Knox County Tennessee

Motor Vehicle

Why Wait in Line

Change of Address Form

Download Change of Address Form  (PDF)

Please complete the shaded areas of the Change of Address form for each vehicle, then date and sign.

Mail your request to:
Knox County Clerk
Attn: Motor Vehicle
P.O. Box 1566
Knoxville, TN 37901

Please note: You must notify the county clerk of all vehicles registered in your name to properly effect the address change. Renewal notices are not forwarded; failure to update your address will make any renewal notice undeliverable.


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Motor Vehicle

 Welcome to the Knox County Clerk Motor Vehicle Web Page. Thank you for using our website. We trust you will find it useful and easy to navigate. Because there is so much information about motor vehicle registration and related topics, we have provided a number of links so you can navigate directly to your area of interest. Please feel free to contact any of our six locations or email us at county.clerk@knoxcounty.org for more specific information. All Knox County Clerk’s office locations offer motor vehicle title and registration services. We invite you to use our online services for your vehicle tag renewals, as well as to download necessary forms and documents you may require for your transaction.


KNOX COUNTY WHEEL TAX

There is a $36.00 wheel tax in Knox County for all motorized vehicles and cycles. This tax does not apply to trailers. There are exemptions from the Wheel Tax under certain conditions. For 2024 renewals, please review the 2024 Affidavit for Wheel Tax Exemption to see if you qualify. Owners meeting the exemption criteria as set forth in the Knox County Wheel Tax Ordinance (O-04-5-101(a)) are relieved of $30 of the cost of registrations.


WHO MUST OBTAIN A VEHICLE TITLE

 Every owner of a vehicle, except a registered dealer, must obtain a title in his or her name.  The owner of a vehicle must apply for a Certificate of Title and Registration at one of the six Knox County Clerk's office locations in the area. The County Clerk will collect the proper fees and issue the registration at that time.  Please allow 10-15 business days for title processing. Once your vehicle is properly titled and registered, your registration must be renewed every year. At this time, Knox County does not require emissions inspections for passenger vehicles. Alterations, erasures or white out voids Tennessee Certificates of Title.

We are proud sponsors of the State Organ Donor Awareness Program , so when visiting our office, please consider donating a dollar to this worthy cause.  We welcome any questions, comments and suggestions that will help us serve you better.


Motor Vehicle Schedule of Fees

New to State

  Cash/Check Credit Card
Private Passenger License Plate $79.00 $80.98
Private Passenger License Plate(out of county) $44.00 $45.10
Specialty License Plate $115.00 $117.88
Specialty License Plate(out of county) $79.00 $80.97
Motorcycle License Plate $72.00 $73.80
Motorcycle License Plate(out of county) $36.00 $36.90


Current Resident

*Note: If a lien is being recorded to a vehicle at the time of purchase, add $11.00 notation of lien fee to all fees listed below.

New or Used Vehicle Cash/Check Credit Card Mail
Private Passenger License Plate $79.00 $80.98 $84.00
Private Passenger License Plate(out of county) $44.00 $45.10 $48.00
Transfer License Plate $17.50 $17.94 $22.50
Specialty License Plate $115.00 $117.88 $120.00
Specialty License Plate(out of county) $79.00 $80.97 $84.00
Motorcycle License Plate $72.00 $73.80 $77.00
Motorcycle License Plate(out of county) $36.00 $36.90 $41.00

Registration Renewals

  Cash/Check Credit Card Mail Online
Private Passenger License Plate $65.00 $66.63 $67.00 $70.73
Private Passenger License Plate(Wheel Tax Exempt) $35.00 $35.88 $37.00 N/A
Specialty/Personalized License Plate $101.00 $103.53 $103.00 $107.63
Specialty/Personalized License Plate(Wheel Tax Exempt) $71.00 $72.78 $73.00 N/A
Motorcycle License Plate $58.00 $59.45 $60.00 $63.55
Motorcycle License Plate(Wheel Tax Exempt) $28.00 $28.70 $30.00 N/A

Other Fees

  Cash/Check Credit Card Mail
Duplicate Titles $14.00 $14.35 $16.00
First Time Placards $26.50 $27.16 $28.50
Replacement Placards $2.00 $2.06 N/A
Placard Renewal $3.00 $3.08 $5.00
Replacement Plates $12.50 $12.81 N/A
Lost/Stolen Decal $3.00 $3.08 N/A
Copy of a Registration $3.00 $3.08 N/A

Click on the links below to go directly to the information on the following topics:

Click here to visit the Knox County Clerk Forms page.


Payment Information

Visa, MasterCard, American Express and TeleCheck The Knox County Clerk's Office accepts cash, checks, and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express). We cannot accept credit cards for Passport services. A fee of 2.5% is assessed by the electronic processing company on all credit and debit card transactions. This fee does not go to the Knox County Clerk's Office. When you submit a check, you are authorizing electronic movement of funds from your account to the Knox County Clerk's account for payment of your transaction. There is a $30.00 NSF fee on all returned checks that are processed electronically. For those checks that are not processed electronically, the following statutory penalties will apply: the amount of the check on any amount owing less than or equal to twenty dollars, $20.00 on any amount owing greater than twenty dollars but less than two thousand dollars, and 1% on any amount owing greater than two thousand dollars. (T.C.A. § 9-1-109)