Knoxville Zoning: no code for unrelated housemates?

[Ivan Schmidt]

Hey BPeople! First post, woo hoo!

I've scoured the City of Knoxville's zoning code and supporting documents multiple times, can't seem to find any guidance on how many non-relatives can occupy the same house in Residential Neighborhood districts. The language seems to be focused solely on development and construction standards. The only mention of occupancy that I could find was an archived memo from 10 years ago, with a nebulous statement about how "generally, three non-relatives is okay," or something along those lines.

I'm currently living in a 3BR SFH with three other people; my landlord says there is zero guidance and occupancy is not something that is ever enforced, even during her previous appearances in eviction court.

This is mind-blowing to me, as a refugee from another college town with absurd anti-landlord & anti-AirBnB rules (cough, cough Auburn, AL). Could I really buy 5BR and rent them all out individually?