Clinton

No County portion

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ADU Pass helps homeowners in Clinton, No County, Tennessee navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.

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ADU details

ADU legality: with-restrictions

Statewith-restrictions (Tennessee has no statewide ADU preemption; T.C.A. Title 13 Chapter 7 reserves zoning to municipalities and counties.) — Tennessee leaves ADU permissions to local zoning. The 2018 IRC adopted by the State Building Code Council is the construction baseline; ADU 'permission' is therefore a city/county question, not a state one.

Countywith-restrictions (Anderson County Zoning Resolution (adopted 1977-03-21, with amendments)) — Anderson County zoning governs only unincorporated parcels. Within Clinton's corporate limits the City of Clinton zoning ordinance (Ord. #680) controls.

Citywith-restrictions (City of Clinton Zoning Code Ordinance #680 (last updated 2025-08-30)) — Clinton's zoning ordinance treats ADUs as accessory residential structures subject to district-specific use tables and accessory-building setbacks. No statewide preemption; CUP/BZA approval may be required in some districts.

Cross-listing entry. For analysis use the canonical Anderson County / Clinton record.

Cost scenarios

Scenario	Sq ft	Permit	Build	Total
minimum	200	$350	$38,000	$38,350
midpoint	525	$500	$99,750	$100,250
maximum	900	$825	$171,000	$171,825

Fee breakdown

Plan review$150

Building permit$500

Total$650

Viability (permitted uses)

Long-term rental: yes 30+day rental of ADU permitted under Clinton zoning where the underlying district allows two dwelling units per lot.
Short-term rental: with-restrictions Clinton has no dedicated STR ordinance; STR generally allowed but business tax license required and HOA covenants apply.
Office rental: no ADU is residential by definition under Clinton zoning; commercial office tenancy requires a different use classification.
Home office: yes Home occupation permitted as accessory use; signage and customer-traffic limits apply.
Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist/workshop use is a permitted accessory residential use.
Agriculture: with-restrictions Backyard chickens / limited urban agriculture varies by district within Clinton.
Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted in single-family districts.

Utilities

Water: Clinton Utilities Board (CUB) · 21d connect · $2,200
Sewer: City of Clinton Wastewater (Clinton Utilities Board) · 30d connect · $3,800
Electric: Clinton Utilities Board (TVA wholesale) · 14d connect · $1,200
Gas: Clinton Utilities Board (natural gas distribution) · 21d connect · $1,100

Property values & taxes

Median value$232,400

Median tax$1,380/yr

Effective rate0.6%

Construction timeline

Detached build22 weeks

Conversion12 weeks

Contractor lead3 months

Realistic total: best 6mo · typical 9mo · worst 14mo

Financing

Fannie Mae ADUeligible

Insurance impact

Annual premium delta$320

Landlord policyrecommended

Umbrella threshold$1M umbrella when renting

HOA prevalence & preemption

State HOA preemptionno

Tennessee has no statute that voids HOA bans on ADUs. Most older Clinton neighborhoods are not HOA-governed; newer subdivisions in West Hills and along Edgemoor Road are.

Regulatory overlays (1)

flood-zone — Clinch River SFHA Zone AE through downtown Clinton; FEMA Map 47001C · +14d · +6% cost
Lowest-finished-floor elevation requirements apply to parcels along the Clinch River. (map)

Technical envelope (climate & building code)

Climate & energy code

IECC climate zone4A

Heating degree days4,150

Cooling degree days1,480

Design low / high18°F / 91°F

Frost depth16"

Design snow load10 psf

Wind design speed115 mph

Seismic design cat.B

Annual rainfall51"

Wildfire exposurelow

Energy codeIECC

Version / adopted2018 / 2020

Building code

Base codeIRC

Version year2,018

Adopted2020

Fire sprinklernone

Egress window5.7 sqft min

Min ceiling7 ft

Attic R-valueR-49 min

Wall R-valueR-20 min

Amendments:

Amendment
Amendment

Legal history (timeline)

Current ordinance: Clinton Zoning Code Ordinance #680, adopted 1977-01-01, last amended 2025-08-30

2025-08-30 — Clinton Zoning Code Ordinance #680, August 2025 republication (city-ordinance)
Most recent reprint of Clinton's consolidated zoning code reflecting accumulated amendments through August 2025.
Effect: Operative zoning text for ADU/accessory-structure determinations within Clinton city limits.

Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs

Federal ADU law

The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.

Federal financing programs

Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.

Federal tax credits

There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.

Federal housing programs

HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.

ZIP Code

37717

Post Office

1121 N Charles G Seivers Blvd, 37716