Vonore
A Monroe County town: town zoning versus county, septic and sewer, Tellico Lake and flood checks
Loudon, Monroe and Blount Counties · TVA reservoir
Tellico Lake, Tennessee
A Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Little Tennessee River, where TVA permits shoreline structures and counties and towns set land use
Tellico Lake is Tellico Reservoir, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Little Tennessee River in Loudon, Monroe and Blount Counties, Tennessee. It is not a town. 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: Tellico Lake is Tellico Reservoir, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Little Tennessee River in Loudon, Monroe and Blount Counties, Tennessee.
Private, strategy-first conversations. Consultation requests do not trigger drip campaigns.
Overview
Tellico Lake at a glance
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A TVA reservoir on the Little Tennessee River in east Tennessee. TVA says it was planned as an extension of Fort Loudoun Reservoir and works with it for flood damage reduction, power production and improved navigation | Notes 1, 26 |
| Counties | TVA’s land plan says “Tellico Reservoir is situated in Loudon, Blount, and Monroe Counties in east Tennessee.” TVA’s history page agrees and places the dam in Loudon County | Notes 2, 9 |
| Length and shoreline | About 33 miles along the Little Tennessee River, with 357 miles of shoreline and 15,560 acres of water surface, according to TVA | Notes 1, 2 |
| Dam | Construction began in 1967 and TVA says the dam was completed in 1979. TVA’s history page gives the date the gates closed as November 29, 1979 | Notes 1, 9 |
| Canal to Fort Loudoun | Tellico Dam generates no electricity itself. It diverts the river through a short canal into Fort Loudoun Reservoir, where the water helps drive the generating units at Fort Loudoun Dam, which TVA says adds 23 megawatts to that dam’s capacity | Notes 1, 9 |
| Flood storage | TVA lists a flood-storage capacity of 120,000 acre-feet and says the two linked reservoirs help regulate flooding downstream, especially at Chattanooga | Note 8 |
| TVA public land | The 2022 Tellico Reservoir Land Management Plan covers 12,787.6 acres of TVA public land. A revision to the plan was approved by the TVA Chief Executive Officer in August 2022 | Note 2 |
| Water levels | TVA’s lake-levels page says predicted water levels are updated at least once a day, by 1 p.m. Eastern time, and that release schedules can change without notice. The TVA pages reviewed for this guide do not give Tellico’s seasonal pool elevations or describe a drawdown, so none is stated here | Note 10 |
| Who approves shoreline structures | TVA, under Section 26a of the TVA Act, through its Section 26a regulations (18 CFR part 1304) | Notes 4, 6, 27 |
| Who sets land use and building rules | The county or town where the parcel lies: Loudon County, Monroe County, Blount County (not researched for this guide) or a town such as Vonore or Lenoir City | Notes 14, 17, 19, 20 |
Related guides: Vonore and Tellico Village. TVA uses the name Tellico Reservoir; this guide uses Tellico Lake for the same body of water.
Setting
How is Tellico Lake laid out?
A long, narrow reservoir with a canal to a neighboring TVA lake, TVA-owned shoreline, private shoreline where TVA holds rights, and several local governments along the edge (Notes 1, 2, 3).
- Tellico Dam is in Loudon County, and the reservoir covers portions of Blount, Monroe and Loudon Counties (Note 9). TVA’s land plan lists the same three counties (Note 2).
- The reservoir runs about 33 miles up the Little Tennessee River with 357 miles of shoreline (Note 1). Shoreline miles are not the same as TVA-owned miles: TVA’s land plan covers 12,787.6 acres of TVA public land (Note 2).
- TVA’s plan sorts TVA land into numbered zones. On Tellico these include Project Operations (982.67 acres), Sensitive Resource Management (2,242.08), Natural Resource Conservation (6,945.51), Industrial (224.39), Developed Recreation (1,904.69) and Shoreline Access (488.3 acres) (Note 2). TVA’s plan adds that “Zone 1 is Non-TVA Shoreland with TVA land rights,” which is not counted in that table (Note 2).
- The Tellico–Fort Loudoun canal carries Tellico’s flow into Fort Loudoun Reservoir. Fort Loudoun is a separate TVA reservoir whose land plan names Blount, Knox and Loudon Counties (Notes 1, 12).
