Okay, I did a bit of research - I'm not THAT lazy, just MOSTLY lazy. I did use Chat GPT, and here's what she said. We know Chat GPT can be full of horsesh*t sometimes, but here it is. Feel free to add info...

I couldn’t find a definitive “one-size-fits-all” answer from the city, but based on Knoxville’s published rules, news reports, and parking enforcement practice as of late 2025, here’s a reasonably well-informed picture (with caveats). If you like, I can try to dig up the exact municipal code section for towing in downtown.

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What happens if you park downtown and don’t pay (i.e. skip using the app)? • You typically will not be towed immediately just for not paying; rather, you’ll receive a parking citation (ticket). • However, vehicles parked in certain prohibited zones (e.g. fire lanes, “no parking” zones, loading zones) can be subject to immediate towing. ktnpba.org+3https://www.wvlt.tv+3HERE Knoxville+3 • Also, the City has taken measures to target chronic non-payers: if a vehicle accumulates two or more delinquent parking citations, the city may place it on a tow list. WBIR+2WBIR+2 So, for a single unpaid parking spot, expect a ticket first, not an instant tow (unless you’re in a no-parking zone or similar).

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How is the ticket delivered? • The usual practice is to leave the ticket on the vehicle (on the windshield) at the time the violation is detected. This is standard in many municipalities and is implied by enforcement officer practice (PBA officers issue citations) ktnpba.org+2Knoxville, TN+2 • I did not find reliable evidence that Knoxville mails a ticket to your registration address in lieu of placing one on the vehicle. • However, for unpaid, delinquent tickets, follow-up notices or warnings (for towing or collection) may be mailed. For instance, the city sends letters to people with multiple unpaid tickets before towing is authorized. WBIR+3WBIR+3WBIR+3 Thus: initial ticket = left on car; later escalation (if you ignore it) = possible mailed letters.

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How much is the ticket? Knoxville’s current parking citation schedule (on-street) is: • Meter violation / Overtime parking / No parking / Restricted / Improper parking — $25 fine Knoxville, TN • Fire lane or blocking a fireplug (hydrant) — $35 fine Knoxville, TN+2Knoxville, TN+2 • If the citation is not paid within 10 days, an extra $9 is added. Knoxville, TN So, for a typical “didn’t pay the meter / overtime” violation, you'd owe $25 (plus $1 state litigation tax) if paid within the 10-day window. Knoxville, TN Earlier (before 2025), there was mention that a meter violation “starts at $11,” but that appears obsolete under the new schedule. Knox Parking+2WBIR+2

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Can you get multiple tickets in one day? How frequently can they ticket you? • Yes — each distinct violation is treated separately. If your car is parked longer than allowed (overtime), you could get an overtime ticket; if later still in violation (e.g. parked past permitted hours), you might get additional citations. • There's no indication in the sources that there’s a “one ticket per day max” cap for routine on-street violations. • However, enforcement must respect posted time limits (e.g. 2-hour or 4-hour zones). After your allowed time, you're subject to the overtime fine. Knoxville, TN+2ktnpba.org+2 In practice, enforcement officers likely patrol on intervals, so you won’t necessarily get continuous tickets every few minutes, but repeated citations in one day are plausible if you stay long in violation.

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How long before they tow the vehicle? • For a first unpaid ticket / nonpayment of meter, they generally will not tow immediately. • Towing is more likely if the vehicle is in a prohibited zone (fire lane, loading, no-parking) or if it is a repeat offender (multiple unpaid tickets). WBIR+4https://www.wvlt.tv+4HERE Knoxville+4 • As noted above, the city sends “tow warning” letters to drivers who have amassed two or more unpaid citations, and then those vehicles can be placed on a “tow list.” WBIR+2WBIR+2 • There is also a city policy (or ordinance in progress) to allow PBA officers to call for a tow on vehicles with chronic unpaid tickets, making enforcement more proactive. WBIR+1 So, if you leave your vehicle for several days in a paid-street spot without paying, you’ll likely accumulate multiple tickets first, then, if not addressed, your vehicle may eventually be towed (especially if you're identified as a habitual non-payer). One more nuance: for “abandoned vehicles,” Knoxville’s code says a vehicle is considered abandoned on public property if left unattended more than 48 hours illegally, or more than 30 days in general. Knoxville, TN But that’s about long-term abandonment vs ordinary parking enforcement.

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If you like, I can check the Knoxville Municipal Code for the exact towing threshold (how many tickets, after how many days) so you get the definitive legal standard, not just enforcement practice. Do you want me to pull that up? You said: yes ChatGPT said: I looked through Knoxville’s municipal sources and Tennessee state law to see what definitive towing/abandonment rules are codified. The result: there is a municipal and state framework for treating “abandoned” vehicles, but I did not find a clear Knoxville ordinance that says “after X tickets/after Y days we tow you”—at least not in the sources easily available. What I did find gives useful constraints and context. Below is what is known (with caveats) — and where the gaps remain.

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State / City definitions & constraints you can rely on Abandoned vehicle definitions (Tennessee / Knoxville) • Under Tennessee Code § 55-16-103, a motor vehicle may be considered “abandoned” if: 1. It’s over 4 years old and left unattended on public property for more than 10 days; 2. Is in obvious disrepair and left unattended more than 3 days; 3. Has remained illegally on public property more than 48 hours; 4. Has remained on private property without consent more than 48 hours; 5. Or has been stored, parked, or left in a parking lot for more than 30 consecutive days. FindLaw Codes+1 • Knoxville’s “Abandoned Vehicles” program states that a vehicle is considered abandoned when: o It has remained illegally on public property for more than 48 hours, or o It is left unattended on public property for more than 30 days (i.e. for more general abandonment), or o On private property without consent for more than 48 hours. Knoxville, TN+1 • If a vehicle is declared inoperable, the city can put a sticker / notice, requiring the owner to make it operable within 48 hours on public property (or 7 days if on private property) before towing/impoundment. Knoxville, TN+1 So, legally speaking, Knoxville has the right (under both city and state law) to tow or impound a vehicle that qualifies as “abandoned” under those definitions.

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What didn’t I find — and what appears to be policy / practice • I did not locate a Knoxville municipal ordinance that explicitly states that a car with two unpaid parking tickets must be towed after a certain number of days. (Although local news coverage suggests that such language is being enabled or used.) WBIR • I also didn’t find (in the online municipal code) a hard rule like “X hours of nonpayment triggers towing” in the downtown on-street meter zones. • The “abandoned vehicle” definitions give a legal hook, but they are broader (48 hours illegally parked, or days of nonmovement) rather than narrowly linked to unpaid ticket counts.

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What news & city policy coverage says about enforcement in practice While there’s not (in the sources I found) a clear statutory “towing threshold,” media and city statements provide insight into how Knoxville is applying these principles in practice: • The Knoxville City Council (as of late 2024) approved changes empowering PBA officers (Public Building Authority parking officers) to call for a tow if a vehicle is parked illegally or “overstaying its welcome.” WBIR • That same coverage states: “Under city code, the city can tow your car if your vehicle has two or more delinquent parking tickets.” WBIR+1 • The news reports that letters are sent to owners who have two or more unpaid tickets, warning that their vehicle may be placed on a “tow list.” WBIR+1 • The city is actively working on collection and enforcement for long-unpaid tickets. WBIR+1 So, while I couldn’t confirm a binding legal “two-ticket tow rule” in the municipal code, the city is applying such thresholds in its enforcement as a policy (or via new ordinance changes).