (cap, not floor) — Table 4.7 lists C-1 with 'Minimum/Maximum Area For New Zone District' = '2 acres maximum.' This is the only district in the bulk-table system with a MAX (not min) zone-size cap. The intent is to keep neighborhood commercial small enough to serve only the surrounding residential — preventing C-1 from becoming a de facto general commercial node. Site-selection for community/regional retail must use C-2 / C-3 / C-4 / C-5, not C-1. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance Table 4.7 (C-1 row)]
  • Annexed territory retains Montgomery County zoning until specifically rezoned — §3.1: 'Areas and territories incorporated into the City of Clarksville are and will retain the zoning classification assigned to these areas by the Board of County Commissioners of Montgomery County, Tennessee, until and unless rezoned by Ordinance of the City of Clarksville.' Combined with Clarksville's high-velocity annexation pace, this means newly-annexed parcels operate under MONTGOMERY COUNTY zoning standards (which have an agricultural-use exemption under TCA §13-7-201(b)(2)) until the city specifically rezones — sometimes years after annexation. Material for site-selection on recently-annexed Montgomery County fringe parcels. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §3.1; TCA §13-7-201(b)(2)]
  • PUD and MLUD do not enforce lot coverage; CBD does not enforce coverage either — Three districts have N/A maximum lot coverage in their bulk tables: PUD (Table 4.5), MLUD (Table 4.5), and CBD (Table 4.6). For PUD/MLUD, coverage is governed by approved master plan. For CBD, the absence of a coverage cap reflects urban-form intent (full-block builds with party walls). M-1 and M-2 also have N/A coverage in Table 4.8 (controlled by setback envelope). — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance Tables 4.5, 4.6, 4.8]
  • Fire-rated exterior wall requirement for residential structures within 8 ft of property line — §4.3: Exterior walls of any structure used for residential purposes, located within 8 ft or less of any property line, must have water/fire-resistant gypsum wall board (minimum 5/8" Type X or equivalent) on the outside as underlayment for exterior siding. Continuous exterior soffit homes require continuous wall board to roof deck with fire blocking, sealed against deck. Gable end vents are PROHIBITED. Variances cannot be granted by the BZA from this section. This is unusual — most TN cities defer entirely to the building code for fire-separation rules; Clarksville imposes a zoning-code-level supplemental requirement. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §4.3]
  • Five design overlay districts in §9.4 (corridor design) plus the Downtown Urban Design Overlay in §9.5 — Clarksville maintains an unusually robust corridor-design-overlay regime: §9.4 establishes four named corridor districts (Madison Street, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Fort Campbell Boulevard, Tiny Town Road) each with subdistricts and 'Centers' nodes; §9.5 adds the Downtown Urban Design Overlay over the CBD area. All corridor overlays carry Design Review Board approval requirements for new construction and major modifications. Site-selection on any parcel inside one of these corridors must add a DRB review timeline to the entitlement schedule. — [Clarksville Zoning Ordinance §9.4 (Maps 9.1-9.4 + 9.5-9.8); §9.5]

Formulas

Definitions

height
Maximum height of structures measured from grade; basements and attics count as a story per §4.1.2
lot_coverage
setbacks
Minimum distance from front/side/rear property line to building wall per Chapter 4 tables; total side yard 'T=' values combine both sides
parking
lot_area_no_sewer
Lots without sanitary sewer use Division of Ground Water minimum, never less than district minimum (§4.1.3)

Capacity calculations

airport_overlay_horizontal_surface_height_cap
150 ft above airport elevation (700 ft MSL absolute) for all structures inside Outlaw Field horizontal surface; conical/approach/transition surfaces have sloped caps per §9.1.5
highway_setback_state_federal
100 ft from centerline OR 50 ft from near R/W (greater wins) for any structure adjoining a state or federal highway
highway_setback_city_road
60 ft from centerline OR 40 ft from near R/W for city-maintained roads (excludes CBD/MLUD/PUD which use district-specific setbacks)
majority_block_face_setback_override
In residential districts, the prevailing block-face front yard supersedes the district minimum (capped at 50 ft)
floodplain_freeboard
Lowest floor + 2 ft above BFE in mapped SFHAs with established BFEs; 3 ft above highest adjacent grade where no BFE established

Massing explorer

Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.

—
—
Sort by —
LOW
HIGH
drag to orbit · scroll to zoom
Max height
— ft
——
Floor area ratio
—
——
Lot coverage
—%
——
Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
◄
prev
►
next
Copy zoning profile
Loading…
District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Primary source
City of Clarksville Zoning Ordinance (Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission consolidated text)
As Amended Through January 8, 2026 (consolidated edition; current Ordinance 04-2025-26 most recent visible amendment July 2025 sign/lighting) · retrieved 2026-05-18

Canonical source is the consolidated PDF hosted by the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission (CMCRPC) at cmcrpc.com — the city ordinance lives with the regional planning commission, not the city's own www.clarksvilletn.gov site. Direct curl with desktop UA succeeds (no Cloudflare gate). The Municode mirror at library.municode.com/tn/clarksville/codes/zoning_ordinance returns Cloudflare 403 to WebFetch but is the same text. PDF (~13 MB) extracts cleanly with pdftotext -layout; all dimensional tables (Tables 4.1-4.8) and Chapter 9 overlay sections rendered as readable text. CHAPTER 3 §3.2 enumerates all 27 base zoning districts; CHAPTER 4 Tables 4.1-4.8 carry dimensional standards. The City's own www.clarksvilletn.gov/310/Building-Codes page references CMCRPC as the authoritative zoning source.

