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.
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem driveways require permits for new curb cuts and must meet UDO standards for width and paving material. Residential driveways limited to 24 feet...
Winston-Salem, NC
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Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem defines abandoned vehicles as those parked on public streets over 72 hours or inoperative vehicles on private property. Police tag suspicious v...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem prohibits parking of commercial vehicles over 1 ton in residential zoning districts. Semi-trucks, dump trucks, and large delivery vehicles cann...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem is not in a designated high-severity wildfire zone, but wooded neighborhoods along Salem Creek, Muddy Creek, and the western edge near Pilot Mo...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem permits recreational fire pits under the NC Fire Code (Section 307) when fires are contained, attended, and set back at least 25 feet from stru...
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