The County Engineer is responsible for the approximately 400 miles of county roads and 272 bridges (over 20 ft. span) on both county and township roads. The County Engineer also acts as an advisor to the townships with regard to township roads, and as an ex-officio member of Knox County Regional Planning Commission as advisory to the organization.

The Engineer's Office handles administrative duties such as accounts payable and receivable, purchasing and invoicing, payroll, project and contract administration, permit applications, road right-of-way, mileage certification, and coordination with all other county departments and governmental agencies, (city, villages, township, and state).

Highway Department duties include warm weather activities of ditching and berming, roadside mowing, tree trimming, asphalt patching and resurfacing, bridge and culvert repair and replacement. In winter, the primary function is snow removal and emergency pothole repairs. Funding for the Highway Department is exclusively from motor vehicle registrations and from gasoline tax, not real estate taxes as many people mistakenly assume.

The Tax Map Department is responsible for approving all deed transfers within the county.They also maintain all of the county property maps both in traditional hard copy format and in digital GIS format, which is made available on the internet.In addition, they assist the public with a variety of property issues and create customized maps.

The activities of the Knox County Engineer’s Office, The Knox County Highway Department and the Tax Map Department are detailed in a published annual report available at the Engineer's Office.