Departments
Building and Codes
Plan review, permits, inspections, zoning, and property maintenance for the City of East Ridge.
Where
1517 Tombras Avenue, East Ridge, TN 37412
Phone
Open
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Do I Need a Permit?
Work that needs a permit
- New construction of a building or structure
- Alterations, repairs, or additions to an existing building or structure
- Exterior remodels, alterations, or repairs
- Moving or relocating an existing building
- Demolition, interior or a complete building
- Fences over 7 feet high, or fences built of concrete or masonry
- Retaining walls. A retaining wall four feet or higher needs an engineer's stamped drawing
- Decks
- Swimming pools, including above-ground units two feet deep or more
Work that does not need a permit
- Cosmetic work on an existing building such as paint, wallpaper, and carpeting
- An exterior storage building under 120 square feet
Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits have to be pulled by a contractor licensed in the State of Tennessee. If the right permits are not pulled, the department issues a stop work order.
Apply Online
Permit applications, inspection requests, and code enforcement complaints are submitted online.
Permits handled online
- Building
- Demolition
- Electrical
- Fire prevention
- Gas
- Mechanical
- Plat submittal
- Plumbing
- Rezone application
- Short-term vacation rental
- Sign
- Street cut
- Tree cutting
- Use on review
- Variance request
- Yard sale
- Zoning appeals
- Zoning verification
Zoning
What Can I Build on My Lot?
The City has 18 zoning districts. Each one is its own ordinance. Every district below is readable here in full, and the City's original document is linked from each page.
Agricultural
Residential
- R-1 Residential District
- R-2 Residential Duplex District
- R-3 Residential Apartment District
- R-5 Residential Manufactured Homes District
- RT-1 Residential Townhouse District
- RZ-1 Zero Lot Line Residential District
Commercial
- C-1 Commercial District
- C-2 General Commercial District
- C-4 Planned Commerce Center District
- C-5 Neighborhood Commercial District
- C-6 Low Traffic Commercial District
Office and Institutional
Industrial
Overlay
Inspections
The City requires building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, street cut, storm water, sign, house moving, and demolition permits. Each one carries inspections that continue until the work is done, ending in a final inspection. The Chief Building Official answers questions from residents and business owners about residential and commercial work.
Other standards
Code Enforcement
Reports and complaints arrive daily. Each one is investigated, evaluated, and prioritized so that critical issues are handled immediately and less severe ones in turn.
The Code Enforcement team works under the Chief Building Official and includes one full-time Residential Inspector and two full-time Code Enforcement Officers. They enforce the City's municipal codes and the adopted International Property Maintenance Code.
What happens after a report
- A report or complaint is filed with the department.
- An officer performs an initial drive-by site inspection and may photograph the violation.
- If the property is in violation, a citation goes to the owner or tenant.
- The owner or tenant contacts the officer who issued it and a compliance date is set for cleanup.
- If the violation is not corrected by that date, the owner or tenant is summoned before the City's Administrative Hearing Officer on the date listed in the citation.
Who Works Here
Michael Howell
Chief Building Official
Melissa Mahoney
Administrative Assistant
Torrey Holder
Residential Building Inspector
Michael Pettyjohn
Code Enforcement Officer
Jeremy Hicks
Code Enforcement Officer