- TVA’s history page says the 4,800-acre Tellico Village was built in the 1980s as part of TVA’s plan to develop shoreline lands (Note 9). See the Tellico Village guide.
- The Town of Vonore is in Monroe County (Note 19); see the Vonore guide. Lenoir City is in Loudon County (Note 20).
Local rules
Who sets the rules on Tellico Lake?
Two layers apply to lake-edge land: TVA controls structures and activities affecting the shoreline, and the county or town controls zoning, building and septic-related local rules. The short quotes below come from TVA’s Section 26a regulations (18 CFR part 1304); confirm the current text with TVA.
- Section 26a approval. TVA’s regulations say Section 26a requires that “TVA’s approval be obtained prior to the construction, operation, or maintenance” of covered obstructions. Covered obstructions “may include boat docks, piers, boathouses, buoys, floats” and other listed items. Floating cabins are also covered (Notes 4, 27). TVA’s permit page says a permit must be obtained before any shoreline construction activity begins (Note 6).
- Flowage easements. TVA defines “flowage easement shoreland” as “privately owned property where TVA has the right to flood the land” (Note 5). Its regulations say “Any structure built upon land subject to a flowage easement held by TVA shall be deemed an obstruction” within the meaning of section 26a (Notes 4, 27).
- Where TVA property ends. TVA defines “maximum shoreline contour” as an elevation typically five feet above the top of the gates of a TVA dam, and says it is sometimes the boundary between TVA property and adjoining private property (Note 5). The boundary on a particular lot comes from the survey and TVA records, not from this guide.
- A permit is not ownership. TVA’s regulations say “A TVA permit conveys no property interest.” For private land, they say the applicant must own the fee interest in the land or have an adequate leasehold or easement interest in the property (Notes 4, 27).
- Change of ownership. Under TVA’s change-of-ownership section (18 CFR 1304.10), the new owner “shall notify TVA within sixty (60) days.” TVA “shall reissue the permit upon determining that the facilities are in good repair” and “consistent with the standards in effect at the time the permit was first issued” (Notes 4, 27). TVA’s buying-or-selling page adds that permits do not automatically transfer with property ownership and that the new owner is required to apply to TVA within 60 days of closing (Note 28). TVA’s permit page also lists a reissue fee for a new owner; confirm the current amount with TVA (Note 6).
- Shoreline Management Policy. TVA says its Board adopted a Shoreline Management Policy in 1999 that “established new standards for construction of facilities and vegetation management along the reservoirs,” and that the standards were later added to the Section 26a regulations. TVA considers waivers for shorelines developed before November 1, 1999. TVA’s waiver page does not name individual reservoirs (Note 7).
- Vegetation. On TVA-owned residential access shoreland, TVA’s regulations say no vegetation management is approved until TVA approves a Vegetation Management Plan, and they require TVA’s advance written permission for vegetation management, except for mowing lawns established and existing before November 1, 1999. On privately owned flowage easement shoreland, removing, modifying or establishing vegetation “generally does not require approval by TVA,” but TVA may attach conditions when it reviews a dock or other obstruction there (Notes 4, 27). Which category a lot falls into is a lot-specific question for TVA.
- Local land use. Loudon County’s Planning and Codes Department serves Loudon County, the City of Loudon, Greenback and Philadelphia, and Greenback and Philadelphia have adopted their own zoning, subdivision and floodplain rules (Note 15). Monroe County’s Planning Department serves Monroe County, Madisonville, Sweetwater and Tellico Plains; its page meta description also lists Vonore, but its body text does not (Note 17). Lenoir City publishes its own zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations (Note 21).
- Septic. Tennessee requires a Septic System Construction Permit to install a subsurface sewage disposal system or to repair a faulty one; applications go to TDEC’s Division of Water Resources at the appropriate Environmental Field Office (Notes 22, 23).
Permit requirements, fees and forms change. Confirm with TVA’s Public Lands Information Center, (800) 882-5263 or plic@tva.gov (Note 6).
