· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Landscapers
Most backyard plans start with the fun part: the patio, the fire pit, the bed along the fence, maybe a studio at the back. The plan holds up better when it starts with the lines you cannot cross, because a patio drawn over a gas line or a shed drawn into an easement gets redrawn later at a higher price. In Davidson County four things set the box a backyard design has to fit inside: buried utilities, the easements on your plat, Metro’s limits on accessory buildings, and the point at which moving dirt needs a grading permit. Everything here is Metro Nashville’s rules; Franklin, Gallatin and the other cities we work in set their own, so ask your city before you rely on any number below. Our landscape design service does the drawing once the box is known.
What should you know before drawing a backyard plan?
Where the utilities run, where the easements are, how close a structure can sit to the property lines, and how much earth the plan moves. Those four answers decide where the patio can go, how big a shed or studio can be, and whether the job needs a permit before a shovel goes in. They also shape the parts nobody thinks of as rules, such as which way the yard drains once a patio and beds change the grade; our post on where the water goes in a Nashville yard covers that side of it.
Start with the recorded plat for your lot, which shows the platted setbacks and the utility easements. Metro Codes’ accessory structure permitting instructions say an accessory structure cannot sit over platted setbacks, side street setbacks or utility easements, and that the Codes department keeps no record of easements, so the plat, your title documents or the utility itself is where to look.
Who has to call 811 before digging in a backyard?
Anyone planning or doing the digging, homeowner or contractor. Tennessee 811 explains that the state’s Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act applies to anyone who engages in or is responsible for planning or performing excavation, and its list includes hand digging, grading, cultivating and augering. That covers the post holes for a pergola, the trench for landscape lighting and the beds cut for new plantings.
A normal locate request needs at least three working days’ notice, which does not count weekends or holidays, and the service is free. Tennessee 811 also notes that state law may require the dig area to be marked in white before the locators come out, so walk the yard with the plan and mark what will actually be dug. Metro’s accessory structure page gives the same three-working-day notice.
What do Metro’s accessory structure rules allow in a backyard?
On most lots, one rear building of up to 700 square feet can sit closer to the lines than the house can. Metro’s instructions, citing the zoning code at 17.12.040, set the rear setback for that building at 3 feet, or 10 feet if a garage or carport opening faces an alley, and the side setback at half the zoning district’s, never less than 3 feet. Above 700 square feet, or for a second accessory building, the full district setbacks apply.
Size and height have limits too. On lots under 40,000 square feet, the instructions limit a rear accessory building to 700 square feet or 50 percent of the building coverage, whichever is greater, up to 2,500 square feet, and to one story or 16 feet in height. Lots of 40,000 square feet or more can go to two stories or 24 feet with full setbacks. Pergolas, patios, decks and fences have their own Metro pages, so check those separately. For planting near the house rather than building, our post on how far from the house to plant shrubs and trees is the better guide.
How much earth can you move before Metro wants a grading permit?
Up to 10,000 square feet disturbed and 100 cubic yards moved, with conditions. Metro Water Services’ page on who needs a grading permit says landscaping and maintenance on an existing developed lot is exempt only when the area stripped at one time is 10,000 square feet or less, the grade changes by no more than 18 inches, no more than 100 cubic yards are moved, and the drainage flow path is not altered.
That last condition is the one a backyard design trips most easily. A raised patio or a regraded slope that sends water toward a neighbor changes the flow path even when the yardage is small. The same page lists retaining walls and swimming pools among the exempt grading activities outside a floodplain, but says exempt work still has to follow the stormwater and erosion control rules. Once the box is clear, the design inside it is the enjoyable part, whether that is a patio and lighting from our outdoor living work or a planting plan for landscaping in Gallatin, where the city’s own rules apply. When you are ready, ask us for a free design estimate.
Sources
- Metro Nashville Codes, Accessory Structure Permitting Instructions — Reduced setbacks for one rear accessory structure up to 700 square feet, size and height limits by lot size, no building over setbacks or utility easements, Codes keeps no easement records, three working days for 811
- Metro Water Services, Who Needs a Grading Permit — The 10,000 square foot, 100 cubic yard and 18 inch thresholds, the drainage flow path condition, and exempt retaining walls and pools
- Tennessee 811 — Who must call under the Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act, the excavation activities covered, three working days’ notice, free service, white marking
FAQ
Planning a Backyard Design in Davidson County — questions
Do I need a permit to landscape my backyard in Nashville?
Planting and ordinary landscaping usually do not need one. Metro Water exempts landscaping on an existing developed lot when no more than 10,000 square feet is stripped at once, the grade changes 18 inches or less, 100 cubic yards or less is moved and the drainage path stays the same. Buildings follow separate Codes rules.
Can I build over a utility easement?
Not an accessory structure in Davidson County. Metro Codes says accessory structures cannot sit over platted setbacks, side street setbacks or utility easements. Codes keeps no easement records, so check the recorded plat, your title documents or the utility before placing a shed, studio or similar building in the backyard.
How close to the property line can I build a shed in Nashville?
For one rear accessory building of 700 square feet or less, Metro allows a rear setback of 3 feet, or 10 feet if a garage opening faces an alley, and a side setback of half the district’s, at least 3 feet. Larger buildings, or a second one, need the full district setbacks.
How do you plan a backyard landscape step by step?
Find the limits first: call Tennessee 811 before any digging, read the easements and setbacks on the recorded plat, and check how much grading the plan needs. Then place the large pieces, such as a patio, building or lawn, where the rules and the drainage allow, and fit the plantings around them.
How tall can a backyard studio or shed be in Davidson County?
On lots under 40,000 square feet, Metro limits a rear accessory building to one story or 16 feet. Lots of 40,000 square feet or more can go to two stories or 24 feet, but only with the zoning district’s full setbacks. Other cities in Middle Tennessee set their own limits.