The imitator salamander is found in the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina at elevations more than above sea level. Its range extends from the Great Smoky Mountains in the north to the Plott Balsams and the Great Balsam Mountains in the south. Its habitat is the banks of streams, wet rocks, and the forest floor at higher altitudes. It shares its range with the Ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee), but is usually found closer to water.