Cumberland Cove dues, covenants and building rules

1. How many lots are included in the purchase?
2. What does the POA ledger show for each lot?
3. Which recorded documents and current rules apply?
4. Is the property in Putnam County or Cumberland County, and which offices control its public permits and road questions?
5. What have the POA and responsible public office said in writing about the exact parcel and proposed use?

The public file can organize those requests. It cannot decide a particular balance, lien, closing, buildability, septic result, utility connection or rental use.

On September 17, 2026, the shop displayed two products: Dues 2026 at $152 and Late Fee 2026 at $15.20. The shop does not label the dues item per lot. That basis comes from the bylaws, which establish the common-expense assessment per lot, and the covenants, which say an owner pays the per-lot amount multiplied by lots owned. 2 3 4

$152 × confirmed number of lots = provisional displayed 2026 regular-dues figure

Do not use that calculation until the POA confirms the lots and billing basis. The shop does not state a transfer charge, closing fee, proration rule, current special assessment, unpaid balance or parcel-specific total. Its late-fee product is not proof that an account is late.

A low regular-dues line can sit beside septic, utility, road, insurance, site-work or construction costs that are much larger. The dated dues item does not establish that Cumberland Cove is a low-cost place to own.

The POA labels three current public documents: Bylaws, March 2024; Covenants, October 2024; and Environmental Control Committee Guidebook, April 2026. The bylaws say current copies of the declaration, charter and bylaws, together with the most recent annual financial statement, are to be made available to prospective purchasers. 1 3

The bylaws also describe an annual budget, a per-lot common-expense assessment, possible special assessments, a reserve fund tied to a Board-approved component list and an annual independent review or audit. Those provisions identify records to request. They do not reveal the current budget, reserve condition, special-assessment status or result of the latest review.

The covenants state an Association lien right for unpaid assessments and other described money owed. They say a sale or transfer does not affect the lien and state joint and several liability for the described assessments, interest, costs and expenses attributable to the transferred lot. That is source language, not a conclusion about a particular closing. 4

Before the title or document-review deadline, obtain:

• a dated POA ledger for every lot;
• every regular and special assessment, late fee, collection cost, credit and balance;
• a title search and the recorded documents affecting the property; and
• a closing statement identifying what will be paid, credited, prorated or remain.

The covenants also say an owner or institutional lender can, by written request, obtain a written certificate stating whether the owner is in default on assessments. The Association must provide it within 15 days of the request. A buyer can ask the seller to make that request. The certificate does not replace the ledger, title work or closing statement.

An August 2026 local report describes an attempted sale of a Cumberland Cove vacant parcel using false seller identification. The report says the owners retained title and no deed transfer occurred. It supports verifying the seller's identity and current deed through the title and closing file; it does not establish that every listing is fraudulent or that Cumberland Cove has a community-wide fraud problem. Cumberland County's Register of Deeds publishes title-search and fraud-alert links. 7 8

The FTC separately warns that a last-minute email changing where closing money should be wired can be a scam. Confirm instructions using a phone number or contact route obtained independently from the change message. 9

Route lien, priority, liability and contract questions to the title company and an independent Tennessee lawyer. A listing field, receipt or verbal answer is not the final record.

Cumberland Cove crosses Putnam and Cumberland Counties. The POA's local-links page lists sheriff, fire, burn-permit and road contacts for both county systems. That directory does not establish which county controls a property or what service an address will receive. 6

Record the legal description, parcel ID, county, unit, block and lot before requesting public answers. Use the responsible county and state offices for building permits, roads, driveways, culverts, burning and septic. Obtain address-level electric, water, gas and broadband confirmation, including extension cost where it could change the purchase.

The April 2026 guidebook says no work is permitted before written ECC approval. Its examples include tree removal, site preparation, excavation, construction and off-site fabrication. It also says the assessment account must be current before a building submittal will be reviewed. 5

The ECC meets twice monthly and asks for applications at least five business days before the next meeting. The packet includes the deed, certified survey, plans, applicable county permit, TDEC septic approval and plot plan. Obtain the current Construction Approval Request Form and ask whether any application or permit fee applies.

