Knox County, TN Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Knox County, TN, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Nighttime limit
- 40 dB, 9:00 p.m.-9:00 a.m.
- Daytime limit
- 50 dB, other hours
- Large-event rule
- Amplified sound after 9pm must be indoors
- Approval type
- Use permitted on review
- Districts allowed
- A, RP, RA, RB, E, T, PR
Summary
A Knox County rural retreat, the zoning ordinance's use-on-review category for agritourism and event venues, must disclose its planned sound amplification when applying and keep noise at the property line under forty decibels between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., fifty decibels the rest of the day, and move any amplified late events indoors above certain sizes.
4.104.01. Minimum required information. ... A.The description of proposed activities shall include the following:1.The number of employees;2.The hours of operation;...6.Sound amplification to be used;... I.Noise generated by the use, as measured at any property line, shall not exceed forty (40) decibels (dB) between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., and shall not exceed fifty (50) decibels (dB) at any other time. ... 4.All events that include sound amplification of any kind or that include 50 or more attendees between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. must take place entirely within a fully enclosed building(s).
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
03. 6, an applicant's use-on-review submission must describe the 'sound amplification to be used' as part of the required activity narrative, alongside hours of operation and expected attendance. , or fifty decibels at any other time. must be held entirely inside a fully enclosed building. N to further limit hours of operation and event scale on a case-by-case basis if a proposed retreat threatens adjoining parcels. 02, and campfire and bonfire recreational uses at a retreat remain separately subject to Knox County's open-burn regulations.
Violations & Fines
A rural retreat is a use permitted only on review; operating one, or exceeding its approved noise, hours or amplified-sound conditions, without complying with the Section 4.104.02 standards and any planning-commission conditions is a zoning violation enforceable by Knox County Code Administration, subject to the zoning ordinance's general penalty and correction procedures for uses on review.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can amplified sound be at a Knox County rural retreat?
Do I have to disclose sound equipment when applying for a rural retreat?
Can a rural retreat host a loud outdoor event after 9pm?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knox County
Compare Knox County to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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