Knoxville, TN Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Audibility limit
- 50 feet from vehicle/property line
- Covers
- radio, tape, CD, similar devices
- Bass counts
- reverberation alone is a violation
- Muffler rule
- required, no cutouts/bypass (§ 17-383)
Summary
Knoxville bans playing a car radio, tape, CD or similar audio device loud enough to be heard fifty feet away, whether the vehicle is on a public street or parked on private property.
Consistent with other provisions of this chapter, and in addition thereto, no person shall use or operate any radio, tape player, record player, compact disc player or any similar device in or on a motor vehicle located on the public streets of the city, property owned by or leased to Knoxville's community development corporation, or within a public park, within a public parking lot or on any other public premise within the city, which is audible to a person of normal hearing sensitivity more than fifty (50) feet from such vehicle, nor shall any person use or operate any radio, tape player, record player, compact disc player or any similar device in or on a motor vehicle located on private property which is audible to a person of normal hearing sensitivity more than fifty (50) feet outside the real property boundary of said property. Words and phrases need not be discernible for said sound to be "audible", and said sound shall include bass reverberation.
(Ord. No. O-507-98, § 1, 10-6-98)
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
Knoxville Code of Ordinances § 18-5 makes it unlawful to operate a radio, tape player, record player, CD player or similar device in or on a motor vehicle so loudly it's audible to a person of normal hearing more than fifty feet away -- whether the vehicle sits on a public street, in a public lot or park, or on private property (measured from the property line there). Words don't need to be distinguishable for the sound to count, and bass reverberation alone is enough. Separately, § 17-383(a) requires every motor vehicle to run a working muffler and bans muffler cutouts or bypass devices.
Violations & Fines
Playing vehicle audio audible beyond fifty feet, or running a vehicle without a working muffler or with a cutout/bypass device, is a citable noise violation under Chapter 18 and § 17-383.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can my car stereo legally be in Knoxville?
Are loud aftermarket exhausts illegal in Knoxville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
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