Sign Regulations in Knox County, TN (2026)
4 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Knox County, Tennessee.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Political candidate signs in unincorporated Knox County don't need a building permit, but Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.90.02.H.6 still caps them at 32 square feet, limits display to 30 days, and requires removal within five days after the election. The general sign rules in Sec. 3.90.02 also bar any sign, including a political one, from blocking sightlines at an intersection or interfering with a traffic control device.
Political Sign Rules in Knox County TN
Some RestrictionsKnox County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.90.02.H.6
H.The following signs may be erected without securing a building permit:...6.Temporary sign advertising a political candidate. Such sign shall not be over thirty-two (32) square feet in size, shall not be displayed for more than thirty (30) days and shall be removed within five (5) days of the election.I.Abandoned signs shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the premises upon which the sign...
Garage Sale Signs
A garage sale sign in unincorporated Knox County counts as a temporary sign under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.90.05, so it can't be nailed, wired, or tied to a utility pole, tree, stone, fence or any other object inside a street right-of-way, and it can't block sightlines at an intersection or sit in a required parking space. The section caps any temporary sign at 150 square feet and makes an unremoved sign a misdemeanor carrying a $50-per-day fine.
Garage Sale Sign Rules in Knox County TN
Some RestrictionsKnox County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.90.05
A.Temporary signs shall not be erected or otherwise fixed to any pole, tree, stone, fence, building, structure or any object within the right-of-way of any street.B.No temporary sign shall be erected at the intersection of any street in such a manner as to obstruct free and clear vision, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal, or device, or located in any required parking space...
Digital Billboards
Knox County allows digital billboards, called electronic message centers, only as part of a wall or monument sign in the CA, CB, CH, PC, SC, I, LI, BP and EC commercial and industrial zones, never as a stand-alone sign or in a residential or agricultural district. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.90.02.Q caps brightness at 3,000 nits by day and 750 nits at night, requires automatic dimming, and holds each display in place for 60 seconds before it can change.
Digital Billboard Rules in Knox County TN
Significant RestrictionsKnox County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.90.02.Q
Q.Electronic message centers may be permitted as part of a wall or monument sign in CA, CB, CH, PC, SC, I, LI, BP and EC zone districts in accordance with the following regulations... 5.An EMC permitted as part of a ground or monument sign shall have a minimum matrix area of twenty (20) square feet and a maximum size of one-third (⅓) of the total signage permitted or one hundred (100) square fe...
Window Signs
In Knox County's TC, Town Center Zone, window signs cannot cover more than 10 percent of a storefront's window space. That cap sits inside a five-category sign list, monument, shingle, directional, wall and window signs, that only becomes legal once the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission approves a master signage plan for the development.
Window Sign Limits in Knox County's Town Center Zone
Some RestrictionsKnox County Zoning Ordinance Sec. 5.91.11.B.5
B.Types of signs permitted, subject to approval of master signage plan.1.Monument signs. Surface area not to exceed twenty (20) square feet on lots with a frontage of one hundred (100) feet or less and thirty (30) square feet on other lots within the zone...5.Window signs, not exceeding ten (10) percent of that window space.C.Advertising signs, billboards, and ground signs, with the exception o...
Sign Regulations by City in Knox County
1 cities in Knox County have their own sign regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Knox County ordinances
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