A carport in unincorporated Knox County is an accessory structure. It cannot extend into the front yard, must keep an 8-foot side yard (5 feet on deep lots) and at least 5 feet from the rear line, and cannot exceed 18 feet in height. Attached carports follow the main-house setbacks.
The Knox County Zoning Ordinance regulates a carport as an accessory building or, if attached, as part of the principal dwelling. An unattached accessory building must set back at least 8 feet from an interior side lot line, reducible to 5 feet for a one-story accessory building located more than 90 feet behind the front property line, and no closer than 5 feet to any rear lot line; in no case may an accessory building extend into the front yard. Accessory-building height is capped at 18 feet. A permit generally applies for a permanent carport; a detached one-story structure under 120 sq ft is permit-exempt but must still meet these zoning standards. Confirm your zone's yard figures with Planning.
Placement or height violations are enforced by the county Department of Code Administration; correction, relocation, or removal may be ordered.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Knox County's carport rules rules stack up against other locations.
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