Owners of vacant land in unincorporated Knox County must keep grass under 12 inches and must not use the lot for open storage of junk, tires, or debris. Both are enforced through the county's dirty lot ordinance on a complaint basis by Code Administration.
Knox County does not run a separate vacant-lot registration program, but vacant parcels are subject to the same dirty lot rules as occupied ones. Under the county's overgrown-grass rule, grass over 12 inches in a residential area is a violation, and open storage of garbage, building materials, rubbish, brush, tires, automotive parts, junk, or debris is prohibited. Enforcement is complaint-driven: a Code Enforcement Officer inspects, and if the lot is in violation it is posted and the owner notified by certified mail. Vacant lots inside the City of Knoxville or Town of Farragut are governed by those municipalities' codes instead.
If the owner fails to abate after the notice period, Knox County Engineering and Public Works cleans up the lot and bills the cost to the owner; large jobs may be given up to 30 days.
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