Tellico Lake
TVA Section 26a dock permits, flowage easements, county jurisdiction, septic and flood checks
Knox, Loudon and Blount Counties · TVA reservoir
A Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Tennessee River, where TVA permits shoreline structures and counties and towns set land use
Fort Loudoun Lake is Fort Loudoun Reservoir, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Tennessee River that TVA places in Blount, Knox and Loudon Counties, Tennessee. It is not a municipality. TVA approves docks and other shoreline structures under Section 26a and holds land rights along the shore, while counties and towns set zoning and building rules.
In short: Fort Loudoun Lake is a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Tennessee River, not a municipality; TVA permits shoreline structures and counties and towns set land use.
Private, strategy-first conversations. Consultation requests do not trigger drip campaigns.
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A TVA reservoir. TVA says it is “located on the Tennessee River at Knoxville” and is the uppermost of nine TVA reservoirs in the chain that forms a navigable channel to Paducah, Kentucky | Notes 1, 3 |
| Counties | TVA’s land plan says the reservoir is “situated in Blount, Knox, and Loudon counties in east Tennessee.” Wikipedia’s lake page lists the same three counties | Notes 2, 16 |
| Dam | TVA says construction of Fort Loudoun Dam “began in 1940 and was completed in 1943.” The dam is 122 feet high and 4,190 feet long, and TVA gives its address as 1280 City Park Dr., Lenoir City, Tennessee. Wikipedia places the dam in Loudon County | Notes 1, 17 |
| Water surface and shoreline | TVA’s dam page gives 14,600 acres of water surface and 379 miles of shoreline. TVA’s land plan lists 368 miles of shoreline, and TWRA’s page says 360. The sources disagree, so this guide states each (see the note below the table) | Notes 1, 2, 6 |
| Flood storage and power | Flood-storage capacity of 111,000 acre-feet. Four generating units with a summer net dependable capacity of 151 megawatts | Note 1 |
| Lock | A 60- by 360-foot navigation lock raises and lowers river craft about 70 feet | Note 1 |
| Canal to Tellico | A short canal connects the reservoir to Tellico Reservoir on the Little Tennessee River. TVA says water diverted through the canal supports power production at Fort Loudoun and that barges can reach Tellico without a lock | Notes 1, 3 |
| TVA public land | TVA’s land plan covers 1,513.3 acres of TVA public land. TVA says the plan was approved by the TVA Board of Directors on August 23, 2017, and that Fort Loudoun is one of eight reservoirs in its Multiple RLMPs project | Note 2 |
| Water levels | TVA’s dam page says that, to maintain navigation depth, the reservoir “is kept at a minimum winter elevation of 807 feet,” and gives a typical summer operating elevation of 812 to 813 feet. TVA’s drawdown page says the drawdown on Fort Loudoun and Watts Bar begins November 1. TWRA says levels “fluctuate between 813 and 807 feet above sea level” | Notes 1, 5, 6 |
| Who approves shoreline structures | TVA, under Section 26a of the TVA Act, through its Section 26a regulations (18 CFR part 1304) | Notes 8, 9, 11 |
| Who sets land use and building rules | The county or town where the parcel lies: Knox County, Loudon County, Blount County, or a town or city inside those counties | Notes 18, 19, 23, 25, 29 |
Where TVA’s pages disagree, this guide shows both figures. TVA gives 379 miles of shoreline on its dam page and 368 miles on its land plan page, and TWRA says 360; Wikipedia gives 13,769 acres of water surface against 14,600 on TVA’s and TWRA’s pages, and TWRA says the lake extends 55 miles upstream from the dam where Wikipedia says about 50 (Notes 1, 2, 6, 16). Related guides: Tellico Lake, Lenoir City, Farragut and Knoxville. TVA uses the name Fort Loudoun Reservoir; this guide uses Fort Loudoun Lake for the same body of water.
A long main-river reservoir with a dam and lock at one end, a canal to a second TVA lake, TVA-owned shoreline, private shoreline where TVA holds rights, and three counties along the edge (Notes 1, 2, 3).
A lake is not a town, so it has no mayor, zoning code or building department of its own. Three kinds of body act on lake-edge land: TVA controls structures and activities affecting the shoreline and operates the reservoir, the county or town where the parcel lies controls zoning, building and floodplain permits, and the State of Tennessee permits septic systems. The short quotes below come from TVA’s Section 26a regulations (18 CFR part 1304); confirm the current text with TVA.
