Knoxville, TN Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Knoxville, TN, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Local contact availability
- 24/7, 45-min response
- Application office
- Business License & Tax Office
- Permit types
- Type 1, 2, and 3
- Type 3 window
- Closed, pre-2017 units only
Summary
Knoxville STR operators must apply through the business license and tax office, naming a 24/7 local contact who can respond to complaints within 45 minutes.
Every operator desiring to operate a short term rental unit shall submit an application for an operating permit to the business license & tax office... Local contact person. A person designated by the operator, who shall be available twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week for the purpose of: a. Being able to physically respond, as necessary, within forty-five (45) minutes of notification of a complaint regarding the condition, operation, or conduct of occupants of the short term rental unit.
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 City Code § 16-612 requires every short-term rental application to go through the business license & tax office and include owner and lessee information, a life-safety affidavit, a site plan, and a designated 'local contact person' available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, who must be able to physically respond to a complaint within 45 minutes. Sec. 16-613 then sorts applicants into three permit types: Type 1 (owner-occupied, residential districts), Type 2 (non-owner-occupied, nonresidential districts), and a now-closed Type 3 grandfathered category for units already operating before March 1, 2017, a nod to Tennessee's STR grandfathering statute, Tenn. Code § 13-7-602, which limits how far new local rules can reach pre-existing rentals.
Violations & Fines
Submitting false information on an application, or an owner's failure to maintain a compliant local contact person, can support permit denial or revocation under the STR ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Knoxville require a local contact person for short-term rentals?
Can I still get a Type 3 grandfathered STR permit in Knoxville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knoxville
How Knoxville compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Knoxville to another location·View the Tennessee short-term rentals overview
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