10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Knox County, Tennessee.
Verified from official government sources
Whether you can keep chickens or livestock in unincorporated Knox County depends on your zoning. The county Agricultural (A) zone permits farm animals as an agricultural use; low-density residential zones generally prohibit livestock. Tennessee's Right-to-Farm Act (TCA 43-26-103) protects established agricultural operations.
Knox County's animal ordinance (Chapter 6, enforced through Young-Williams Animal Center) prohibits dogs from running at large; a dog must stay confined to the owner's property or under control. State law (TCA 44-8-408) makes it an offense for a dog to go uncontrolled onto another's property or a public place.
Knox County does not ban specific dog breeds. It regulates dangerous behavior instead: the county animal ordinance defines a vicious animal as one that has attacked a person or animal two or more times unprovoked, and TCA 44-17-120 lets a court order destruction after a fatal or serious attack.
Knox County follows Tennessee's Apiary Act: beekeepers must register their hives with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and re-register every three years. Registered, reasonably-operated apiaries receive liability protection (TCA 44-15-125). Local zoning still governs where hives may be placed.
Tennessee's exotic-animal law (TCA 70-4-403) classifies wildlife and bans private possession of Class I species inherently dangerous to humans, such as big cats, bears, and primates. Class III animals (many reptiles, small rodents) need no state permit. Knox County zoning and animal rules apply on top of state law.
Knox County has no blanket ordinance banning backyard bird or squirrel feeding, but feeding that attracts nuisance wildlife or bears can draw complaints. Tennessee prohibits feeding wild animals in ways that create hazards, and TWRA enforces state wildlife rules, especially the ban on feeding bears.
Keeping livestock in unincorporated Knox County is a zoning question. The Agricultural (A) zone permits horses, cattle, goats, and other farm animals; residential zones generally prohibit them. Tennessee's Right-to-Farm Act (TCA 43-26-103) presumes an established, compliant farm operation is not a nuisance.
Animal hoarding is addressed through Tennessee's cruelty statute (TCA 39-14-202), which makes it an offense to fail to provide necessary food, water, care, or shelter, or to abandon an animal. Knox County Animal Services (Young-Williams) investigates neglect; a court can bar convicted owners from keeping animals.
Knox County's animal ordinance does not set a strict countywide numeric cap on ordinary household pets in the unincorporated area; the focus is on rabies vaccination, confinement, and nuisance. Cities like Knoxville may set their own per-household limits, so check municipal code if you live inside a city.
Cats in Knox County must be vaccinated against rabies: Tennessee law (TCA 68-8-103) requires dogs and cats over six months old to be currently vaccinated. Knox County's animal ordinance covers cats for rabies and nuisance; there is no countywide cat-leash requirement.
Knox County Health Dept. (per TCA 68-8-103)
Tennessee and Knox County laws require all dogs and cats 3 months of age and older to be vaccinated against rabies.
1 cities in Knox County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Knox County Ordinance Hub →