15 permits · verified 2026-10-08
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Knox County Tn?
In short
A retail store in Knox County Tn, TN has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 13 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Knox County Clerk (Business Tax Division and Commission Library) charges $15 county license (county-only; inside the City of Knoxville the separate city business license is also required) for the county business tax license (standard or minimal activity). 5 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-08 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Knox County Tn
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance (Retail Food Store Wine License)only if it applies to you | Knox County Clerk (Business Tax Division and Commission Library) | $5.00 per person non-refundable Clerk administrative fee, plus a $15.00 Knox County Sheriff's Office arrest-record release fee | valid unless there is a change of ownership or location (T.C.A. § 57-3-806(a)) | 2026-10-08 |
| Liquidation / Going-Out-of-Business Sale Licenseonly if it applies to you | Knox County Clerk (Business Tax Division and Commission Library) | $50 per original or renewal application, each covering 30 days; non-refundable | 30 days; renewable up to three times per location within one year | 2026-10-08 |
| County Beer Permit (unincorporated area)only if it applies to you | Knox County Clerk (Business Tax Division and Commission Library) | $250 non-refundable application fee, plus the $100 annual beer privilege tax paid to the County Clerk (prorated by month for a new permit; due January 1) | the permit continues until the business ends, changes ownership, relocates or changes its name (Code § 4-3); the $100 privilege tax is annual; employee and server permits are valid three years | 2026-10-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Knox County Tn
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business Tax License (Standard or Minimal Activity)only if it applies to you | Knox County Clerk (Business Tax Division and Commission Library) | $15 county license (county-only; inside the City of Knoxville the separate city business license is also required) | minimal activity license: renewed each year with the $15 fee by the expiration date on the license; standard license: the Clerk mails the updated license once the Department of Revenue reports the annual business tax paid | 2026-10-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit and Plans Review | Knox County Code Administration and Inspection Department | Varies — formula on the Knox County Tn page | per permit | 2026-10-08 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | Knox County Code Administration and Inspection Department | Varies — formula on the Knox County Tn page | per permit | 2026-10-08 |
| Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | Knox County Code Administration and Inspection Department | $50 per temporary certificate of occupancy (the technology access fee does not apply) | temporary; per certificate | 2026-10-08 |
| Temporary Use Permitonly if it applies to you | Knox County Code Administration and Inspection Department | $75 per temporary use permit, plus the $25 technology access fee | per permit | 2026-10-08 |
| Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | Knox County Code Administration and Inspection Department | $60 per letter (the technology access fee does not apply) | one-time, per letter | 2026-10-08 |
| Subsurface Sewage Disposal System (Septic) Installation Permitonly if it applies to you | Knox County Health Department, Groundwater Division | $200 per SSDS installation permit / drain-field layout | per permit | 2026-10-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
TN registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | no expiry, but an annual report on the same per-member scale is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| For-Profit Corporation Charteronly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $20 annual report is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Standard or Minimal Activity Business Licenseonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Department of Revenue | $15 per jurisdiction per location — charged again by the city if it has enacted the tax | annual for a standard license, renewed free when the tax return is filed | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | Varies — formula on the TN page | annual — due the first day of the fourth month after the fiscal year ends | 2026-09-03 |
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | Tennessee Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiry stated | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Knox County Tn?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a retail store in Knox County Tn, TN, 2 apply to every business of this type and 13 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
5 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Certificate of Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance (Retail Food Store Wine License): $5.00 per person non-refundable Clerk administrative fee, plus a $15.00 Knox County Sheriff's Office arrest-record release fee
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Knox County Tn permits page and the TN state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Knox County Tn?
Permits for a retail store in Knox County Tn, TN come from 5 separate offices: Knox County Clerk (Business Tax Division and Commission Library), Knox County Code Administration and Inspection Department, Knox County Health Department, Groundwater Division, Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations, Tennessee Department of Revenue. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Knox County Clerk (Business Tax Division and Commission Library)Issues 4 permits on this page: County Business Tax License (Standard or Minimal Activity), Certificate of Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance (Retail Food Store Wine License), Liquidation / Going-Out-of-Business Sale License, County Beer Permit (unincorporated area)Old Courthouse, 300 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 · 865-215-2392 (business licenses); 865-215-3441 (beer permits and wine certificates); 865-215-2385 (main office)www.knoxcounty.org/clerk/businesstax.php
- Knox County Code Administration and Inspection DepartmentIssues 5 permits on this page, including Commercial Building Permit and Plans Review, Sign Permit, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy400 Main Street, Suite 547, Knoxville, TN 37902 · 865-215-2325www.knoxcounty.org/codes/index.php
- Knox County Health Department, Groundwater DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Subsurface Sewage Disposal System (Septic) Installation Permit140 Dameron Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917 · 865-215-5200 (ext. 1)www.knoxcounty.org/health/groundwater_protection/groundwater_services.php
- Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable OrganizationsIssues 3 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), For-Profit Corporation Charter, Annual Report312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 6th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243-1102 · (615) 741-2286tncab.tnsos.gov
- Tennessee Department of RevenueIssues 2 permits on this page: Standard or Minimal Activity Business License, Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration500 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37242 · (800) 342-1003www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/business-tax/registration-and-licensing.html
What does a retail store need in Knox County Tn that other businesses do not?
