Subdivision Regulations
The Metro Planning Commission adopted expanded Subdivision Regulations on March 9, 2006. Those regulations were amended in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2016, 2017 and most recently in January 2021.
Special Note
The most recent amendments to the Subdivision Regulations adopted in January 2021 affect Section 3-5.3 of the Subdivision Regulations and included an approved effective date. The amended regulations will go into effect for applications filed for the March 10, 2021 filing deadline and thereafter. This means any subdivision application submitted after noon on Wednesday, February 24 will be reviewed against the amended regulations. Applications submitted and under review prior to that date will proceed under the regulations in place at the time they were filed.
To assist applicants during the transition period, both the previous and newly amended versions of the regulations are linked below.
For applications filed prior to noon on February 24, 2021, please reference:
For applications filed or to be filed after noon on February 24, 2021, please reference:
Additional Information About Subdivisions
A Subdivision is any land, vacant or improved, which is divided or proposed to be divided into two (2) or more lots or parcels of less than five (5) acres in size. It includes resubdivision which means a change of any approved or recorded subdivision.
The Land Development Division reviews subdivision applications as a technical review against the adopted Subdivision Regulations. The Regulations provide for the division of land under the existing zoning entitlements. Subdivision of land does not alter or increase the allowances that a property owner has under the existing zoning.
Per Tennessee Code Annotated, the Planning Commission is charged with the adoption of Subdivision Regulations to provide for harmonious development. The Community Character Manual identifies the envisioned character of an area. That area, called a transect, includes general patterns of the built environment such as rural, suburban, urban, or downtown. The transect determines which section of the Subdivision Regulations applies to a specific application. Community Character Manual policies are not otherwise referenced during subdivision review.
The Subdivision Regulations apply throughout Nashville and Davidson County, except in the cities of Belle Meade, Berry Hill, Forest Hills, Goodlettsville, and Oak Hill.
Subdivision Documentation
Document |
Description |
Flow Chart of the Subdivision Approval Process |
A graphic description of the process |
Subdivision Regulations - Complete Document (filed prior to 2/24/2021) |
Complete Document |
Subdivision Regulations – Complete Document (filed after 2/24/2021) |
Complete Document, Amended January 21, 2021 |
Introduction |
Includes Table of Contents |
Chapter 1 |
General Provisions |
Chapter 2 |
Procedures for Plat Approval
|
Chapter 3 (filed prior to 2/24/2021) |
Requirements for Improvements, Reservations, and Design |
Chapter 3 (filed after 2/24/2021) |
Requirements for Improvements, Reservations, and Design, Amended January 21, 2021 |
Chapter 4 |
Rural Character Subdivisions |
Chapter 5 |
Walkable Subdivisions |
Chapter 6 |
Assurance for Completion and Maintenance of Improvements |
Chapter 7 |
Definitions |
Chapter 8 |
Adoption of Regulations and Amendments |
Appendices |
Includes Plat Certificates, Critical Lots - Plans and Procedures, and Outline for Construction Process |
Staff Contacts |
Staff Contact List for the Metro Departments reviewing Subdivision Applications |