Business Licensing & Operations in Durham, NC (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Durham, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Durham zones adult establishments under UDO Sec. 5.3.4.A with strict distance buffers rather than a citywide ban. No adult establishment can sit within 1,000 feet of a residential zone's property line, or within 1,000 feet of a pre-existing church, licensed day care, school, park, or library. Two adult establishments must be at least 2,000 feet apart and can never share a building.
Durham Adult Establishment Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsDurham UDO Sec. 5.3.4.A
Adult establishments shall be permitted in accordance with the use table in Sec. 5.1, Use Table, subject to the following: No property associated with the use shall be closer than 1,000 feet to a property line of a residential zone. No building or structure associated with the use shall be closer than 50 feet to a property line of an adjacent nonresidential zone. No property associated with the...
Massage Establishments
Anyone operating a massage therapy establishment in Durham needs a City Code § 54-217 license before opening, and every therapist working there needs a separate § 54-218 individual license backed by 500 hours of accredited training or national certification. The city manager can deny or revoke either license for a sexual-misconduct or prostitution conviction.
Durham Massage Establishment License Rules
Significant RestrictionsDurham City Code § 54-217(a), (j); § 54-218(b); § 54-223
Sec. 54-217. (a)No person shall operate a massage therapy establishment as herein defined unless such person shall have first applied for and received the license provided by this section. ... (j)In addition to any other remedy available in the Code, operating a massage therapy establishment without a license as required by this section may subject the offender to a civil penalty assessed and c...
Secondhand Dealers
Durham requires anyone buying or dealing in secondhand goods, junk, or pawned items to log every transaction in a purchase book with the seller's name and a description of the item, report that list to the police department by 10:00 a.m. the next business day, and hold each item for at least five days before reselling it, under City Code §§ 54-243 and 54-244.
Durham Secondhand & Junk Dealer License Rules
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 54-243; § 54-244; § 54-246
Sec. 54-243. Persons engaged in the business of buying or dealing secondhand goods, wares and merchandise, including junk dealers and pawnbrokers, shall record in a book kept for that purpose each article purchased or pawned and the name, race, residence and occupation of the seller or pawner. ... Every article so purchased or pawned shall remain at such place of business of such dealer open to...
Pawnbrokers
Durham pawnbrokers must file a sworn statement naming their corporate officers, log every item purchased or pawned along with the seller's identity, and hold each item open to inspection for at least five days before moving or reselling it, under Chapter 54's pawnbroker and secondhand-goods article.
Durham Pawnbroker Recordkeeping Rules
Significant RestrictionsDurham City Code §§ 54-242, 54-243
Any corporation engaged in the business of pawnbroker, junk dealer or secondhand goods dealer shall file and maintain with the collector of revenue a current and accurate statement under oath setting forth the officers of such corporation. Failure to file and keep current such statement shall be sufficient cause for revocation of the license of such pawnbroker, junk dealer or secondhand goods d...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Durham's Unified Development Ordinance caps at-home vehicle repair at two cars worked on simultaneously, and only if each one is registered to a resident of the home. No zoning or temporary use permit is required to stay within that limit, but repairing a third vehicle at once, or one registered to a non-resident, turns the activity into a zoning violation.
Durham Home Auto Repair Vehicle Limit
Some RestrictionsDurham UDO § 5.4.10
5.4.10. Vehicle repair Up to two vehicles can be repaired simultaneously on a residential property if the vehicles are registered to an occupant of the residence.
Towing Companies
Durham caps what rotation-list tow operators can charge for police-initiated nonconsensual tows at the fee schedule adopted by city council under City Code § 50-391, requires posted pricing and cash/card payment, and backs it with a misdemeanor plus escalating $200/$400 civil penalties. Companion sections ban scene solicitation and require a 30-minute response.
Durham Nonconsensual Tow Fee Rules
Significant RestrictionsDurham City Code § 50-391
(a)A tow truck operator on the city's rotation wrecker list, when responding to a police initiated request for towing services, shall not charge the owner of any vehicle towed without the consent of the owner an amount for towing and storage fees in excess of those fees prescribed in the schedule of police-initiated nonconsensual towing fees adopted by the city council. Police-initiated noncons...
Looking for Durham County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Durham city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Durham County →