City to launch complaint phone line

The City of Knoxville will launch a new inspections hotline to handle complaints on Saturdays, beginning Jan. 23.

When activated later this week, the hotline – 865-755-2531 – will be a complaint-driven service to address concerns about issues such as possible zoning violations, non-permitted construction, abandoned vehicles and dirty lots.

Between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays, a City inspector will answer calls and visit sites of concern. The hotline is a pilot program that City officials hope will help close a gap. Until now, citizen concerns about non-permitted construction work or other code violations occurring on weekends could not be reported until Monday morning, by which time the violation may have ceased.

“There have been times when a City resident has wanted to talk about remedying a code violation occurring on a Saturday but our inspectors were off the clock,” said Peter Ahrens, the City’s Director of Plans Review and Inspections. “We hope this new Saturday inspections hotline will close the gap and ensure that residential and commercial construction projects are executed through proper permitting to ensure basic safety standards are met.”

Property owners unsure about commercial construction permitting can call 311 during weekday business hours to speak with Plans Review and Inspections office staff. Business owners also can contact Patricia Robledo, the City’s Business Liaison in the Office of Business Support, at 865-215-3155.

For residential construction projects, citizens can check a list of items that require permitting by visiting www.knoxvilletn.gov/plansreview or by calling 311 during regular business hours.