Knoxville, TN Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Knoxville, TN, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Normally exempt
- Construction/demolition/paving noise
- Residential curfew
- 6:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.
- After-hours option
- Building inspector permit
- Pneumatic tools
- Must be muffled, § 18-4(c)(8)
Summary
Knoxville exempts construction, demolition and paving from its noise standards: except in residential areas between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., when work needs an urgent-necessity permit from the building inspector under § 18-8(5).
This exception shall not apply to such excavation, construction, demolition, repair, paving or alteration of buildings or streets in a residential use between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. except in case of urgent necessity in the interest of public health and safety, and then only with a permit from the building inspector.
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
Chapter 18's noise limits normally don't apply to excavation, construction, demolition, repair, paving, or building alteration. City Code § 18-8(5) exempts that work outright. The one carve-out: in a residential use, that same work is barred between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. unless it's an urgent necessity for public health and safety, and even then only with a permit from the building inspector, who may authorize the after-hours work if it won't impair public health and safety and delay would cause loss or inconvenience to a party. Separately, § 18-4(c)(8) requires any compressed-air (pneumatic) equipment common on job sites, like jackhammers, to be effectively muffled and reduced at all times, exempt or not.
Violations & Fines
Working past 6:00 p.m. in a residential area without an inspector's permit, or running unmuffled pneumatic equipment, is cited under Chapter 18's general penalty: up to a $50 fine, $500 in costs, and/or 30 days in jail per offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can construction crews work at night in Knoxville?
Are jackhammers and air compressors regulated in Knoxville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
How Knoxville compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·Compare Knoxville to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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