Due diligence
What should you check before buying on Tellico Lake?
| Check | Why it matters here | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Which county and which town | The reservoir crosses Loudon, Monroe and Blount Counties, and towns sit along it. The parcel’s county, any town limits and the zoning body come from the parcel record, not from the lake name. Blount County’s offices were not researched for this guide | Notes 2, 14, 17 |
| 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 finding parcels and land use allocations on TVA reservoir property. Ask a surveyor and TVA to confirm what lies between the lot line and the water | Notes 2, 3 |
| 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 4, 5 |
| Section 26a permit for every dock, boathouse, seawall or ramp | Ask for the TVA permit for each existing structure, and ask TVA to confirm it. TVA requires approval before construction, operation or maintenance of covered structures, so an unpermitted structure is a question for TVA before closing. TVA’s buying-or-selling page tells buyers to request a copy of the permit and be sure its plans match what is built, and says permits do not automatically transfer with property ownership | Notes 4, 6, 28 |
| What happens to a permit at sale | TVA’s regulations call for the new owner to notify TVA within 60 days, and TVA reissues the permit if the facilities are in good repair and consistent with the standards in effect when the permit was first issued. TVA’s buying-or-selling page says the new owner is required to apply to TVA within 60 days of closing. Ask TVA to describe the steps for this parcel; the reissue fee is listed on TVA’s permit page | Notes 4, 6, 28 |
| 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. Vegetation rules differ between TVA-owned access shoreland and flowage easement shoreland. TVA’s stabilization page names its Public Land Information Center as the contact for shoreline actions and permitting | Notes 4, 6, 13 |
| Water level and flood risk | The lake is operated by TVA and levels change. TVA’s pages reviewed do not give Tellico pool elevations, so ask TVA which elevations matter to the structure and lot. Separately, look up the address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and ask for any elevation certificate. Loudon County has a Flood Damage Prevention Resolution; Greenback and Philadelphia have their own floodplain ordinances | Notes 10, 15, 24 |
| Septic and sewer | Ask for the septic system construction permit and service history. Whether public sewer serves a lot depends on the utility serving that address and was not confirmed for this guide | Notes 22, 23 |
| Zoning and building permits | Confirm which office handles zoning and building permits for the parcel. Loudon County Planning and Codes is at 101 Mulberry Street, Suite 101, Loudon, TN 37774, planning (865) 458-2055 and codes enforcement (865) 458-4470. Monroe County Planning is at 105 College Street South, Suite 4, Madisonville, TN 37354, (423) 545-8276; its pages reviewed do not describe building permits | Notes 14, 17 |
| Property tax | The Loudon County Assessor of Property values property for tax purposes, (865) 458-2059. Monroe County’s assessor, (423) 442-3637, says the County Commission sets the tax rate each year. Confirm the parcel’s assessment and any town tax with the assessor and trustee | Notes 16, 18 |
This is a checklist, not legal advice. Confirm each item with TVA, the county or town, and your attorney.
Comparison
How does Tellico Lake compare with nearby places?
| Community | Setting | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Tellico Village | Wikipedia calls it an unincorporated planned community in Loudon County with a property owners association | The lake is a TVA reservoir that crosses three counties; Tellico Village is one community on it, with its own association alongside county rules (Notes 9, 25). Wikipedia is a secondary source for these points |
| Vonore | Town in Monroe County with a general law mayor-aldermanic charter (MTAS) | A town has defined limits and its own government; the lake does not. Which offices apply to a Vonore-area lake lot depends on whether it is inside town limits (Notes 17, 19) |
| Lenoir City | City in Loudon County, home rule charter dated 1954 (MTAS) | A city with its own zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations. This guide did not confirm which lake-edge parcels, if any, are inside its limits (Notes 20, 21) |
| Fort Loudoun Reservoir | Linked TVA reservoir across the canal, in Blount, Knox and Loudon Counties | TVA’s Fort Loudoun land plan covers 1,513.3 acres of TVA public land and lists 368 miles of shoreline, against 12,787.6 acres and 357 miles for Tellico, so the TVA land picture differs by lake (Notes 2, 12) |
Working with ABODE
How does ABODE help on Tellico Lake?
On a TVA reservoir the due diligence is the shoreline: land rights, flowage easements, dock permits, septic and flood. ABODE International Realty has one active listing near the lake, Skyway Reserve, a gated estate near Tellico Lake at 285 Bill Moser Rd, Vonore, Tennessee 37885. The guide is written for buyers and sellers of higher-value property, and conversations are private.
Keep reading
Which related guides should you read next?
Tellico Village
Property owners association, county and TRDA roles, TVA shoreline rules and buyer checks
Knoxville
City versus county rules, floodplain and TVA checks, and the property tax authorities
Farragut
A Knox County town: town government, county tax, flood checks and TVA lake rules
Lenoir City
City zoning and permits, LCUB utilities, county property tax, flood and TVA lake checks.
