Knoxville, TN Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Posted overnight ban
- set by dept. of engineering, street-by-street
- Basis for posting
- engineering and traffic investigation
- Heavy truck ban
- >18,000 lbs, 6:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m., citywide
- Hazmat/fuel truck ban
- >50 gal. volatile liquid, 6 p.m.-6 a.m., any load state
- Truck ban exception
- actively loading/unloading, driver attending
- Penalty
- general penalty, up to $50 fine, 30 days (§1-9)
Summary
Knoxville's department of engineering can post signs banning parking during specified hours, commonly overnight, on any street after an engineering and traffic study; once signs go up, parking there during those hours is unlawful. Separately, trucks and trailers over 18,000 pounds face a flat citywide overnight ban.
Sec. 17-299. - Parking prohibited during certain hours on certain streets. (a)The department of engineering is hereby authorized to erect signs prohibiting parking during specified hours as may become necessary based on an engineering and traffic investigation.(b)When signs are erected giving notice thereof, no person shall park a vehicle between the hours specified upon any street or portion thereof so signed.
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. 17-299 is the enabling rule behind Knoxville's posted overnight parking zones: the department of engineering may erect signs prohibiting parking during specified hours wherever an engineering and traffic investigation shows it is necessary, and once those signs are up, parking a vehicle on that street during the stated hours is unlawful. It works street-by-street rather than as a blanket citywide curfew, so the restriction only applies where the department has actually posted it. Knoxville also has one blanket overnight rule that applies without any signage: Sec.
, with an exception for vehicles actively loading or unloading or when the driver is in attendance. regardless of whether it is loaded, empty, or attended. Together, Sec. 17-299 and Sec. 17-290 give Knoxville two distinct overnight tools: a sign-dependent restriction the department can apply anywhere traffic conditions warrant it, and a fixed, unsigned citywide ban targeted at heavy trucks and hazardous-cargo vehicles.
Violations & Fines
Parking in violation of a posted Sec. 17-299 restriction, or parking a heavy truck or trailer overnight in violation of Sec. 17-290, results in a parking ticket. Neither section states a unique fine, so violations are punished under the city's 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 each continuing day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Knoxville have a citywide overnight parking ban?
Can I park a large truck on a Knoxville street overnight?
What happens if I park somewhere with a posted overnight parking ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
How Knoxville compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·Compare Knoxville to another location·View the Tennessee parking rules overview
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