Parking Rules in Knoxville, TN (2026)
9 verified parking rules for Knoxville, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
RV & Boat Parking
Knoxville generally bars trailers, boats, and RVs from residential lots, but each household may keep up to two, capped at 45 feet long and nine feet wide, limited to 48 hours in front of the house.
Knoxville RV And Boat Trailer Parking
Significant RestrictionsKnoxville City Code, Appendix B (Zoning Code), Art. 11, Sec. 11.11.D (Ord. No. O-43-2020, § 1, 3-24-20; Ord. No. O-96-2022, § 1, 7-26-22)
On each lot, a total of two (one from any two of the subsections listed below) of the following vehicles may be parked or stored per household living on the premises, and said trailer, or recreational vehicle, shall not exceed 45 feet in length or nine feet in width; and further provided that said trailer, or recreational vehicle, shall not be parked or stored for more than 48 hours unless it i...
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Knoxville bars trucks over 18,000 pounds gross weight and any trailer or semitrailer from parking on any city street between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless actively loading, unloading, or attended by the driver.
Knoxville Overnight Heavy Truck Parking Ban
Some RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 17-290, "Parking of trucks and trailers at night" (Code 1962, § 26-1304)
(a) No person shall park any truck or motor vehicle of more than eighteen thousand (18,000) pounds gross weight, or any trailer or semitrailer, whether or not attached to a tractor, on any street from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.; except that this section shall not apply to trucks, trailers or semitrailers so parked while actually engaged in loading or unloading, or when the driver is in attendance w...
Street Parking Limits
Knoxville bars stopping or parking within 5 feet of any driveway, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, and within 20 feet of a marked crosswalk or 30 feet of a stop sign, yield sign or traffic signal unless the division of engineering has posted signs allowing it. The rules apply city-wide to every street.
Knoxville Driveway, Hydrant, Crosswalk Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 17-287(a)(2) (Code 1962, § 26-1301; Ord. No. O-218-01, § 1, 6-26-01; Ord. No. O-63-03, § 1, 3-4-03; Ord. No. O-185-2014, § 1, 9-16-14; Ord. No. O-107-2015, § 1, 6-23-15; Ord. No. O-176-2015, § 1, 9-30-15)
Sec. 17-287. - Prohibited places; signs and markings. (a)No person shall:...(2)Stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge passengers:a.In front of or within five (5) feet of a public or private driveway.b.Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant.c.Within twenty (20) feet of a crosswalk at an intersection unless signs, markings, or meters have ...
Overnight Parking
Knoxville's department of engineering can post signs banning parking during specified hours, commonly overnight, on any street after an engineering and traffic study; once signs go up, parking there during those hours is unlawful. Separately, trucks and trailers over 18,000 pounds face a flat citywide overnight ban.
Knoxville Posted-Hours Overnight Parking Bans
Some RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 17-299 (Code 1962, § 26-1331)
Sec. 17-299. - Parking prohibited during certain hours on certain streets. (a)The department of engineering is hereby authorized to erect signs prohibiting parking during specified hours as may become necessary based on an engineering and traffic investigation.(b)When signs are erected giving notice thereof, no person shall park a vehicle between the hours specified upon any street or portion t...
EV Charging
Knoxville lets the department of engineering post signed parking spaces reserved for electric vehicles connected to a charging station; parking a non-EV or an unconnected EV there draws a ticket, a possible tow, and a $50 fine.
Knoxville EV Charging Parking Spaces
Some RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 17-307 (Ord. No. O-203-2012, § 1, 11-27-12)
(c)Where signs designating a parking space for the exclusive use of recharging electric vehicles are erected, no person shall park a vehicle upon any street, municipal parking lot, municipal parking garage, or portion of any street, parking lot, or parking garage so signed unless such vehicle is an electric vehicle and is connected to an electric charging station.(d)Violators of this section ma...
Abandoned Vehicles
Knoxville treats a vehicle as abandoned if it sits unattended on public property over 30 days, stays illegally on public property over 48 hours, or sits on private property without the owner's consent for more than 48 hours.
Knoxville Abandoned Vehicle Removal Rules
Some RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 17-122(a)
For purposes of this article, "abandoned motor vehicle" means: (1) A motor vehicle that is left unattended on public property for more than thirty (30) days; (2) Any motor vehicle that has remained illegally on public property for a period of more than forty-eight (48) hours; or (3) A motor vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of th...
Curb Color Rules
When Knoxville bans parking near a school, on a narrow street, or at a hazardous or congested spot, the division of engineering must mark the curb yellow or post signs to give drivers notice. The department of engineering can also use yellow curb paint alone, without signs, to mark other no-parking areas.
Knoxville Yellow Curb No-Parking Markings
Some RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 17-287(d)-(e) (Code 1962, § 26-1301; Ord. No. O-218-01, § 1, 6-26-01; Ord. No. O-63-03, § 1, 3-4-03; Ord. No. O-185-2014, § 1, 9-16-14; Ord. No. O-107-2015, § 1, 6-23-15; Ord. No. O-176-2015, § 1, 9-30-15)
(d)Whenever parking is prohibited as authorized in section 17-292, 17-293 or 17-295, it shall be the duty of the division of engineering to install yellow curb markings or to erect appropriate signage giving notice.(e)The department of engineering may use yellow curb markings alone to designate areas where parking is otherwise prohibited.
Loading Zones
Knoxville limits marked loading zones to the expeditious loading or unloading of freight or passengers during posted hours, caps the stop at up to one hour, and bars non-commercial vehicles from parking there.
Knoxville Loading Zone Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 17-354(a) (Code 1962, § 26-1404; Ord. No. O-135-2018, § 1, 9-11-18)
(a)No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle for any purpose or length of time other than for the expeditious unloading and delivery or pickup and loading of property in any place marked as a loading zone during hours when the provisions applicable to such zones are in effect. In no case shall the stop for loading, unloading or delivery of goods and services exceed the time limit specified ...
Towing & Impound Rights
Knoxville sets a hard price ceiling on tows taken without the owner's consent: $245 for a Class A vehicle, $320 for Class B and $435 for Class C, no matter whether the vehicle came off a private lot or a public street. Storage cannot begin to accrue until twenty-four hours have passed, and then runs at $30 or $45 per day by class. The quoted tow price must already include winching, dolly use, spill cleanup and administrative charges, and the wrecker company has to report the vehicle's VIN, plate and location to the Knoxville Police Department before the vehicle is moved.
Knoxville Caps Nonconsensual Tows At $245
Significant RestrictionsKnoxville Code of Ordinances § 26-302 (Ord. No. O-112-2024, § 2, 9-17-24)
Sec. 26-302. - Nonconsensual towing rates. (a)The maximum rates for nonconsensual tows—initial tow or subsequent tow if necessary, from public or private property to any location—for which a towing company may charge when services called for originate within the city are:(1)Class A .....$245.00.(2)Class B .....320.00.(3)Class C .....435.00.(b)In addition to the tow rate, the towing company may ...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Knoxville city rules.
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