Knox County, TN Soliciting & Door-to-Door: No-Knock Registry (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Knox County Code § 12-30(5)
- Penalty
- Up to $500 per day, § 12-36
- License fee
- $50, non-refundable, § 12-29(b)
- License term
- Expires 30 days after issuance
- Background check
- Knox County Sheriff's Office, § 12-29(c)
- Fee exemption
- Charitable/religious solicitors pay no fee
Summary
Post a sign reading "Peddlers or Solicitors Prohibited" at a Knox County home or business and it carries the force of law. Knox County Code section 12-30(5) bars every licensed peddler, street barker, and solicitor, including charitable and subscription solicitors, from entering that property, and the county clerk or sheriff's office can pursue license suspension or a fine against anyone who ignores it.
No peddler, street barker, solicitor, solicitor for charitable purposes, or solicitor for subscriptions shall:
(1)Be permitted to set up and operate a booth or stand on any street or sidewalk, or in any other public area within the county.(2)Stand or sit in or near the entrance to any dwelling or place of business, or in any other place which may disrupt or impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic.(3)Offer to sell goods or services or solicit in vehicular traffic lanes, or operate a "road block" of any kind.(4)Call attention to his or her business or merchandise or to his or her solicitation efforts by crying out, by blowing a horn, by ringing a bell, or creating other noise, except that the street barker shall be allowed to cry out to call attention to his or her business or merchandise during recognized parade or festival days of the county.(5)Enter in or upon any premises or attempt in or upon any premises wherein a sign or placard bearing the notice "Peddlers or Solicitors Prohibited," or similar language carrying the same meaning, is located.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Article II of Chapter 12 of the Knox County Code regulates peddlers, street barkers, and solicitors operating in unincorporated Knox County (Secs. 12-26 through 12-36). Before knocking on a single door, every peddler, street barker, and solicitor, along with subscription solicitors, must obtain a license from the county clerk under Sec. 12-28, filing a sworn application listing the business, the goods sold, the dates of activity, and the vehicle used, then submitting to a Knox County Sheriff's Office background check for outstanding warrants or convictions for crimes of moral turpitude (Sec.
12-29). 00 fee, though solicitors for charitable or religious purposes pay nothing (Sec. 12-29(b)). Sec. 12-30 then lists five hard restrictions on licensees, and subsection (5) is the no-knock rule: a peddler, street barker, or solicitor may not enter or attempt to enter any premises where a sign or placard bearing the notice "Peddlers or Solicitors Prohibited," or similar language, is located. The same section bars setting up a booth or stand on a street or sidewalk, blocking a doorway or walkway, soliciting in traffic lanes, and crying out, blowing a horn, or ringing a bell to attract business.
Licenses issued under this article expire 30 days after issuance (Sec. 12-34), and the county clerk or the Knox County Commission, after written notice and a hearing, can suspend or revoke a license for any chapter violation (Sec. 12-33). These provisions were adopted by Ord. No. O-97-5-101 on July 28, 1997, and amended by Ord. No. O-12-10-101 on November 19, 2012.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a posted "Peddlers or Solicitors Prohibited" sign, or any other violation of Chapter 12, Article II, is punishable by a penalty of up to $500.00 for each offense, and Sec. 12-36 treats each day a violation continues as a separate offense. The county clerk can suspend or revoke the violator's license outright, and the Knox County Commission can do the same after mailed or hand-delivered notice and a hearing under Sec. 12-33.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a "No Soliciting" sign legally enforceable in Knox County?
Does the no-knock rule cover charity or subscription solicitors?
What happens if someone knocks anyway after seeing the sign?
Do solicitors need a license before going door to door in Knox County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Knox County
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