Sevier County, Tennessee, now has full control of planning and zoning in its unincorporated areas. County commissioners passed a resolution last Monday that eliminates the regional planning commissions, The Mountain Press reported.
The change matters most on the edges of Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. Until now, those two cities had a hand in planning decisions inside their urban growth boundaries, the unincorporated land just outside city limits.
What changed
Under the old setup, state law let cities hold some planning power in their growth areas. A subdivision plat or site plan on that land could end up in front of a city's regional planning commission, applying county rules at a city meeting. County officials said that added steps for property owners and for staff on both sides.
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"To me, it was a hardship on our citizens," county Planning Director James Temple said.
Sevierville and Pigeon Forge were the last two cities in the county still holding regional planning authority. Gatlinburg and Pittman Center "have already given up regional planning jurisdiction outside their boundaries," The Mountain Press reported in a preview of the vote.
A new state law opened the door
A bill passed by the Tennessee General Assembly this year gave the county the option. The legislature's summary says it "prohibits a municipality or regional planning commission from adopting a zoning plan" that reaches outside city boundaries.
The Sevier County Planning Commission took up the change first. Its October 13 agenda included a recommendation to county commissioners on a "Resolution to eliminate the Sevierville Planning Region and the Pigeon Forge Planning Region." The same agenda carried a FEMA-required update to the county's flood protection rules.
The cities don't object
Temple said officials in Sevierville and Pigeon Forge are glad to hand off the work. "They'd rather not be doing somebody else's regulations," he said. He said city leaders have been administering the county's regulations at their own meetings.
Inside city limits, nothing changes. Sevierville and Pigeon Forge keep complete planning and zoning authority within their own boundaries, and their municipal planning commissions keep meeting as before.
Projects already in the pipeline
The county will take over projects that started under the old rules.
The resolution also adds a new step for developers in the urban growth boundaries: they must say up front whether they plan to seek annexation into a city. Attorney Kyle Baisley, who helped draft the resolution, said that lets the county coordinate with city officials so a project that will end up inside a city meets that city's rules.
For builders and landowners working just outside Sevierville or Pigeon Forge, that means one planning board instead of two: the Sevier County Planning Commission.
Sources
- County eliminates regional planning commissions, The Mountain Press
- Sevier County looks to expand planning authority, The Mountain Press
- Planning Commission agenda, October 2026, Sevier County Planning & Zoning Department
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