After written approval, the guidebook gives the owner 12 months to complete the exterior phase and describes a possible six-month extension on request if work is continuous and ongoing. The acknowledgement provides for project-review access with notice. It says failure to grant access will result in permit revocation or withdrawal and a covenant violation.

Keep the ECC clock separate from county and state deadlines. A seller's old approval does not prove a buyer's changed design, contractor, site work or timing is approved.

The covenants describe one single-family dwelling and ordinarily appurtenant buildings. They state a 40-foot setback at a county-road property line and 20 feet on the other sides, subject to the stated variance process. 4

The covenants first require compliance with size restrictions in the recorded plat, as amended. In addition, they state a 1,500-square-foot baseline for heated living space, exclusive of porches, garages, carports, patios and similar external features. They describe a variance process but allow no approved variance below 1,000 square feet.

Mobile homes are prohibited. Modular and manufactured homes are considered individually by the ECC, and the guidebook advises against committing to a nonconventional home before review.

The named temporary structures may not be used as a permanent residence, and no person may remain in them for more than 30 days without ECC approval. Separately, an RV is not permitted on a lot without a residential dwelling. Another provision allows construction-period residence with ECC consent and conditions while an approved dwelling is diligently built; that use ends when the dwelling is complete.

The complete October 2024 covenant text contains no occurrence of rental or short term. The only lease search hit is leased in the preamble's list of transactions made subject to the covenants. Renters appear in sections 1.19, 2.3 and 13.6, but none supplies a stay-duration rule.

Silence about a stay length is not permission. If the purchase depends on rental income, leave that income out of the arithmetic. Send the POA the parcel ID, legal description, property type and proposed stay pattern. Ask for the governing instrument, current written rule, registration or guest requirements, charges and enforcement process. Confirm title, county, tax, insurance and lender requirements separately.

• Deed, legal description, parcel ID, county, unit, block and lot count.
• Ledger and 2026 assessment total for every lot.
• Declaration, charter, bylaws, covenants, recorded plat, rules and amendments.
• Latest annual financial statement, budget, reserve information and material minutes.
• Every open balance, lien, violation, application, approval and close-out item.
• County building, road and driveway answers plus the TDEC septic file.
• Survey and written ECC answer for the proposed work.
• Address-level utility, broadband and emergency-access findings.
• Title, insurance, lender and independent legal answers that apply.

Keep confirmed amounts, unresolved amounts and nonfinancial conditions separate. Do not turn an unavailable record into zero, clearance or permission.

Open the free parcel buyer checklist

How much are Cumberland Cove POA dues in 2026?

The official POA shop displayed Dues 2026 at $152 on September 17, 2026. It also displayed Late Fee 2026 at $15.20. The per-lot assessment method comes from the governing documents, not the shop label. Ask the POA to confirm the number of lots, current total and every other balance or assessment for the property.

Does $152 mean the property has low carrying costs?

No such conclusion follows. The figure is one dated POA dues item. It does not include a parcel-specific balance, special assessment, transfer treatment, utilities, septic, site work, insurance, taxes or construction.

Can a buyer request Cumberland Cove POA financial records?

The March 2024 bylaws say the declaration, charter, bylaws and most recent annual financial statement are to be made available to prospective purchasers. Other owner-inspection provisions can be used through the seller when the buyer is not yet an owner.

Can work begin while the ECC application is pending?

The April 2026 guidebook says no work is permitted before written ECC approval, including tree removal, site preparation, excavation, construction and off-site fabrication.

Are short-term rentals allowed in Cumberland Cove?

The public covenants reviewed do not provide a complete stay-duration answer. Their silence is not permission. Obtain the current written POA answer and governing instrument for the exact parcel, property type and proposed stay pattern.