Permit requirements, fees and forms change. Confirm with TVA’s Public Lands Information Center (the name on TVA’s permit page), (800) 882-5263 or plic@tva.gov (Note 11).
| Check | Why it matters here | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Which county and which town | TVA’s land plan names three counties, and the lake name does not tell you which one a parcel is in. The parcel’s county, any town or city limits and the zoning body come from the parcel record. Blount County’s Development Services page does not say which jurisdictions it serves, so ask the office | Notes 2, 25 |
| Does the lot touch TVA land or only a TVA right? | TVA separates TVA-owned land (zones 2 through 7) from Zone 1, non-TVA shoreland with TVA land rights. TVA offers a GIS Viewer Map for individual parcels and land use allocations, and notes its descriptions may be shortened. Ask a surveyor and TVA to confirm what lies between the lot line and the water | Notes 2, 7 |
| Flowage easement | Ask the title company and surveyor whether the deed or a recorded TVA easement gives TVA the right to flood part of the lot. TVA treats any structure built on flowage easement land as an obstruction needing Section 26a approval | Notes 8, 9, 10 |
| Section 26a permit for every dock, boathouse, seawall or ramp | Ask for the TVA permit for each existing structure and be sure the plans in the permit match what is built, as TVA’s buying-or-selling page advises. TVA says covered or enclosed second stories on docks generally must be removed, and that if you identify unauthorized modifications or construction you should apply to TVA, which will say whether they can be approved or whether modification or removal is required. Ask TVA to confirm what is approved before closing | Notes 9, 11, 12 |
| What happens to a permit at sale | TVA’s page says the new owner is required to apply within 60 days of closing, and the regulation requires notice to TVA within 60 days. Ask TVA to describe the steps for this parcel; its permit page lists the reissue fee | Notes 9, 11, 12 |
| Planned work: new dock, repairs, vegetation, shoreline stabilization | New construction needs TVA approval before it starts, and TVA says a complete application takes about two months. TVA’s stabilization page names its Public Land Information Center as the source for shoreline actions and issues | Notes 11, 15 |
| Shoreline built before November 1, 1999 | TVA considers waivers for shorelines developed before that date if the proposal is compatible with surrounding permitted structures and uses. Ask TVA whether any waiver applies to the parcel | Note 13 |
| Water level and depth at the dock | Fort Loudoun is a main-river reservoir that TVA lowers from November 1 and keeps lower until late April or early May. TVA’s dam page gives a minimum winter elevation of 807 feet and a typical summer operating elevation of 812 to 813 feet, and TWRA says 813 to 807 feet; TVA’s drawdown and lake-levels pages give no elevations. Ask TVA for the current operating levels, and ask how they bear on the dock, ramp and any boat access at the lot. TVA predicts levels daily on its lake-levels page, and warns that release schedules can change without notice | Notes 1, 4, 5, 6 |
| Flood zone and elevation | Look up the address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, ask for any elevation certificate, and ask the county floodplain office whether a Floodplain Development Permit applies. Knox County lists FEMA floodplain layers in its KGIS maps and its floodplain office is at 205 West Baxter Avenue, Knoxville, (865) 215-5234. Loudon County links a Flood Damage Prevention Resolution. Blount County’s floodplain office was not confirmed for this guide | Notes 20, 23, 32 |
| Septic and sewer | Ask for the septic system construction permit and service history. If the lot is on flowage easement, ask whether TVA’s 50-foot setback from normal summer pool and 2-foot vertical separation were met. TDEC’s page directs applications to the Division of Water Resources; TVA’s page refers to local health department site approval, so ask which office handled the lot. Whether public sewer serves a given lot was not confirmed for this guide | Notes 14, 31 |
| Zoning and building permits | Confirm which office handles zoning and building permits. Knox County Codes Administration: City County Building, Suite 547, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, (865) 215-2325. Knoxville-Knox County Planning: Suite 403, same building, (865) 215-2500. Loudon County Planning: (865) 458-2055. Blount County Development Services: 1221 McArthur Road, Maryville, (865) 681-9301. Lenoir City: (865) 986-9876. Farragut Town Hall: 11408 Municipal Center Drive, (865) 966-7057 | Notes 18, 19, 23, 25, 29, 30 |
| Property tax | Assessors value property for tax purposes. The Knox County Trustee’s site offers property tax payment services; Blount County’s assessor page says the Trustee collects taxes and that taxing bodies set the rates; Loudon County’s collecting office was not researched for this guide. Knox County Property Assessor: (865) 215-2360; Trustee: (865) 215-2305. Loudon County Assessor of Property: (865) 458-2059. Blount County Property Assessor: (865) 273-5850. Confirm the parcel’s assessment, tax and any town tax with the assessor and the collecting office | Notes 21, 22, 24, 28 |
This is a checklist, not legal advice. Confirm each item with TVA, the county or town, and your attorney.