Fort Loudoun Lake
TVA reservoir guide: Section 26a dock permits, flowage easements, county rules, septic and flood checks.
Tennessee acreage due diligence
Who controls septic, access, zoning, Greenbelt, flood and TVA items on Tennessee acreage
Questions
Tellico Lake real estate: frequently asked questions
What is Tellico Lake, and is it a town?
Tellico Lake is Tellico Reservoir, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Little Tennessee River. TVA’s land plan places it in Loudon, Blount and Monroe Counties (Notes 2, 26). It is not a town, so the county or town where a parcel lies sets zoning and building rules.
Who permits a dock or boathouse on Tellico Lake?
TVA does, under Section 26a. TVA’s regulations say its approval must be obtained prior to the construction, operation or maintenance of covered structures, including boat docks, piers and boathouses (Note 4). TVA says to get a permit before any shoreline construction begins and lists (800) 882-5263 and plic@tva.gov as the contact (Note 6). The county or town may have its own requirements too.
What is a TVA flowage easement?
TVA defines flowage easement shoreland as privately owned property where TVA has the right to flood the land (Note 5). TVA’s regulations treat any structure built on flowage easement land as an obstruction needing Section 26a approval (Note 4). Whether a lot has one comes from the title, survey and TVA records.
Does a dock permit transfer when a lake home sells?
TVA’s regulations say that when ownership of the land changes, the new owner must notify TVA within 60 days, and TVA reissues the permit if the facilities are in good repair and consistent with the standards in effect when the permit was first issued (Note 4). A permit conveys no property interest (Note 4), and TVA’s buying-or-selling page says permits do not automatically transfer with property ownership (Note 28). Ask TVA about the specific dock before closing; TVA’s permit page lists a reissue fee for a new owner (Note 6).
Does Tellico Lake have a winter drawdown?
The TVA pages reviewed for this guide do not state Tellico’s seasonal pool elevations or describe a drawdown, so this guide does not say. TVA publishes predicted levels on its lake-levels page, updated at least once a day, and warns that release schedules can change without notice (Note 10). Ask TVA what elevations matter to a specific dock or lot.
Which county or office handles zoning and septic at Tellico Lake?
It depends on the parcel. Loudon County Planning and Codes serves Loudon County, the City of Loudon, Greenback and Philadelphia (Note 15); Monroe County Planning serves Monroe County, Madisonville, Sweetwater and Tellico Plains (Note 17); Lenoir City has its own planning office (Note 21). Septic construction permits go through TDEC’s Division of Water Resources (Notes 22, 23).
Is lakefront property on Tellico Lake in a flood zone?
It depends on the address. FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center returns the flood map for an address (Note 24). Loudon County has a Flood Damage Prevention Resolution (Note 15). Ask for any elevation certificate, and ask TVA about elevations relevant to the lot (Note 10).
Private consultation
Request a private Tellico Lake consultation
Please tell us what you are weighing. An ABODE advisor replies privately. We aim to reply within one business day.
Sources and notes
- TVA: Tellico (hydroelectric). Source for the dam’s 1979 completion, 33-mile length, 357 miles of shoreline, 15,560 acres of water surface and the canal into Fort Loudoun. The page does not name counties. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Tellico Reservoir Land Management Plan. Source for the three counties, 12,787.6 acres of TVA public land, zone acreages, the Zone 1 footnote and the GIS Viewer Map. The page does not mention Section 26a or flowage easements. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Reservoir Land Management Planning Zones. Source for the zone definitions, including Zone 1 (non-TVA shoreland) and Zone 7 (Shoreline Access). Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Section 26a Regulations (18 CFR part 1304). Source for Section 26a approval, flowage easement structures, permits conveying no property interest, change of ownership and vegetation rules. TVA’s page reproduces the regulation text; the quoted fragments were also checked against 18 CFR part 1304 on eCFR and Cornell LII (Note 27). The page’s final section (definitions, §1304.412) does not cover change of ownership. Confirm current text with TVA. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Section 26a definitions. Source for the definitions of flowage easement shoreland, shoreland, maximum shoreline contour and TVA property. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Shoreline construction permits. Source for the permit-before-construction statement, how to apply, processing time, the reissue fee for a new owner ($250 usually, per the page) and the (800) 882-5263 and plic@tva.gov contact, which the page calls the Public Lands Information Center (other TVA pages spell it Land). The page does not mention flowage easements or the Shoreline Management Policy. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Shoreline Management Policy (SMP) waivers. Source for the 1999 Shoreline Management Policy and the November 1, 1999 waiver date. The page does not name reservoirs.
