STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Knoxville, TN
Knoxville's STR ordinance (Ord. O-281-2017, effective Jan 1 2018) splits permits into Type 1 (owner-occupied, in any residential zone, $70 application fee, must be a natural person not an LLC) and Type 2 (non-owner-occupied, in non-residential / mixed-use zones only, $120 application fee). Permits are issued through the city's Business Tax Office. A local contact must be reachable within 45 minutes. TN Code Sec 13-7-602 prevents Knoxville from outright banning new STRs (Nashville/Memphis are grandfathered; Knoxville is not), but the zoning split heavily restricts where Type 2 non-owner-occupied operations can run. The city also imposes a hotel/motel occupancy tax of 3% on top of Knox County's 5%.
What's behind the sign-in
- Registration fees — initial + annual renewal cost, per permit type
- Permit caps + waitlists — exact cap values, current waitlist counts
- Owner-occupancy rules — days/year requirement, permit-class splits
- Zoning carve-outs — which districts allow / disallow STR
- Tax stack — TOT, hotel, county + state layers
- Stay limits — min/max nightly, max nights/year
- Operational requirements — parking, insurance, fire inspection, neighbor notice
- Penalties — per-night fines, revocation thresholds
- City-specific gotchas — HOA carve-outs, pending legislation, recent court rulings
- Refresh on demand — re-run the agentic pipeline against the city's current ordinance
Frequently asked
Are short-term rentals legal in Knoxville, TN?
Knoxville is currently restricted for short-term rentals. Permitted but with material constraints — caps, owner-occupancy rules, zoning carve-outs, or active ordinance review. For the actual fees, caps, owner-occupancy rules, and city-specific gotchas, sign in.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Knoxville?
Almost certainly yes — almost every U.S. city now requires a short-term rental permit, vacation rental permit, or transient lodging permit before you can legally list. The specifics for Knoxville (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/finance/business_license_tax_office/short-term_rentals.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Knoxville?
Most cities charge per-night fines (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per violation), escalating to cease-and-desist letters and platform delisting on repeat. Airbnb and Vrbo now share permit-validation feeds with most major cities, so unpermitted listings get blocked at the platform level. Sign in to see the specific penalty schedule for Knoxville.
How current is this data for Knoxville?
This record was verified 1mo ago against the city's published ordinance (.gov or the city's official municipal-code publisher). Cached cities re-verify on a cadence — daily for cities under active legislation, weekly otherwise. Signed-in users can hit Refresh on any city to force a fresh pull. If you're underwriting a deal, always confirm against the city's code-enforcement office before closing.
Can my HOA or condo association ban STRs even if Knoxville allows them?
Yes. City permits authorize you under municipal law, but your HOA, condo association, or co-op board sets contractual rules that override the city for your unit. Many HOAs adopted blanket STR bans between 2018 and 2024 in response to neighbor complaints. Read the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rental addendums before you buy with an STR plan — the city saying yes does not mean your building says yes.