Can You Put a Fence on an Easement in Knoxville, TN?
Not inside Knoxville city limits. The City of Knoxville Zoning Code, Section 10.1.E, states that fences are “prohibited within utility and drainage easements,” with no exception written into that section. In unincorporated Knox County and nearby towns the rules differ, so check your recorded plat and deed for easements before setting a single post.
Loudon County Fence is a veteran-owned fence contractor in Lenoir City that has built fences across Knoxville and East Tennessee since 1973. Easements are one of the most common surprises we find when we walk a yard for an estimate, and they are much cheaper to deal with before the fence goes in than after.
What is an easement?
An easement is a recorded right that lets someone other than the owner use a defined strip of land for a specific purpose. You still own the land and usually still mow and maintain it, but the easement holder, such as a utility, the city, or a neighbor, has the right to use it for what the easement allows.
Most residential lots around Knoxville have at least one. The common types:
| Easement type | Who typically holds it | Where you usually find it | Why it matters for a fence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility easement | Electric, water, gas, sewer, telecom providers | Along rear and side lot lines, or along the street | Crews need room to reach lines, poles, transformers, and manholes |
| Drainage easement | The city, county, or the subdivision | Along lot lines in planned subdivisions, swales, and ditches | A fence can catch debris, block runoff, and push water onto your yard or a neighbor's |
| Sewer easement | The sewer utility (KUB in much of Knox County) | Over a sewer main, often marked by manhole lids | Equipment needs access to the main and manholes |
| Access (ingress and egress) easement | A neighbor or other property owner | Shared driveways, flag lots, rural lanes | Fencing across it can block someone's legal right to pass |
Can you build a fence in an easement inside Knoxville city limits?
No. Knoxville's zoning code bans fences in utility and drainage easements outright. Section 10.1.E of the City of Knoxville Zoning Code, Article 10 (Site Development Standards) reads in full:
“Permanent structures, stormwater facilities, retaining walls, fences, decks, and accessory structures are prohibited within utility and drainage easements.”
Two things stand out. First, fences are named specifically, so there is no argument that a fence is not a “structure.” Second, retaining walls are on the same list, which matters on sloped East Tennessee lots where a fence and a small wall often go in together.
That same Article 10 also controls where and how tall a fence can be elsewhere on the lot. Under Section 10.3.L.1, from five feet behind the front building line forward to the front lot line, and in the corner side yard, “privacy fences and walls are limited to 42 inches,” while “Open fences do not have a limit.” There is no height limit for privacy fences in other yards, and fences “may be constructed at the boundaries of a lot without setback with the exception of the required visibility triangle.” So in Knoxville a fence can sit right on the property line, unless that line is inside an easement, which it often is.
For the full picture on Knoxville permits and heights, see our guides to whether you need a fence permit in Knoxville and fence rules across Knox County.
What about unincorporated Knox County?
Outside city limits, drainage easements still control where a fence can safely go, and changes inside them may need a permit. Knox County Stormwater's frequently asked questions page explains that “In most planned residential subdivisions the lot lines are drainage easements reserved to direct rain water runoff,” and that “Any significant change within a drainage easement may need a permit.” The county directs homeowners to call (865) 215-5540 to find out whether their project needs one.
In practice, that means a fence along the back or side line of a subdivision lot in Karns, Halls, Powell, or Hardin Valley is very likely sitting in a drainage easement. Before building there, call the county, read your plat, and check your HOA covenants, which frequently add their own easement language. Our post on HOA fence approval in Knox County covers that side.
Farragut, Maryville, Alcoa, Lenoir City, and Oak Ridge each have their own codes. The safe assumption anywhere in East Tennessee is that a utility or drainage easement shown on your plat restricts fencing until the local codes office tells you otherwise.
What happens if a fence is already in an easement?
The easement holder can need it out of the way, and the owner is usually the one left dealing with it. KUB's own planning document on rights-of-way and easements (Section 8) describes ongoing problems with “landscaping and special structures that, over the years, have been installed by property owners” that sit “either within or too close to the limits of the original easement.” KUB says it works with property owners to gain access, but also states: “When necessary, KUB will pursue access to the sewer lines through legal means.”
What that looks like on the ground:
- Utility work. A crew needs to reach a sewer main, a buried line, or a pole. Fence sections may be removed or damaged to get equipment in.
- Drainage problems. Solid privacy fence across a drainage swale traps leaves and sticks. Water backs up, and the neighbor upstream notices first.
- Code enforcement. In Knoxville, a fence in a utility or drainage easement does not meet the zoning code, which can come up during a complaint, a permit review, or a sale.
- Selling the house. A buyer's survey can show the fence crossing an easement line, which turns into a negotiation item at the worst possible time.
