Community Highlights
A quick view of what defines Columbia land.
What land is for sale in Columbia right now?
These are the land and lot listings with a Columbia address from the MLS, updated automatically.
Selling land in Columbia? I’ll tell you what it’s worth. Land doesn’t price like a house. Whether it’s in the city, whether sewer reaches it, its road frontage and its 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 Columbia’s city limits or in Maury County?
The city line decides which rules apply. Columbia’s subdivision regulations govern subdivision “within the corporate limits of the City of Columbia,” and its zoning ordinance covers land in the city. Land outside the city limits falls under Maury County’s zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations.
Check the parcel on the City of Columbia’s online zoning map, linked from the city’s Zoning and Planning page. If it isn’t in the city, use Maury County’s interactive zoning map instead. For the rest of the city, my Columbia guide is the place to start.
What zoning applies to land inside Columbia?
Columbia zones land with a form-based code, Ordinance 4400, passed on second reading July 14, 2022, with the April 2025 version posted on the city’s site. Its most rural district is CD-2, the Rural Character District, which the ordinance describes as large-lot semi-rural estates, open spaces and legacy agricultural operations. Here’s what the CD-2 table sets:
| CD-2 Rural standard | Value |
|---|---|
| Density on a development parcel | 1 unit per acre, max |
| Lot or building site width | 125 feet, min |
| Lot or building site area | 12,500 square feet, min |
| Principal buildings per lot | 1 |
| Accessory buildings per lot | 2, max |
| Front, side, rear setbacks | 30, 20, 30 feet |
| Height | 3 stories, max |
| Access | Must front a vehicular street, with legal and physical access by driveway or easement |
Two more things from the ordinance matter for land. Newly annexed property starts out zoned CD-3L (Neighborhood, Large Lot), which allows up to 2 units per acre on a development parcel and requires lots at least 100 feet wide. And a lot without sewer needs far more room than the 12,500-square-foot minimum.
How big does a lot need to be in Columbia without sewer?
In Columbia, a lot that relies on its own septic system has to be at least 1 acre. That’s Section 3.3.2 of the city’s subdivision regulations, which also says the system has to be permitted by TDEC, the City of Columbia Wastewater Department and any other agency involved, and the disposal area has to be shown on the final plat.
Where public sewer is within reach, the regulations require it. Under Section 3.3.1, when sanitary sewer is accessible to a subdivision, as the Columbia Wastewater Director decides, the developer has to extend it to every lot and connect. The planning commission can also prohibit soil absorption fields where high groundwater, flooding or poor soils would keep them from working.
Who approves septic systems in and around Columbia?
TDEC’s Division of Water Resources approves septic systems in Maury County, including Columbia. Inside the city, Columbia’s subdivision regulations also require septic lots in a subdivision to be permitted by the City of Columbia Wastewater Department. Maury isn’t one of the nine TDEC “contract counties” that run their own septic programs. Maury County’s building permit packet, revised September 28, 2026, points applicants to TDEC’s office at 1421 Hampshire Pike in Columbia, 931-380-3371.
What that means when you’re buying:
- Ask the seller whether sewer reaches the tract. If it does, the septic question may be moot.
- If it doesn’t, ask for any existing septic permit, soils map or TDEC inspection letter.
- 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.
Selling land in Columbia?
Acreage doesn’t price like a house. Whether the tract sits inside Columbia’s city limits or out in the county, whether sewer reaches it, 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.
Can you split land in Columbia?
Yes. Inside the city, a split into tracts of at least 5 acres each needs no final plat. Section 2.3.2 of Columbia’s subdivision regulations says that if a division results in parts “not less than five (5) acres each,” a final plat isn’t required and the land can be divided by deed filed with the county register. That follows 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.