Citations
  1. [1] Table 4.1
  2. [2] Table 4.1
  3. [3] Table 4.1
  4. [4] Table 4.1
  5. [5] Table 4.1
  6. [6] Table 4.1
  7. [7] Table 4.2
  8. [8] Table 4.2 (dwellings; T=combined)
  9. [9] Table 4.2
  10. [10] Table 4.2 (30 ft if adjoining subdivision-approved road per §4.1.1.4.E.III)
  11. [11] Table 4.2 (each side; T=30 ft combined per Note 3)
  12. [12] Table 4.2
  13. [13] Table 4.2
  14. [14] Table 4.2 (T=20 ft combined)
  15. [15] Table 4.2
  16. [16] Table 4.4
  17. [17] Table 4.4 (T=30 ft combined)
  18. [18] Table 4.4
  19. [19] Table 4.2
  20. [20] Table 4.2 (T=16 ft combined)
  21. [21] Table 4.2
  22. [22] Table 4.2 (may reduce to 10 ft if rear access + 2 off-street spaces provided per §4.1.1 R-2A exceptions)
  23. [23] Table 4.2 (T=10 ft combined)
  24. [24] Table 4.2
  25. [25] Table 4.3
  26. [26] Table 4.3
  27. [27] Table 4.3
  28. [28] Table 4.3
  29. [29] Table 4.3
  30. [30] Table 4.3
  31. [31] Table 4.3
  32. [32] Table 4.3
  33. [33] Table 4.3
  34. [34] Table 4.3
  35. [35] Table 4.3 (for the tract; Note 5: +1 ft per 5 ft of building height over 35 ft)
  36. [36] Table 4.3
  37. [37] Table 4.3 (may reduce to 0 ft if rear access + 2 off-street spaces provided per §4.1.1 R-6 Additional Exceptions)
  38. [38] Table 4.3 (T=10 ft combined both sides)
  39. [39] Table 4.3
  40. [40] Table 4.5 (tract perimeter)
  41. [41] Table 4.5 (subject tract perimeter)
  42. [42] Table 4.5
  43. [43] Table 4.5
  44. [44] Table 4.5 (subject tract perimeter)
  45. [45] Table 4.5 (subject tract perimeter)
  46. [46] Table 4.6
  47. [47] Table 4.6 Note 1 (20 ft minimum if adjoining residential district)
  48. [48] Table 4.6
  49. [49] Table 4.6
  50. [50] Table 4.6 Note 1 (20 ft if adjoining residential)
  51. [51] Table 4.6
  52. [52] Table 4.6
  53. [53] Table 4.6 Note 1
  54. [54] Table 4.6
  55. [55] Table 4.6 (See §4.1.1 CBD Exceptions: build-to property line / existing sidewalk / 8 ft from curb depending on pre-1999 vs post-1999 status)
  56. [56] Table 4.7
  57. [57] Table 4.7
  58. [58] Table 4.7
  59. [59] Table 4.7
  60. [60] Table 4.7
  61. [61] Table 4.7
  62. [62] Table 4.7
  63. [63] Table 4.7 Note 2 (40 ft if adjoining residential)
  64. [64] Table 4.7 Note 2 (40 ft if adjoining residential)
  65. [65] Table 4.7
  66. [66] Table 4.7 Note 1 (25 ft adjoining residential)
  67. [67] Table 4.7
  68. [68] Table 4.8
  69. [69] Table 4.8 Note 2 (no setback if abutting railroad/spur)
  70. [70] Table 4.8 Note 1 (25 ft adjoining residential)
  71. [71] Table 4.8
  72. [72] Table 4.8 Note 3 (25 ft for office buildings only)
  73. [73] Table 4.8 Notes 2 + 4 (no setback if abutting railroad; 50 ft if adjoining residential)

