Knoxville, TN Parking Rules: Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Weight trigger
- Over 18,000 lbs
- Covered vehicles
- Trucks, trailers, semitrailers
- Banned hours
- 6 p.m.–6 a.m.
- Exception
- Actively loading or attended
- Hazmat rule
- Overnight ban regardless of load
Summary
Knoxville bars trucks over 18,000 pounds gross weight and any trailer or semitrailer from parking on any city street between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless actively loading, unloading, or attended by the driver.
(a) No person shall park any truck or motor vehicle of more than eighteen thousand (18,000) pounds gross weight, or any trailer or semitrailer, whether or not attached to a tractor, on any street from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.; except that this section shall not apply to trucks, trailers or semitrailers so parked while actually engaged in loading or unloading, or when the driver is in attendance with the truck.
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
The general code's traffic chapter sets a citywide, street-by-street rule, not a zoning-district one: no truck or motor vehicle over 18,000 pounds gross weight, and no trailer or semitrailer whether or not attached to a tractor, may be parked on any street from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The overnight ban lifts only while the vehicle is actually engaged in loading or unloading, or while its driver is with it. A separate, stricter rule in the same section bans parking a vehicle carrying explosives or more than 50 gallons of gasoline, kerosene, or similar volatile liquid on any street or alley overnight regardless of whether it's loaded.
Violations & Fines
A citation issued under Knoxville's traffic and parking enforcement; parking a heavy truck, trailer, or semitrailer on a public street overnight without an active loading exception is a ticketable parking violation, and hazmat-carrying vehicles face the same overnight ban regardless of load status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park my semi-truck on my residential street overnight in Knoxville?
Does the weight-based ban apply during the day?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
Compare Knoxville to another location·View the Tennessee parking rules overview
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