Splits that create smaller lots need a plat:
| Type | What it covers | Who approves |
|---|---|---|
| Minor subdivision | No more than 2 lots, no new or improved public road, no extension of public facilities, no variance | Signed by the planning commission’s secretary or designee after the City Engineer certifies it complies |
| Other subdivisions | Everything else | Columbia Municipal Planning Commission |
The city’s minor plat application asks for a survey stamped by a Tennessee-licensed land surveyor, with streams, waterbodies and wetlands shown on the plat. Columbia’s Development Services Department is at 700 North Garden Street, 931-560-1560. Talk to a real estate attorney about how the deed describes any new tract, even when no plat is required.
What if the Columbia land is outside the city limits?
Outside the city, Maury County’s zoning ordinance, effective January 1, 2026, applies. Its rural districts set much larger minimums than CD-2:
| Maury County district | Minimum lot | Public road frontage |
|---|---|---|
| AP, Agricultural Preservation | 15 acres | Not listed in the AP table (300-foot minimum width) |
| RR, Residential Rural | 5 acres | 200 feet |
| RG, Residential General | 1 acre | 100 feet |
The county’s building permit packet says splitting off a piece smaller than 5 acres takes a minor plat by a licensed surveyor, approved by the planning commission and recorded, before a home permit is issued. A private driveway easement has to be at least 25 feet wide and can serve no more than 2 lots. My Maury County land page covers the county rules in full.
What utilities should you check on Columbia land?
Check water, sewer and power at the road for the exact tract. Columbia’s subdivision regulations tie water construction to “the water utility district providing service” and sewer to the City of Columbia Wastewater Department. Maury County’s permit packet lists two water sources for new homes, Columbia Power and Water Systems (931-375-7627) and the Maury County Water System (931-381-8900), so ask which one serves your road and what a tap costs.
How do you check Columbia land for flooding?
Look the parcel up on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center before you make an offer. The City of Columbia takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program and lists its FEMA map panels, which carry Maury County’s 47119C numbers, on its Floodplain Management page. Outside the city, Maury County’s zoning keeps buildings at least 50 feet from the Duck River and 20 feet from other streams and ponds in its rural districts.
What happens to greenbelt when you buy land around Columbia?
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 Maury County Assessor of Property 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 Columbia?
- Confirm whether the parcel is inside Columbia’s city limits, then pull its zoning from the right map.
- Ask whether city sewer reaches the tract. Without it, plan on at least 1 acre and a TDEC septic permit.
- If you’ll split it, check whether every piece is at least 5 acres, or plan on a plat.
- Confirm the lot fronts a street or has legal, physical access by driveway or easement.
- Find out which water utility serves the road and what a tap costs.
- Look up the flood map for the house site.
- Ask the assessor about greenbelt and write rollback responsibility into the contract.
- Talk to a real estate attorney about the deed and any easements.
Want a finished lot instead of raw land? My page on new construction in Columbia lists every builder selling there now. For the older part of town, see my guide to downtown Columbia and the historic district, and for the county, my Maury County guide.
What else do people ask about land in Columbia?
What is the minimum lot size in Columbia, TN?
Inside the city, the CD-2 Rural district requires lots at least 125 feet wide and 12,500 square feet, with at most one home per acre on a development parcel. A lot on septic has to be at least 1 acre. Outside the city, Maury County’s minimums are 15 acres in AP, 5 acres in RR and 1 acre in RG.
Do I need a plat to split land in Columbia?
Not if every piece is at least 5 acres. Columbia’s subdivision regulations say a division into parts of not less than five acres each needs no final plat and can be done by deed. Smaller lots need a plat.
Can I use a septic system in Columbia, TN?
In a subdivision, only where public sewer isn’t accessible. The city’s subdivision regulations then require a lot of at least 1 acre and a system permitted by TDEC and the City of Columbia Wastewater Department.
Who approves septic systems in Maury County?
TDEC’s Division of Water Resources, at 1421 Hampshire Pike in Columbia, 931-380-3371. Maury County isn’t a TDEC contract county.
What zoning does land get when it’s annexed into Columbia?
Columbia’s zoning ordinance gives newly annexed property an initial zoning of CD-3L, Neighborhood Large Lot. An owner can ask to rezone to another district at the same time as annexation.
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.
Columbia Guides and Advice
More of my guides for buying and selling nearby.
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