Local guide
Kingsport Drainage, Flood Maps and Permits
Some water problems are the city's to fix, some need a permit and some sit in a flood zone. Here is who handles what in and around Kingsport, with the official pages to check.
Call (423) 555-0114Your call goes to an independent local waterproofing company.
When the water comes from the street
Not all water under a house is the homeowner's to fix. The City of Kingsport says it operates and maintains drainage in the public right-of-way and in public easements. It does not maintain pipes, ditches or drains on private property. If a blocked street inlet or a city ditch is sending water onto your lot, call the Utilities Department on 423-229-9454. The city's stormwater page says it will look into the problem and tell you what can be done if it turns out to be the city's responsibility.
Get that answer before paying for drains on your side of the property line. A waterproofing company can only deal with what happens on your lot.
Is the house in a mapped flood zone?
It takes a few minutes to check, and it changes what can sensibly be done under the house.
Open the state map
Go to the Tennessee Property Viewer and choose your county: Sullivan for most of Kingsport, Hawkins for the western edge and for Mount Carmel and Church Hill.
Find the property
Search by street address or owner name and select the parcel.
Turn on the flood layer
Switch on the FEMA flood map layer and see whether the shaded area touches the house.
The official source for flood maps is FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, where you can search the same address. If the house is inside a mapped flood zone, Tennessee's emergency management agency advises speaking to the local floodplain administrator before building or making improvements. Closing crawl space vents or putting equipment under the floor is worth raising with them first.
Permits inside the city
Kingsport's Building Division is at 415 Broad Street, first floor, phone (423) 229-9393. Its own question-and-answer sheet says a permit is needed for anything other than cosmetic repairs such as painting and carpet, and that the permit has to be bought before work starts. It also says the person actually doing the work buys the permit, and whoever signs it is responsible for the work.
For you that means two questions to put to any company: does this job need a permit, and will the permit be in your company's name? Structural repairs to floor framing, new plumbing for a pump discharge, a new electrical outlet and grading in the yard are the parts of a waterproofing job most likely to need one.
Permits outside the city
Mount Carmel and Church Hill issue their own permits; see the pages for Mount Carmel and Church Hill. Hawkins County itself does not issue building permits and has no code enforcement, so in the rural parts of that county nobody local will inspect the work. Your own photos and paperwork are the record.
Before any digging: Tennessee 811
Exterior waterproofing, French drains and buried downspout lines all mean digging. Tennessee 811 arranges for buried utility lines to be marked first.
- A normal request needs at least three working days' notice, not counting weekends and holidays.
- Requests are made by dialing 811 or (800) 351-1111, or online.
- A ticket you take out as the homeowner does not cover a company you hire. The company digging needs a ticket in its own name.
- Lines that belong to you, such as power to an outbuilding, a septic line or a sprinkler system, are not marked. Tell the company where they are.
- A ticket is valid for fifteen calendar days from its start date.
- Within two feet either side of a marked line, digging has to be done with care, by hand or similar.