Knoxville, TN Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

The AG General Agricultural Zoning District is Knoxville's tool for protecting farmland from being crowded out by unrelated development inside the city limits. Appendix B, Article 8, Section 8.1.A states the purpose plainly: to permit lands best suited for agriculture to be used for agriculture, and to prevent the encroachment of incompatible land uses on farm lands while protecting the physical and economic well-being of agricultural operations. Section 8.1.B routes the AG District's permitted, special, and temporary uses to Article 9's citywide use table rather than listing them in Article 8 itself.

Table 8-1 in Section 8.1.C sets the AG District's bulk and setback standards: a 5-acre minimum lot area, a 200-foot minimum lot width, and a 35-foot maximum building height. All four setbacks, front, interior side, corner side, and rear, are set at a uniform 35 feet, among the deepest yard requirements of any Knoxville zoning district and a buffer meant to keep neighboring uses away from working farmland.

Section 8.1.D layers the rest of the Zoning Code on top of these standards: Article 10 governs accessory structures, exterior lighting, and other site development standards; Article 11 sets off-street parking and loading requirements; Article 12 controls landscaping, buffering, and screening; and Article 13 governs signage on an AG-zoned parcel. An owner who wants relief from the 35-foot setbacks or the 5-acre minimum must seek a variance from the Knoxville-Knox County Board of Zoning Appeals under Article 14, Section 3 of the zoning code; administrative determinations by the Zoning Administrator can likewise be appealed to the BZA.