Community Highlights
A quick view of what defines Franklin land.
What land is for sale in Franklin right now?
These are the land and lot listings with a Franklin address from the MLS, updated automatically.
Selling land in Franklin? I’ll tell you what it’s worth. Land doesn’t price like a house. City or county zoning, slopes, floodplain, road frontage and greenbelt status all move the number. Send me the parcel and I’ll tell you what I think it’s worth and why. DM me, text or call 615-392-1186, or start on my home evaluation page.
Is the land inside Franklin’s city limits or in Williamson County?
The city line decides which code applies. Franklin’s subdivision regulations govern subdivision “within the corporate limits of the City of Franklin.” Land outside the city limits, even with a Franklin mailing address, falls under Williamson County’s zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations.
Franklin publishes an interactive city map, and Williamson County has its Official Zoning Map. Check the parcel on both. My guide to Franklin ZIP codes explains why the mailing address isn’t proof, and my Franklin guide covers the rest of the city.
What zoning applies to land inside the City of Franklin?
Inside the city, the Franklin Zoning Ordinance, effective January 13, 2026, sets two districts for acreage: AG, Agricultural, and ER, Estate Residential. Here’s what each district’s own table requires:
| Standard | AG, Agricultural | ER, Estate Residential |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot size | 15 acres | 2 acres |
| Minimum lot width | 200 feet | 150 feet |
| Minimum front lot line | 160 feet | 120 feet |
| Principal buildings per lot | 1 | 1 |
| Front, side, rear setbacks | 225, 50, 100 feet | 150, 35, 65 feet |
| Minimum landscape surface | 70% | 60% |
The ordinance describes AG as farming, single-family homes on significant acreage and open space, and ER as single-family homes on estate-sized lots that preserve rural character. R1, its large-lot suburban district, is also the default district for county subdivisions annexed into the city.
Can you build on hillsides or floodplain in Franklin?
Often not. Franklin’s overlay districts take the floodplain and the steepest ground off the table for building. Under the 2026 zoning ordinance:
- In the Floodway Fringe Overlay (FFO), for a residential subdivision, any land in the FFO has to be placed in an open space lot marked non-buildable on the final plat.
- In the Hillside/Hillcrest Overlay (HHO), land has to go into an open space lot or a conservation easement, grading is prohibited except for limited cases, and tree removal is prohibited unless an arborist documents a dead, dying or dangerous tree.
- Within 500 feet of an HHO boundary, a lot with natural slopes of 14 percent or more has to be at least 2 acres with 150 feet of width and frontage, whatever its base district allows.
Look up the flood map on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center and ask Franklin’s Department of Planning and Sustainability whether any part of the tract is in an overlay.
Can you split land in Franklin?
Inside the city, yes, with a plat in most cases. Franklin’s subdivision regulations (effective January 1, 2026, adopted by planning commission Resolution 2025-89) say a split into two lots needs a final plat, and a split into more than two lots needs a preliminary plat first and then a final plat. Residential subdivisions have to be served by public streets.
The one exemption is narrow. Under Section 4.3.2, if a division results in two tracts of more than five acres each, no final plat is required and the land can be divided by deed filed with the Williamson County Register of Deeds. The same section warns that filing that deed “does not require the City to accept it as a buildable lot.” Before you buy a tract created that way, confirm with the city that it can be built on.
Outside the city, Williamson County’s subdivision regulations (amended April 9, 2026) exempt any split where every tract is 5 acres or larger and no new road or utility construction is required, Section 1.04(B)(1). Both build on the state’s definition of a subdivision in Tenn. Code Ann. § 13-3-401(4)(B), which covers any division “of less than five (5) acres” for sale or building, or any split that needs a new street or utility. Talk to a real estate attorney about how the deed describes any new tract.
Selling land in Franklin?
Acreage doesn’t price like a house. Whether the tract sits inside Franklin’s city limits, how much road frontage it has, whether the soil will pass for septic, whether it can be split and what greenbelt rollback would cost a buyer all move the number. Send me the parcel and I’ll tell you what similar tracts have sold for and what a buyer is going to check first.
DM, text or call me at 615-392-1186 with the address or parcel ID, or start a value request here.
What if the Franklin land is in unincorporated Williamson County?
Outside the city, Williamson County’s zoning ordinance applies. Its main rural districts are RP-5, Rural Preservation, for land west of I-65, and RD-5, Rural Development, for land east of I-65. Both set the same home standards:
| RP-5 and RD-5 standard (residential) | Traditional subdivision | Conservation subdivision |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot area | 5 acres | average 3/4 acre, minimum 1/2 acre |
| Maximum gross density | 1 home per 5 acres | 1 home per 5 acres |
| Minimum lot width | 200 feet | 70 feet |
| Front, side, rear setbacks | 100, 25, 50 feet | 35, 10, 30 feet |
Every lot has to abut a public road for at least its district’s minimum lot width, so 200 feet for a traditional RP-5 or RD-5 lot (Section 17.02(B)(1)). The exception, Section 17.03, lets up to five residential lots of 5 acres or more share an access easement if they’re created by a subdivision plat. That easement has to be at least 50 feet wide and at least 200 feet from any other access easement, and the owners record a covenant for joint maintenance.
