Off-grid site report

Roane County, TN

35.8810, -84.6607 · 909 ft elevation

Read this before you act on anything below. This is my researched starting point for Roane County, TN, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Rules change, and the deciding facts on any specific parcel (setbacks, perc results, overlay districts, deed restrictions, road frontage) live at the county or town office, not in any database. Before you buy land or build, confirm the current rules directly with the local zoning and health offices - the sources on this page tell you exactly who to call.

The local rulesRoane County, TN

Zoning & raw-land occupancy

RestrictedRoane County has an adopted Regional Zoning Resolution covering unincorporated land, with Agricultural, Residential, Manufactured Home Park, Commercial, Industrial, and Floodway districts, administered by the Roane County Planning Department and Building Codes and Zoning Department. Towns like Harriman and Kingston have their own separate codes departments, not covered by county zoning. source

Dwellings, tiny homes & RVs

Unclear - verifyThe county enforces the 2024 International Building Codes and has a Manufactured Home Park zoning district, but no official page specifically addresses tiny homes, RVs as permanent dwellings, or Appendix Q standards; confirm directly with the Building Codes and Zoning Department.

Building permits & codes

RestrictedRoane County requires building permits and enforces the 2024 IBC alongside zoning ordinances, with applications available through the county's online Self Service Portal. source

Septic & composting toilets

RestrictedSeptic permitting in Tennessee is centralized through TDEC's online system, and this appears to apply to Roane County as it does statewide, though no Roane-specific confirmation page was found. A secondary, non-official source suggests septic permits can be denied where county sewer is deemed accessible, but this is not confirmed as official policy. source

Greywater reuse

Unclear - verifyNo Roane County-specific greywater ordinance was found, so the state plumbing code baseline (conditionally permitted via subsurface irrigation) likely applies; not confirmed at the county level.

Rainwater harvesting

Generally allowedNo Roane County or Tennessee statewide restriction on rainwater collection was found.

Private wells & water rights

Generally allowedPrivate wells fall under Tennessee's state Water Well Act with TDEC-licensed drillers; no additional Roane County well permitting layer was found. source

Living disconnected from utilities

Varies locallyElectric grid disconnection is unrestricted, but Roane County operates its own public utility board for wastewater and multiple providers serve defined water/sewer service areas, so mandatory connection may apply near those areas; not confirmed via an official ordinance in this research. source

Open the full county page with sources →

Sun30-year normals

Peak-sun hours, annual average: 4.8 hrs/day
Worst month (sizes an off-grid array): 3.6 hrs/day
Yearly output per 1 kW of panels: 1,308 kWh

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Weather1991-2020

Precipitation: 58 in/yr
Heating degree days: 4,121 (moderate)
Frost-free season: Apr 11 to Oct 26

How far help isstraight-line

Hospital Roane Medical Center: 5.9 mi
Fire station Harriman Fire Department: 7.1 mi
Hardware store Harbor Freight Tools: 2.3 mi
Grocery Walmart Supercenter: 0.2 mi

From OpenStreetMap. Road miles will be longer, often much longer in hill country.

Plan this spot

These open with this location's real numbers already filled in (ZIP 37854).

Size a solar system Heat loss & insulation Firewood per winter Rainwater harvest Garden size Panel tilt

Sources: US Census Bureau geocoder; NLR PVWatts v8 (solar); NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 climate normals (nearest station) or Open-Meteo (ZIP-centroid) for weather; Open-Elevation; OpenStreetMap contributors. Public data retrieved Aug 21, 2026; agencies update their layers on their own schedules. Planning data, not a survey or legal advice.