Keeping horses, cattle, goats, sheep, swine, and fowl on qualifying property in unincorporated Forsyth County is protected as a bona fide farm use under NC right-to-farm law (NCGS 106-701) and Ch. 160D, so county zoning cannot bar it. The animal code still bars public-nuisance conditions.
Forsyth County does not zone out genuine agricultural operations. NC right-to-farm law (NCGS 106-701) protects an established bona fide farm from nuisance suits based on later changed conditions in the locality, and Ch. 160D exempts bona fide farm uses from county zoning. So livestock kept on qualifying unincorporated county land is broadly allowed. The animal code still applies: Sec. 6-9 prohibits keeping animals so as to create a public nuisance (unsanitary or offensive conditions, damaging neighboring property), and Sec. 6-7 (Cruelty) requires adequate, structurally sound shelter with three sides, a roof, and a floor, water and wind resistant. Winston-Salem and the incorporated towns set stricter livestock zoning within their limits.
Public-nuisance conditions from livestock (odor, waste runoff, animals at large) are citable under Sec. 6-9 as a Class 3 misdemeanor, fine up to $500 (Sec. 6-55). Right-to-farm protections limit nuisance suits against established bona fide farms.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
forsyth-county-nc
Home backyard composting is allowed in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. There is no ordinance requiring or banning it, but a compost pile must not become a nuis...
forsyth-county-nc
Neither Winston-Salem nor Forsyth County has a specific ordinance banning or mandating artificial turf for home lawns. Its use is governed by general zoning,...
forsyth-county-nc
Since 2024 Winston-Salem lets residents replace lawns with registered Natural Landscape Areas of native plants. Turf grass must stay under eight inches, area...
forsyth-county-nc
Collecting rainwater is legal in North Carolina, and no county or city may prohibit cisterns or rain barrels used for irrigation. Forsyth County sets no ban....
forsyth-county-nc
North Carolina has no statewide homeowner watering ban, and there is no permanent year-round schedule in Winston-Salem/Forsyth. Mandatory odd/even watering d...
forsyth-county-nc
Winston-Salem defines 'rank noxious vegetation' over eight inches as a nuisance, including non-native grasses, invasive plants, poisonous plants, and untende...
See how Forsyth County's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.