Knox County, TN Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Sign size cap
- 2 square feet maximum
- Setback
- 20 feet from street right-of-way
- Legal basis
- Exception to no-visible-change rule
- Comparison
- Ordinary business sign cap: 450 sq ft
- Enforcement
- $10-$500 civil penalty per day
Summary
A home business sign in unincorporated Knox County is capped at two square feet and has to sit at least 20 feet back from the street right-of-way, under Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.90.04.D. The home occupation rules in Sec. 4.90.01.C only allow a sign at all as an exception to the requirement that a home business leave no visible change to the property, so this two-square-foot sign is the one sanctioned way to identify the business from the street.
[Sec. 4.90.01.C] There shall be no change in the outside appearance of the building or premises, nor outdoor storage of anything other than vehicles, or other visible evidence of the conduct of such home occupation with the exception of signs as permitted in section 3.90, "Signs, billboards, and other advertising structures." [Sec. 3.90.04.D] Business signs for home occupations shall not exceed two (2) square feet nor be located closer than twenty (20) feet to the street right-of-way line.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 90. That cross-reference leads to Sec. D, the business-sign section, which sets the actual standard for a home occupation's sign: it shall not exceed two (2) square feet nor be located closer than twenty (20) feet to the street right-of-way line. Two square feet is a small fraction of what other business signs are allowed under the same Sec. 04: an ordinary business ground sign can run up to 450 square feet under subsection H, and even the no-permit residential signs allowed under Sec.
2, signs displaying only the name of the property owner, can be up to six square feet. The 20-foot setback in subsection D is also a specific carve-out from the general business-sign setback in subsection A, which otherwise requires ground signs to be set back only 10 feet from the right-of-way or 15 feet from the edge of pavement. Because Sec. D is written as the sign exception to the home occupation's no-visible-change requirement, a home business is limited to one identifying sign meeting that size and setback, not a second sign advertising specials, hours, or products, since anything beyond a single compliant identification sign would put the property back outside the no-change-in-outside-appearance standard in Sec. C.
Violations & Fines
A home business sign larger than two square feet, or set back less than 20 feet from the right-of-way, doesn't qualify for the Sec. 4.90.01.C sign exception and instead violates the home occupation's no-visible-change requirement. That puts the whole home occupation approval at risk, and the sign itself is enforceable under Sec. 6.20.02.A: a civil penalty of $10 to $500 per day, appealable to the board of zoning appeals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can my home business sign be?
How far back from the road does my sign have to be?
Can I put up more than one sign for my home business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knox County
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