2 of the 3 permits particular to a retail store here apply to no other business type we cover in Knox County Tn: Certificate of Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance (Retail Food Store Wine License) and Liquidation / Going-Out-of-Business Sale License.
Certificate of Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance (Retail Food Store Wine License)
As stated on the Knox County Clerk's Liquor Privilege Tax page, retail food stores may apply for a Retail Food Store Wine License issued by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission 'but must first obtain a Knox County Certificate of Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance'. The Clerk's application packet sets a 'Nonrefundable Administrative Fee: $5.00 per person', payable to the Knox County Clerk, and includes the Knox County Sheriff's Office release of local arrest record, which carries a '$15.00 fee' (cash, exact change, or check). Under T.C.A. § 57-3-806(a) the certificate comes from the county mayor or chair of the county commission when the store is outside the corporate limits of a municipality, and from the municipality when it is inside one, so this county certificate applies to grocery and retail food stores outside city limits; the statute says the certificate remains valid unless there is a change of ownership or location. Questions to (865) 215-3441.
Liquidation / Going-Out-of-Business Sale License
Knox County Code § 12-56 sets a fee of $50.00 for each original or renewal application for a liquidation sale license, forfeited if the application is disapproved, and the Clerk's Liquidation or Going Out of Business License page states 'The non-refundable fee for the permit is $50.00 for each thirty (30) day period'. Code § 12-51 defines 'County' for this article as the territory of the county exclusive of any incorporated towns or cities. Under §§ 12-54 and 12-55 a license lasts no more than 30 days and may be renewed no more than three times per location within one year, and § 12-53 requires the applicant to state that the business has operated at the location for at least six months. Per the Clerk's page, each application and renewal needs a complete inventory list, the certificate must be posted conspicuously, and advertising must carry the prescribed permit-number statement. Call the Business License Division at 865-215-2392.
County Beer Permit (unincorporated area)
Knox County Code § 4-3(a) makes it unlawful to sell beer 'within the unincorporated area of the county without a beer permit issued by the county clerk and approved by the beer board'. Under Code § 4-4(b) the applicant pays 'an application fee of $250.00 to the county clerk', none of it refundable, and the Clerk's Beer Permits page states 'The non-refundable fee for the permit is $250.00'; the same $250 is the application fee in T.C.A. § 57-5-104(a). Code § 4-4(l) requires the permittee to pay the state privilege tax under T.C.A. § 57-5-104, which sets $100 a year, remitted to the county clerk for businesses outside the incorporated limits of any city or town and prorated by month for a new permit. Per the Clerk's page, the County Commission meets on the 4th Monday at 4:00 pm, the applicant must be present, the application is notarized twice, and the applicant needs a Knox County business tax license. Code §§ 4-5 and 4-36 give new employees 30 days to complete a Sheriff-approved server training programme, and employee and server permits are valid three years. Call 865-215-3441 for filing deadlines.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Knox County Tn, TN; what each one involves is set out on the Knox County Tn permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across TN and are covered on the TN state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Knox County Tn?
The closest match is a restaurant, which shares 1 of these permits. A retail store also needs Certificate of Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance (Retail Food Store Wine License) and Liquidation / Going-Out-of-Business Sale License. A restaurant needs Food Service Establishment Permit (KCHD), Food Service Establishment Permit and Certified Food Protection Manager, which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Knox County Tn permits page and the TN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Application for Background Investigation and Zoning Compliance Certificate for Retail Food Store Wine License (with Sheriff's arrest-record release)Knox County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- County Clerk — Liquor Privilege Tax / Retail Food Store Wine LicenseKnox County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- T.C.A. § 57-3-806 — Retail food store wine license; local certificateState of Tennessee (Tennessee Code Annotated) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Knox County Code, Chapter 12 — Businesses (Article III, liquidation sales)Knox County, Tennessee (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- County Clerk — Liquidation or Going Out of Business LicenseKnox County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Knox County Code, Chapter 4 — Alcoholic BeveragesKnox County, Tennessee (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- County Clerk — Beer PermitsKnox County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
- Tennessee Code § 57-5-104 — beer permit application fee and privilege taxState of Tennessee (Tennessee Code Annotated, via FindLaw) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.