- TVA: Tellico Reservoir (hydroelectric, alternate page). Source for the 120,000 acre-feet flood-storage capacity. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Telling the Story of Tellico, It’s Complicated. Source for the gate closure date, counties, Loudon County dam location, the 23 megawatts and Tellico Village. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Tellico lake levels. The reviewed text was mostly dashboard navigation; used only for the daily update timing and the release-schedule warning. It gave no pool elevations.
- TVA: How TVA Manages Water Levels. Reviewed for Tellico operation; it does not mention Tellico or Fort Loudoun, so it supports no Tellico-specific level claim.
- TVA: Fort Loudoun Reservoir Land Management Plan. Source for Fort Loudoun’s counties, 1,513.3 acres of TVA public land and 368 miles of shoreline. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Shoreline stabilization. Names the Public Land Information Center as the contact for shoreline actions and permitting procedures but gives no phone number beside that name. Its footer lists a general TVA address and phone that the page does not tie to the Center, so this guide uses the (800) 882-5263 number from the permit page. Checked October 9, 2026.
- Loudon County Planning and Codes Enforcement Office. Source for address and phone numbers. The page does not state building permit or septic details.
- Loudon County Planning and Codes: planning. Source for the jurisdictions served, the two planning commissions and the Flood Damage Prevention Resolution. It does not mention Tellico Village. The county’s zoning resolution is shown as under amendment, so call the Planning Office for the official version.
- Loudon County Assessor of Property. Source for the assessor’s role, address and phone. The page does not say who sets the tax rate.
- Monroe County Planning Department. Source for the jurisdictions served, address and phone. The body text names Madisonville, Sweetwater and Tellico Plains; the page’s meta description also lists Vonore, so the sources on this page disagree about whether the department serves Vonore. Confirm with the town.
- Monroe County Property Assessor. Source for the assessor’s role and phone, and for the statement that the County Commission sets the rate. The page lists two street addresses (103 College Street South, Suite 27 and 105 College St.), so confirm before visiting.
- MTAS: Vonore. Source for Vonore’s county (Monroe) and general law mayor-aldermanic charter type. It has no planning or zoning information.
- MTAS: Lenoir City. Source for Lenoir City’s county (Loudon) and home rule charter dated 1954.
- City of Lenoir City: codes enforcement and planning. Source for the city’s zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations links and its planning and permit contact. The page does not mention Tellico Lake.
- TDEC: Septic System Construction Permit. Source for the permit requirement, repair of faulty systems and applications going to the Division of Water Resources at the appropriate Environmental Field Office.
- TDEC: Subsurface Sewage Disposal System (SSDS) permits. Lists installation and repair as the situations that need a septic system construction permit.
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Search an address for its flood map, FIRMette and map panel. Flood status is parcel specific.
- Tellico Village, Tennessee (Wikipedia). Secondary source, used only for Tellico Village being an unincorporated planned community in Loudon County with a property owners association.
- TVA: Tellico Reservoir (lake information page). Source for the reservoir’s location on the Little Tennessee River and its planned role as an extension of Fort Loudoun Reservoir. The page gave no counties, dates or pool elevations. Checked October 9, 2026.
- eCFR: 18 CFR part 1304. Federal regulation text for §1304.1 (Section 26a approval and the list of covered structures), §1304.2 (permit conveys no property interest; fee, leasehold or easement interest), §1304.10 (change of ownership), §1304.203 (vegetation on TVA-owned residential access shoreland), §1304.300 (flowage easement structures) and §1304.302 (vegetation on flowage easement shoreland). Individual sections were also checked on law.cornell.edu. Checked October 9, 2026.
- TVA: Buying or Selling Waterfront Property. Source for the statements that permits do not automatically transfer with property ownership and that the new owner is required to apply within 60 days of closing, plus the advice to request the Section 26a permit and check it against what is built. The page does not mention a reissue fee. Checked October 9, 2026.