Knoxville, TN Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential EPSC threshold
- disturbance over 10,000 sq ft
- Commercial plan
- always requires licensed stamp
- Standard referenced
- TN Erosion & Sediment Control Handbook
- Civil penalty
- $50-$5,000 per day
Summary
Knoxville requires erosion prevention and sediment controls on every site development project, with a licensed-professional-stamped EPSC plan mandatory for commercial work and residential disturbance over 10,000 square feet.
(a)When site development occurs, the following actions are required:(1)Install, inspect, repair, and maintain all erosion prevention and sediment controls (EPSCs)...(b)An EPSC plan must be provided as follows:(1)Residential development: Requires no EPSC plan except if...disturbance of more than ten thousand (10,000) square feet or as deemed necessary by the director...(2)Commercial development: Requires an EPSC plan stamped by an engineer, architect, or landscape architect licensed in Tennessee, complying with the Tennessee Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook or the BMP manual.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 22.5-26 requires installing, inspecting, repairing, and maintaining erosion prevention and sediment controls (EPSCs) on any site development, per the approved permit and plans. Residential development needs no separate EPSC plan unless disturbance exceeds 10,000 square feet or the director deems one necessary; commercial development always needs an EPSC plan stamped by a Tennessee-licensed engineer, architect, or landscape architect, complying with the Tennessee Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook or the city's BMP manual. Written notification signed by a certified EPSC professional is required once controls are installed on site.
Violations & Fines
Site development without required erosion controls, or failure to maintain them per the approved plan, draws a civil penalty of $50 to $5,000 per violation, per site, per day under § 22.5-7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Knoxville homeowner need an erosion control plan?
Who must stamp a Knoxville commercial erosion control plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
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