The county also has one-acre districts, RP-1 and RD-1, meant for places where infrastructure is available. Don’t assume a parcel’s district because it looks rural. Pull it from the Official Zoning Map, or call Williamson County Planning at 615-790-5725.
Who approves septic for Franklin-area land?
Williamson County runs its own septic program. TDEC lists Williamson as one of nine “contract counties,” so septic approval goes through the county’s Department of Sewage Disposal Management, 615-790-5751. In the county, a lot on septic has to meet the larger of the zoning minimum or the septic regulations’ minimum, and the system has to sit on the lot it serves.
What that means when you’re buying:
- Inside the city, ask Franklin Water Management whether sewer can serve the tract.
- Outside it, ask the seller for any existing septic permit, soils map or approved system layout.
- If there isn’t one, make your offer contingent on septic approval for the size of house you want.
- Don’t clear a house pad or start a driveway first. TDEC says a septic permit should always come before any dirt work or construction, including the building pad.
Who provides water to land in Franklin?
Several utilities serve the Franklin area. The City of Franklin’s Water Management Department says four water districts serve the city and takes questions about which one serves an address at (615) 794-4572. The city’s new-resident page lists HB&TS Utility District (615-794-7796), Mallory Valley Utility District (615-377-3374) and Milcrofton Utility District (615-794-5947). Ask which one serves your road, whether a line runs along your frontage and what a tap costs.
Inside the city, budget for underground lines. Franklin’s zoning ordinance requires all new telephone, gas, sewer, water, fiber optic and cable lines to go underground, and new electric distribution lines tied to development too, with limited exceptions.
What happens to greenbelt when you buy land in Franklin?
Tennessee’s greenbelt law, the Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act of 1976, lets qualifying land be taxed on its current use instead of market value. Agricultural land has to be at least 15 acres, including woodlands and wastelands, and either be a working farm unit or meet a 25-year family farming test. Forest land needs at least 15 acres, and open space land at least 3.
Per the Tennessee Comptroller’s Greenbelt Handbook (revised May 2025):
- A new owner has to file a new application with the assessor by March 15, or the land is disqualified.
- Rollback taxes recapture the taxes saved: the last three years for agricultural and forest land, the last five for open space.
- When a sale disqualifies the land, the seller is liable for rollback taxes unless a written contract or statute says otherwise. Rollback taxes are a first lien on the land either way.
Ask the Williamson County Assessor of Property, 615-790-5708, about any tract in greenbelt before you close, and put the rollback terms in the contract.
Property tax figures are the county and city rates published for the year shown and are for planning only. Your actual bill depends on the assessed value, any exemptions and the city or district the home sits in. Confirm with the county assessor or trustee and your tax professional before you rely on a number.
What should you check before you make an offer on land in Franklin?
- Confirm whether the parcel is inside Franklin’s city limits.
- Pull its zoning: AG or ER in the city, RP-5, RD-5 or another district in the county.
- Ask whether any part is in Franklin’s floodway fringe or hillside overlays, and look up the FEMA flood map.
- Measure the road frontage on every tract you’d create against the district’s minimum.
- If the tract was created by deed without a plat, confirm with the city or county that it’s a buildable lot.
- Get the septic or sewer answer, and find out which water utility serves the road.
- Ask the assessor about greenbelt and write rollback responsibility into the contract.
- Talk to a real estate attorney about the deed and any easements.
Looking farther east? My guide to buying land in College Grove covers the county’s 5-acre rule in more depth. For the county as a whole, see my Williamson County guide.
What else do people ask about land in Franklin?
What is the minimum lot size for land in Franklin, TN?
Inside the City of Franklin, it’s 15 acres in the AG district and 2 acres in ER. Outside the city, Williamson County’s RP-5 and RD-5 districts require 5 acres per home for a traditional lot.
Do I need a plat to split land in Franklin?
Inside the city, usually yes. The one exemption is a division into two tracts of more than five acres each, which can be done by deed, and the city says that alone doesn’t make either tract a buildable lot. In unincorporated Williamson County, a split into tracts of 5 acres or more with no new road or utility construction is exempt from the subdivision regulations.
Can you build in the floodplain in Franklin, TN?
For a residential subdivision in the city, land in Franklin’s floodway fringe overlay has to be placed in an open space lot marked non-buildable on the final plat.
How much road frontage does a lot need in Williamson County?
A lot has to abut a public road for at least its district’s minimum lot width, which is 200 feet for a traditional lot in RP-5 or RD-5. Up to five lots of 5 acres or more can instead share a 50-foot access easement created by plat.
Who approves septic systems in Williamson County, TN?
Williamson County’s Department of Sewage Disposal Management, 615-790-5751. Williamson is one of TDEC’s contract counties, so the county runs its own septic program.
Who provides water in Franklin, TN?
Four water districts serve the City of Franklin. The city’s new-resident page lists HB&TS, Mallory Valley and Milcrofton utility districts, and Franklin Water Management answers which district serves an address at (615) 794-4572.
What happens to greenbelt when land is sold in Tennessee?
The new owner has to file a new application by March 15 or the land is disqualified. If a sale disqualifies the land, the seller owes the rollback taxes unless a written contract says otherwise.
Franklin Guides and Advice
More of my guides for buying and selling nearby.
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