Hendersonville Decks: Plan Review & Lake Lot Rules

Hendersonville is one of the best places in Middle Tennessee to want a deck: big lots, lake coves and long evenings outside. It also has two layers of rules that catch deck projects. The city reviews more decks than many people expect, and on lake lots the federal government owns the shoreline. Here's how both work.

Hendersonville's plan review trigger

The city's plan review list includes decks greater than 200 square feet. Then it adds the rule that matters most: a permit and plan review is required for any size deck if the deck is attached to the residence or serves as part of the existing system.

So in Hendersonville:

Compare that with Metro Nashville next door, where new or replacement decks need a permit, as does replacing more than 100 square feet of deck boards or any footings or framing. In Hendersonville, the attachment itself is the trigger. A small landing-sized deck bolted to the back door is reviewed.

Why attachment matters. The ledger connection to the house is where many deck failures start, and it's also where water gets into the house's rim joist if the flashing is wrong. Hendersonville's permitting page links its own guidance on deck flashing and attachment. Ask your builder to follow it and show you the flashing before the decking goes on.

What to submit. The city's plan review page lists a site plan (showing setbacks, easements and drainage) and a foundation plan with footing depth and width among its terms. For a deck, the drawings should also show framing, the ledger and railing details. Get HOA approval first if you're in a subdivision.

Lake lots: the line you can't build past

If your lot borders Old Hickory Lake, there's usually a strip of federal land between your yard and the water, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under its Shoreline Management Plan. Your deck has to be on your land. Anything on Corps land needs Corps permission.

Points from the 2020 plan update that affect deck and backyard projects:

• Know the line. Before new permits for use of public land or water are issued, the government property line must be clearly identified. If it isn't, the owner must use a licensed surveyor and provide a stake survey.
• Docks float. Fixed piers, fixed walkways and fixed docks are prohibited. Private docks are floating facilities that need a Corps permit.
• Stairs and paths toward the water are approved only in limited cases. Stairs, for example, can be approved for safe access to an approved boat dock.
• Vegetation. Cutting trees greater than one inch in diameter at the base is prohibited on Corps land. Clearing and mowing need permission.
• Not every stretch of shore allows private use. Roughly half the shoreline is allocated as limited development areas. In protected areas, private docks and residential mowing privileges aren't permitted.

Plan a lakeside deck so its stairs land on your own property, and talk to the Corps' resource manager before you assume you can add a path, steps or a dock below it.

Practical sequence for a Hendersonville deck

1. Find your property line, and on a lake lot the Corps line, from your plat or a survey.
2. Get HOA approval.
3. Have the builder draw the deck, including footings, ledger, flashing and railings.
4. Submit for the city permit and plan review.
5. Footing inspection before concrete, framing inspection before decking, and final.
6. For anything past your line, apply to the Corps separately.

Check the builder's license on Verify. See our full guide to decks and porches for costs and materials, and Hendersonville for the city's codes and fence rules.