Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Living in Karns, TN: what to set up and who to call
Karns has no town government of its own, so Knox County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Knox County School District. Power in Karns comes from City of Lenoir, a municipal utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Karns, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Karns.
Power comes from City of Lenoir
City of Lenoir (City of Lenoir - (TN)), a municipal utility, serves 57.3% of Karns residents. Its homes paid an average of 12.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $159 a month (its average across Tennessee).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from West Knox Utility District
West Knox Utility District supplies almost all of Karns. It draws surface water and serves 77,825 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 57% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. TN0000371.
6 home internet providers serve Karns
100% of 1,470 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 99% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 97% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Lenoir City Utility Board | Fiber | 44% | 2,500/2,500 |
| KUB | Fiber | 30% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 92% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 63% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Karns.
City of Knoxville Recycling Drop-Off Center
341 Park Village Road, 37923 · run by City of Knoxville
This isn’t Karns’ own facility. Whether Karns residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Karns is in Knox County School District.
B+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Karns is unincorporated, so Knox County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Karns is in ZIP code 37931
ZIP codes where Karns residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Karns | ZIP’s residents in Karns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37931 | Knoxville, TN | 100% | 11% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Karns
Who supplies Karns’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
West Knox Utility District (EPA ID TN0000371). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Karns?
City of Lenoir (City of Lenoir - (TN)), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 12.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Karns?
Xfinity, AT&T, Lenoir City Utility Board, KUB, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Karns?
37931. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Karns in?
Knox County School District.
How do I register to vote in Karns?
In Tennessee you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Knox County Election Commission. Check your registration at tnmap.tn.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.