Knox County, TN Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Knox County adopted the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code and inserted a local Chapter 12, "Noise," as part of that code under § 10-92. Section 1204 of that chapter makes it unlawful to produce any "unreasonably loud, unusual or unnecessary noise" that disturbs the peace of a neighborhood, judged by factors including the time of day, duration, and proximity to residential sleeping areas. Section 1205 then lists exceptions to the whole chapter, and item 5 covers construction directly: excavation, construction, demolition, repair, paving or alteration of buildings or streets is normally exempt from the noise rules altogether, regardless of decibel level, because that work is not held to the chapter's daytime sound limits.

m. During those hours the general noise prohibitions in the chapter apply in full to construction work, unless the contractor first obtains a permit from the building inspector for urgent work in the interest of public health and safety. The building inspector decides whether nighttime work will impair public health and safety and whether delaying the work would cause loss or inconvenience; that determination is made when the underlying work permit is issued or while the work is in progress, not after the fact. Because Chapter 12 does not carry its own numbered penalty section, a violation falls back to the county's general penalty clause at § 1-4, which applies whenever the code declares an act unlawful without stating a specific fine.