KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A 10News investigation shows more than $4.5 million is owed in unpaid city of Knoxville tickets and fees from downtown and Fort Sanders meters.
According to data requested by Channel 10 and provided by the Knoxville Municipal Court, the $4,525,729.25 owed includes 429,800 unpaid tickets.
More than 500 parking meters are located throughout the downtown and Fort Sanders areas. When you get a ticket at a lapsed meter, you must pay $11, an amount that a recent parking study shows is low compared to other Tennessee cities. You can pay online or send in a check.
Hundreds of people, however, have simply declined to pay, records show. Many have routine, regular business downtown or in Fort Sanders but still fail to pay.
The high balance owed shows the court and the city do little to pursue scofflaws.
WBIR asked for and got license plate numbers for the top offenders as indicated in city data. Records show the top offender owes over $13,000 over time to the city. That person, whose license plate is 7N87U8, accumulated over 200 tickets in a six-month period.
The data WBIR received provided individual parking ticket details from 2022 on. Within that date range, license plate number 7N87U8 received tickets from Jan. 3, 2022 to July 8, 2022. July 8 was the last ticket that license plate number 7N87U8 received from the data WBIR was given.
According to the data, the top offender so far in 2024 is license plate number BQL7912. Just this year they’ve received 104 tickets, totaling $2,105.
WBIR asked the state if they could disclose the names of people affiliated with the license plates. They declined, citing state code that prohibits the state Department of Revenue from disclosing personal information. The law gives examples of what could identify someone: a photograph, Social Security number, license plate, telephone number and more.
City officials admit the parking ticket system has proved imperfect.
Several agencies are involved in the parking ticketing process, according to Municipal Court Judge Tyler Caviness, who was elected in November and was unaware of the huge amount of tickets uncollected until approached by WBIR.
Caviness beat incumbent John Rosson, who had served as city judge for decades.
The Public Building Authority writes the tickets, but they’re paid to the court, Judge Caviness said. If you've ever been downtown, you've seen PBA personnel walking around city streets, wearing their blue PBA shirts and examining the meters.
The city court is dedicated to trying to find a solution to the problem, Judge Caviness added. Those with the highest outstanding balances, like license plates 7N87U8 and BQL7912, will be addressed first, he said.
WBIR first approached the court in late winter about unpaid tickets. 10News filed a records and data request in late April.