Knox County has no wildfire-style defensible-space ordinance mandating brush clearance around homes. Overgrown vegetation is handled as a general property-maintenance nuisance, and burning brush requires an Air Quality open-burning permit. Firewise clearance around structures is voluntary.
Unlike wildfire-prone western counties, Knox County does not designate wildland-urban-interface zones or require a defensible-space perimeter cleared of vegetation. There is no county code section setting a fixed clearance distance around dwellings. Overgrown weeds and brush are instead addressed under the county's general nuisance and property-maintenance rules, which your city may supplement. If you want to burn cleared brush, you need the county Air Quality land-management burn permit (onsite brush 3 inches or less, 50 feet from structures, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.). The Tennessee Division of Forestry and Firewise USA recommend, but do not mandate, clearing flammable vegetation within roughly 30 feet of your home.
Nuisance-level overgrowth is enforced through county property-maintenance/codes complaints; illegal brush burning is penalized by Air Quality (up to $25,000/day).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Knox County does not prohibit backyard composting for households. The zoning code only regulates commercial-scale composting facilities, which are solid-wast...
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Knox County has no ordinance regulating artificial turf on residential property. Synthetic lawns are neither required nor banned; large installations should ...
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Knox County has no rule requiring native plants in home yards, but its zoning ordinance requires native shade trees in new parking lots and along streets in ...
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Knox County has no ordinance prohibiting or specially regulating residential rain barrels or rainwater collection. Tennessee does not restrict rainwater harv...
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Knox County does not impose a general ordinance restricting lawn or garden watering days or hours. Any watering limits come from your individual water utilit...
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Knox County treats vines, grass, weeds and other vegetation that reaches 12 inches or more as a presumed public nuisance on residential property. Owners must...
See how Knox County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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