Durham County Code Sec. 4-13 defines livestock as equine, bovine, sheep, goats, llamas, and swine per NCGS Ch. 68. The animal ordinance sets no head limit; where livestock may be kept is a zoning question under the joint City-County UDO, with NCGS 106-701 right-to-farm protection.
Chapter 4 defines 'livestock' to include, but not be limited to, equine animals, bovine animals, sheep, goats, llamas, and swine as set forth in G.S. Ch. 68, Article 3. The animal ordinance does not cap the number of livestock; whether and how many large animals you may keep on a parcel is governed by the joint Durham City-County Unified Development Ordinance zoning, which typically confines livestock to agricultural/rural districts. NCGS 106-701 shields qualifying commercial livestock operations from most nuisance suits after one year and within a half-mile, and expressly includes 'the rearing, feeding, training, caring, boarding, and managing of horses.' Nuisance conditions from animals can be cited under Sec. 4-136, and animals kept in unsanitary or crowded conditions fall under
The animal ordinance imposes no per-head penalty; unlawful keeping in a non-agricultural zone is a zoning violation enforced by the joint Planning Department. Nuisance or unsanitary conditions are citable under Sec. 4-136 and Sec. 4-62 with civil penalties from $50
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is legal in Durham and the city offers a curbside food-waste program. Compost piles must be maintained so they do not harbor rodents or p...
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Durham declares dense weeds, vines, briars and undergrowth a public nuisance when they harbor pests or sit near buildings. Overgrowth over 12 inches high mus...
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