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassedhttps://www.cmcrpc.com/wp2025/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/City-Zoning-Ordinance-Updated-Through-January-8-2026.pdf — Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission consolidated PDF (As Amended Through January 8, 2026)
no aggregator citedpassedscan clean — only CMCRPC (city-county planning commission canonical), Census/QuickFacts (primary demographic), and city site (deferring to CMCRPC) used as primary sources. Municode listed only as secondary mirror reference. No Zoneomics / Steadily / SitePlanGuide / SitePlanCreator / Propwire / Zonara / Unzoned citations.
confidence tags full formpassed78/78 confirmed-status dimensional fields across 27 base districts and 5 overlays carry §-citations to specific Chapter/Section/Table numbers (§3.3.x, §4.1.x, Tables 4.1-4.8, §9.1-9.5, §13-x-x for state preemptions)
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassedAll 5 city-codified overlays (AOD Airport Overlay-Outlaw-Field, FPO Floodplain, HOD Historic, DOD Corridor Design x4, DUDOD Downtown Urban Design) carry non-empty parameters arrays, explicit geographic_trigger strings, status field (all confirmed), and §-citations. Fort Campbell AICUZ correctly routed to federal_overlay_refs (FM-P) as non-codified federal-coordination input, not a city overlay.
preempt section city specificpassed7 state-preemption laws (TN-STR-ACT, TN-IZ-BAN, TN-MH-PARITY, TN-Greenbelt, TN-13-7-208, TN-PC-1101, TN-ADU-NONE) with city-specific qualifying_condition_checked objects (inputs + vintage + threshold_compared) and city_specific_note narratives — not link-stubs. Fort Campbell adjacency factored into STR demand note and the federal_overlay_refs AICUZ entry.

Verification

last_verified_at2026-05-21T00:00:00Z
verifier_specialistverification-pass
verifier_version1.0
verification_resultpassed
atomic_claims_checked78
atomic_claims_passed78
atomic_claims_failed0
notesAll 27 base-district dimensional rows cross-verified directly against the pdftotext-extracted Tables 4.1-4.8 in the consolidated Clarksville Zoning Ordinance As Amended Through January 8, 2026 (CMCRPC-hosted PDF, ~13 MB, source-of-truth). All §-citations resolve to actual chapters/sections in the ordinance TOC (§§1.1-1.7, 2.1-2.2, 3.1-3.4, 4.1-4.3, 5.x, 9.1-9.5, 10.x, 11.x). Overlay parameters (§9.1 Airport-Outlaw-Field, §9.2 Floodplain, §9.3 Historic, §9.4 Corridor Design, §9.5 Downtown Urban Design) cited to specific sub-sections. No aggregator citations (Zoneomics, Steadily, SitePlanGuide, SitePlanCreator, Propwire, Zonara, Unzoned). Municode listed only as secondary mirror reference. State preemptions paired with city-specific qualifying_condition_checked: TN-STR-ACT, TN-IZ-BAN, TN-MH-PARITY, TN-Greenbelt, TN-13-7-208, TN-PC-1101, TN-ADU-NONE. CRITICAL CORRECTION VS v1: prior record claimed a 'Military Compatibility Overlay' at '§12.18' citing Fort Campbell AICUZ; no such section exists. Fort Campbell AICUZ routed to federal_overlay_refs (FM-P discipline) as a non-codified federal-coordination input, not as a city overlay or state preemption. Outlaw Field (civilian general aviation, 550 ft MSL) is the actual subject of the §9.1 Airport Overlay. PD districts (PUD, MLUD) correctly characterized as floating discretionary districts, not euclidean — base district tables show only tract-perimeter setbacks with master-plan-driven interior standards.
narrative_refnarratives/clarksville-tn/drain-20260518T072625-tn-03.json
last_verified_evidence{"verified_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00Z", "method": "re-fetch primary PDF + pdftotext + dimensional diff against profile", "url": "https://www.cmcrpc.com/wp2025/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/City-Zoning-Ordinance-Updated-Through-January-8-2026.pdf", "sections_resampled": ["Table 4.1 (AG/AGC) at line 3642: AG row = '1.5 acres | 120 feet | 40 feet front | 20 feet side | 40 feet rear | 25% coverage | 35 feet height' — matches profile AG base_district (front=40, side=20, rear=40, height=35) exactly", "Table 4.2 (E-1/R-1/R-1A/R-2/R-2A) at line 3674: R-1 row = '15,000 sq. ft. | 90 feet | 40 feet front | 10 feet side | 25 feet rear | 35 feet height' — matches profile R-1 (front=40, side=10, rear=25, height=35) exactly. R-1A row = '12,000 sq. ft. | 80 feet | 40 feet front | 10 feet side | 25 feet rear' — matches profile R-1A exactly", "Section 4.1.1 / 4.1.2 / 4.1.3 (setback / height / lot area exceptions) — referenced from each Table 4.x row — matches profile citation pattern '§4.1.x + Table 4.x'", "Article 9 (Overlay Districts) — confirmed §9.1-9.5 structure (§9.1 Airport-Outlaw-Field, §9.2 Floodplain, §9.3 Historic, §9.4 Corridor Design, §9.5 Downtown Urban Design) at TOC lines 41-48"], "match_rate_pct": 100, "outcome": "verified-and-bumped"}

Other cities in this state

Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.

BartlettChattanoogaColliervilleGallatinHendersonvilleKnoxvilleMemphisMurfreesboro