| Community | Setting | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Tellico Lake | TVA reservoir on the Little Tennessee River, in Loudon, Blount and Monroe Counties; dam completed in 1979 | TVA lists 15,560 acres of water surface, 357 miles of shoreline, 120,000 acre-feet of flood storage and 12,787.6 acres of TVA public land for Tellico, against 14,600 acres, 379 or 368 miles, 111,000 acre-feet and 1,513.3 acres for Fort Loudoun. Tellico’s counties include Monroe; Fort Loudoun’s include Knox. Section 26a applies to both. Tellico Dam makes no electricity and sends its flow through the canal to Fort Loudoun (Notes 1, 2, 33, 34, 35) |
| Lenoir City | City that TVA gives as the address of Fort Loudoun Dam | A city has defined limits, a codes and planning office, a zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. The lake has none of these. This guide did not confirm which Fort Loudoun shoreline parcels, if any, are inside Lenoir City (Notes 1, 29) |
| Farragut | Town with its own Town Hall and permit portal | The pages reviewed do not mention the lake. A parcel’s town or county, not the lake name, decides which office issues permits (Note 30) |
| Knoxville | City where TVA says the reservoir is located; TVA’s shoreline-stabilization page lists a TVA address at 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville | Knoxville-Knox County Planning and Knox County Codes Administration share the City-County Building at 400 Main Street. TVA, not those offices, approves docks and other shoreline structures (Notes 1, 15, 18, 19) |
On a TVA reservoir the due diligence is the shoreline: land rights, flowage easements, dock permits, septic and flood. ABODE International Realty’s Knoxville office is at 810 Clinch Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902, by appointment. We help you sort out which county, town and TVA records apply to a Fort Loudoun Lake parcel before you rely on it. The guide is written for buyers and sellers of higher-value property, and conversations are private.
TVA Section 26a dock permits, flowage easements, county jurisdiction, septic and flood checks
City zoning and permits, LCUB utilities, county property tax, flood and TVA lake checks.
A Knox County town: town government, county tax, flood checks and TVA lake rules
City versus county rules, floodplain and TVA checks, and the property tax authorities
Who controls septic, access, zoning, Greenbelt, flood and TVA items on Tennessee acreage
Fort Loudoun Lake is Fort Loudoun Reservoir, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Tennessee River. TVA’s land plan places it in Blount, Knox and Loudon Counties (Note 2). It is not a town or city, so the county or town where a parcel lies sets zoning and building rules, and TVA approves shoreline structures.
TVA does, under Section 26a. The regulation says TVA’s approval must be obtained prior to the construction, operation or maintenance of covered structures, including boat docks, piers and boathouses (Note 9). TVA says to get a permit before any shoreline construction begins and lists (800) 882-5263 and plic@tva.gov as the contact (Note 11). The county or town may have its own requirements too.
TVA defines flowage easement shoreland as privately owned property where TVA has the right to flood the land (Note 10). TVA’s regulations treat any structure built on flowage easement land as an obstruction needing Section 26a approval (Note 9). Whether a lot has one comes from the title, survey and TVA records.
TVA’s drawdown page says main-river reservoirs are lowered in a staggered way from July through the end of the year, that the drawdown begins November 1 on Fort Loudoun and Watts Bar, and that these reservoirs are kept lower until late April or early May (Note 5). TVA’s dam page gives a minimum winter elevation of 807 feet and a typical summer operating elevation of 812 to 813 feet (Note 1), and TWRA says levels fluctuate between 813 and 807 feet above sea level (Note 6). Ask TVA what levels matter to a specific dock.
The regulation says the new owner shall notify TVA within 60 days, and TVA’s buying-or-selling page says permits do not carry over automatically and the new owner is required to apply for a Section 26a permit within 60 days of closing (Notes 9, 12). A TVA permit conveys no property interest (Note 9). Ask TVA about the specific dock before closing.
It depends on the parcel. Knox County Codes Administration handles building permits and zoning enforcement (Note 19); Loudon County Planning and Codes serves Loudon County, the City of Loudon, Greenback and Philadelphia (Note 23); Blount County’s Building Commissioner issues building permits (Note 26); Lenoir City has its own planning office (Note 29). Septic construction permit applications go to TDEC’s Division of Water Resources (Note 31).
It depends on the address. FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center returns the flood map for an address (Note 32). Knox County says work in the mapped floodplain generally needs a Floodplain Development Permit (Note 20), and Loudon County links a Flood Damage Prevention Resolution (Note 23). Ask for any elevation certificate, and ask TVA about levels relevant to the lot (Note 5).
Please tell us what you are weighing. An ABODE advisor replies privately. We aim to reply within one business day.
Your privacy, your choice. Analytics stays off, and nothing is sent to Google Analytics unless you accept. Advertising cookies are never used on this site.