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City of Sevierville files lawsuit over Camping World's 130-foot-tall flagpole

SEIVERIVLLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The City of Sevierville has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove a large flagpole at the RV rental company Camping World, which it said violates the city's zoning ordinance. The lawsuit, filed on March 19, states that Camping World, along with Shipp's RV Centers, CWI, LLC, Camping World RV Sales, and FHRP Lincolnshire, LLC, violated a city zoning ordinance by having a 130-foot-tall flagpole at the Camping World located on Dumplin Valley Road in Sevierville. The area is zoned to only allow a 44-foot-tall flagpole. Study predicts Sevier County's employment to grow by 61% over the next 25 years In January 2024, the lawsuit claims Camping World and the other defendants applied to the City's Board of Zoning Appeals through the contractor 'Flag Systems' and asked for a permit to install the flagpole, which was denied during the board's February 1, 2024 meeting. The City claims that the defendants had the pole constructed, despite never filing an appeal to their denial. In January 2025, the City's Code Enforcement mailed a letter demanding Camping World company with the zoning ordinance within 30 days, and that not doing that could result in the City seeking legal action, the lawsuit stated. In February, 2025, Camping World's CEO Marcus Lemonis spoke with 6 News, saying the flag was 'not coming down,' adding that the flag has been in his family since he was young and that the flag was not a safety concern. 'Operation Hands Free' kicks off across Tennessee In addition to requesting an injunction for the flagpole to be taken down or otherwise reduce its hieght to be in compliance with the zoning ordinance, the City also asked to impose a civil penalty on Camping World and the other defendants. On March 5, 2025, the Sevierville Police Department issued a citation to the RV rental company because of the zoning ordinance violation and resulted in a $50 fine per day for every day of the violation, the lawsuit says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.