Knoxville, TN Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Knoxville, TN, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- Midnight-7:00 a.m.
- Night limit
- 60 dB(C), residential
- Day limit
- 65 dB(C), residential
- Impulsive sound cap
- 80 dB(C), all hours
Summary
Between midnight and 7:00 a.m., Knoxville drops its residential noise ceiling to 60 dB(C), five decibels quieter than daytime, under City Code § 18-3(a)(1).
(1)Residential use.a.When the offending sound emanates from a residential use between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight, sound which has an C-weighted sound pressure level of 65 dB(C)...b.When the offending sound emanates from a residential use between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m., sound which has an C-weighted sound pressure level of 60 dB(C), or impulsive sound which has an C-weighted sound pressure level of 80 dB(C).
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
City Code § 18-3(a)(1) sets Knoxville's residential noise standard at two tiers: 65 dB(C) from 7:00 a.m. to midnight, dropping to 60 dB(C) from midnight to 7:00 a.m., the ordinance's de facto quiet-hours rule, measured at the real property boundary of the source. Impulsive sound (a bang or crash under one second, like a backfire) stays capped at 80 dB(C) around the clock, day or night. There's no separately titled curfew section elsewhere in the noise chapter; the lower nighttime ceiling written into § 18-3 is how Knoxville enforces quiet hours in residential areas, alongside a companion daytime-only exception in § 18-8 for domestic power equipment like mowers and leaf blowers.
Violations & Fines
Sound over 60 dB(C) at the property line between midnight and 7:00 a.m. 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
Does Knoxville have quiet hours?
What counts as a quiet-hours violation in Knoxville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
How Knoxville compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Knoxville to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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