Knoxville, TN Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted leaf blower hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Covered equipment
- mowers, blowers, trimmers, saws, sanders, drills
- Outside those hours
- subject to standard 60-65 dB(C) limits
- Continuing violation rule
- new offense every 30 minutes (§18-6)
- Warning required first?
- no (§18-7)
- Penalty
- general penalty, up to $50 fine, 30 days (§1-9)
Summary
Knoxville exempts leaf blowers and other domestic power equipment, like mowers, trimmers and saws, from its noise ordinance only between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Outside that window, the equipment loses its exception and is subject to the city's standard decibel limits like any other noise source.
Sec. 18-8. - Exceptions. None of the terms or prohibitions contained in this chapter shall apply to or be enforced against: ...(6)Use of domestic power equipment (including but not limited to power lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers, snowblowers, tillers, saws, sanders, drills or similar devices) between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
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
Sec. ' as one of fifteen exceptions to the noise chapter. window cannot be cited for exceeding the sound-level limits in Sec. , or the catch-all ban in Sec. 18-4 on loud, unusual or unnecessary noise. , and the exception disappears; the equipment is then measured against the ordinary standards like anything else, and it can also be cited under Sec. 18-4(a) if it disturbs the peace and quiet of a neighborhood regardless of decibel readings. Sec. 18-6 makes each violation a separate offense, and any violation that continues past thirty minutes, or recurs within thirty minutes, counts as a new offense for every additional half hour, which matters for a landscaping crew running equipment for hours outside the permitted window.
Sec. 18-7 confirms no warning is required before the city enforces the chapter, and a resident or contractor cannot get around the hours by applying for a special noise permit under Sec. 18-9, which is limited to Fridays, Saturdays and holidays for a single event and does not cover routine yard work.
Violations & Fines
Running domestic power equipment like a leaf blower outside the 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. window is a Chapter 18 noise violation. The chapter sets no unique fine, so it falls under the general penalty, Sec. 1-9: up to a fifty-dollar fine, repayment of administrative correction costs up to five hundred dollars, and/or up to thirty days in jail, with a fresh offense every thirty minutes a violation continues under Sec. 18-6.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can I use a leaf blower in Knoxville?
Can I be cited for a leaf blower even during allowed hours?
What happens if a landscaping crew runs blowers past 9 p.m.?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
How Knoxville compares: Cities with the Strictest Leaf Blower Rules·Compare Knoxville to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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