‘Stop Work’ order issued to church
Norris mandates could force closing of Covenant Life RV park, shut off water
Covenant Life Church has been served legal notices by the city of Norris mandating that the church disconnect utility lines to its recreational-vehicle park/campground, and shut down the campground itself, by July 3, or face enforcement intervention from the city.
The church was served two “Stop Work” orders by the city, dated May 5, 2023, ordering the two moves to take place “immediately,” with the admonition that “Any person who fails to comply with this STOP WORK ORDER shall be subject to the penalties as prescribed by law,” citing “Sections 114 and 115 of the International Building Code as adopted by Norris Municipal Code.”
The two orders were signed by the Norris building inspector.
The first, “Pertaining to utility connections,” states that the church, at 151 Sycamore Place, is in violation of the Norris Municipal Code for:
“1) Unauthorized installation, alteration, and/or enlargement of plumbing system without a permit.
“2) Unauthorized connection of service utility (water or sewage system) without a permit.”
This order states:
“You are ordered to disconnect all unpermitted water connections to the Solid Rock RV Park until the City of Norris Building Inspector has issued the required permits and inspected the property to confirm it is no longer in violation of the provisions of the Code.”
And the order issues this warning:
“Failure to disconnect the unpermitted connections within 60 days from the date of this STOP WORK ORDER will result in water services being disconnected and the single water meter serving the property will be locked. Due to the unauthorized installation, alteration, enlargement and/or connection, water services will terminate to the entire property.”
The order notes that it “shall remain in effect until the City of Norris Building Inspector has issued an order rescinding it.”
The second order, “Pertaining to construction and occupancy without the required permits,” says the church is in violation of Norris Municipal Code as follows:
“1) Unauthorized construction of a building or structure without a permit.
“2) Unauthorized use or occupancy of building or structure before issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
“You are ordered to discontinue the use and occupancy of the Solid Rock RV Park until the City of Norris Building Inspector has issued the required permit(s), inspected the property, and issued a certificate of occupancy.”
These orders have resulted from the church’s construction and operation of its RV park and campground more than two years ago without first obtaining the required zoning and building permits from the city of Norris.
The state of Tennessee also has accused the church of operating “an organized camp” on its property without having the required permit to do so, according to a letter sent to the church’s attorney, Daniel Sanders, on Jan. 5 by the Tennessee Department of Health.
Accordingly, the Health Department asked the church to provide “additional information” about the “Solid Rock Retreat Camp,” which the church opened without first obtaining the necessary rezoning or permits.
Late last year, Covenant Life told the city through the church’s attorney that it “does not intend to apply for a rezoning” of its property to allow for a campground/RV park.
The RV park – which the church recently began referring to as a “retreat,” sits behind and beside the church, which fronts on Andersonville Highway. Entrance to the park is off Norris Freeway.
Instead, “The Church (together with its 500-plus congregation) intends to rely on state and federal laws that protect the Church from unduly burdensome, unreasonable, or discriminatory zoning or land use regulations,” lawyer Sanders wrote to the Norris city attorney in a letter dated Nov. 1, 2022.
In that letter, Sanders asserted that the Solid Rock RV Park, which has 16 spaces and was then operating with its own website where would-be visitors could make reservations, is merely a ministry of the church and does not charge people to stay there.
Sanders, in the letter, asserted that “…the Church provides overnight parking and accommodation to congregants, missionaries and others in need as a form of Christian retreat and an exercise of deeply held religious belief. I am informed that no commercial transactions are involved.
“Rather, the Church accepts offerings essential to the maintenance of its facilities on a free-will [sic] basis. Individuals who utilize the overnight parking areas receive prayer and reading of Holy Scripture. They are expected to attend worship services, commune with Church leaders, and participate in other religious programs available on the Church property.”
However, the church’s actual practices, at least until recently, have not seemed to follow those guidelines. No mention was made on the RV park’s website of the optional nature of the camping fees or that campers would be required to participate in the church’s religious activities.
Indeed, several people who have stayed long-term at the campground have reported that they were charged regular camping fees, automatically deducted monthly from their bank accounts, and were never told anything about their fees being optional “donations” to the church, as Covenant Life now contends.