If you are buying a house with an existing fence, ask for the survey and look at where the fence sits relative to the easement lines. If you are replacing an old fence, do not assume the old post line is legal just because it has been there for years.
How do you find out if your yard has an easement?
Your recorded plat and deed are the authoritative sources, and a survey shows where the easement lines fall on the ground. Here is the order we recommend:
- Pull your closing documents. Look for a survey, a plat, and the title commitment. Title commitments list recorded easements as exceptions.
- Look up the recorded plat. Subdivision plats show utility and drainage easements as dashed lines with widths, often 5, 10, or more feet along lot lines. The Knox County Register of Deeds holds recorded deeds and plat maps.
- Check the parcel on KGIS. The Knoxville-Knox County-KUB geographic information system at kgis.org is a quick way to see parcel lines and find linked recorded documents. Treat it as a guide, not a survey.
- Walk the yard for clues. Manhole lids, utility poles and guy wires, green pad-mounted transformers, telecom pedestals, and drainage swales along a lot line almost always mean an easement.
- Get a survey if the line is close. If the fence would run within a few feet of an easement or property line, a licensed surveyor can stake both. That costs far less than moving a fence.
- Call Tennessee 811 before digging. Easements are where buried lines live. Tennessee 811 states that “A normal locate request requires at least three (3) working days' notice,” and notes that utilities “may not locate or mark private underground facilities,” such as a line you installed yourself to a shop or sprinkler system. See our guide to calling 811 before a fence in Tennessee.
Where should the fence go instead?
Usually just inside the easement line, on the side toward your house. In Knoxville, with no required setback from the property line, that is often the cleanest answer: the fence runs parallel to the lot line, offset by the easement width.
A few practical points from building fences around Knoxville subdivisions:
- Measure from the easement line, not the property line. Leave room for the post footing, not just the face of the fence. A footing that drifts a few inches into the easement is still in the easement.
- Keep the strip usable. Leaving a gap between your fence and the neighbor's fence creates a no-man's-land strip that is hard to mow. Talk with the neighbor so both of you plan for it, and think about how you will reach it.
- Do not block drainage on the inside, either. Even outside the easement, keep a small gap at the bottom of privacy fence near swales so water and debris can pass.
- Watch slopes. Easements often follow the low side of the lot. Moving the fence uphill to clear an easement can change how you step or rack the panels on a slope.
- Plan gates around utility access. Where a fence must pass near a transformer, pole, or manhole that is outside the easement but close, a wide gate gives crews a way in without cutting the fence.
Our post on how far off the property line you can put a fence goes deeper on property-line placement and neighbor issues.
Is a gate across an easement ever allowed?
Inside Knoxville city limits, a gate is part of a fence, and fences are prohibited in utility and drainage easements, so the answer for those easements is no. Access easements, such as a shared rural driveway, are a different question that depends on the wording of the recorded easement itself. If your fence would cross a shared lane or a neighbor's access route, read the recorded document and talk to a real estate attorney before you build, because blocking someone's legal access can turn into a dispute quickly.
Does an easement change what a fence costs?
It can, in a few predictable ways. Pulling the fence inside an easement line sometimes shortens the run, which lowers cost. It can also add corners, which need stronger posts and bracing, and a survey to stake the line adds a one-time cost. Typical installed price ranges in our area are $14-50 per foot for wood privacy, $19-60 per foot for vinyl, $10-40 per foot for chain link, and $24-70 per foot for ornamental aluminum. See how much a fence costs for what moves a price up or down.
Key facts
- City of Knoxville Zoning Code Section 10.1.E prohibits fences, retaining walls, decks, and accessory structures within utility and drainage easements.
- In Knoxville, privacy fences are limited to 42 inches from five feet behind the front building line forward and in the corner side yard (Section 10.3.L.1).
- Knox County Stormwater says lot lines in most planned subdivisions are drainage easements, and significant changes inside them may need a permit.
- Recorded plats and deeds, kept by the Knox County Register of Deeds, show where easements are and how wide they are.
- Tennessee 811 requires at least three working days' notice before digging, and does not mark private lines.
Want help laying out a fence around an easement?
Loudon County Fence holds Tennessee Unlimited Contractor License #54371 and has been building fences in Knoxville, Knox County, Loudon County, and the rest of East Tennessee since 1973. When we come out for an estimate, we look at your plat, find the easement lines, and lay the fence out so it does not end up in the way of a utility crew or a drainage swale. More answers to common questions are on our fence answers page.
Request a free on-site estimate or call (865) 988-9935.
This article summarizes published City of Knoxville, Knox County, KUB, and Tennessee 811 sources as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Easement rights depend on the recorded documents for your property; confirm with your local codes office, a surveyor, or an attorney before you build.
