Public Conduct in Durham, NC (2026)
5 verified public conduct rules for Durham, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Aggressive Panhandling
Durham doesn't ban panhandling outright, but City Code § 54-261 makes it unlawful to beg by accosting someone or blocking their path, soliciting within 20 feet of a bank entrance or ATM, soliciting on a city bus or within six feet of a stop, or soliciting after dark: from 20 minutes past sunset to 20 minutes before sunrise. Violating any of these is a misdemeanor.
Durham Aggressive Panhandling Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsDurham City Code § 54-261(b), (c)
(b)It shall not be unlawful to beg or solicit alms or contributions except when performed in the following manner:(1)In a public place by accosting another person or forcing oneself upon the company of another person;(2)Within 20 feet of an entrance or exit of any bank or financial institution or within 20 feet of any automated teller machine;(3)In any public transportation vehicle owned or ope...
Public Urination
Urinating or defecating anywhere in Durham other than a designated water closet or toilet facility is a misdemeanor under City Code § 26-2, whether it happens on a public sidewalk, street, right-of-way, in a public building, or on someone else's private property. The only defense on private property is the owner's written permission.
Durham Public Urination and Defecation Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCity Code § 26-2
Except in designated water closets or toilet facilities, it shall be unlawful for any person to urinate or defecate on any public place, sidewalk, street, alleyway or right-of-way or in any public building or on any private property. Having written permission of the owner or person in lawful possession shall constitute an affirmative defense to the charge of urinating or defecating on private p...
Skateboarding Rules
Durham bans riding a skateboard on any roadway except to cross at a crosswalk or on a designated play street under City Code § 66-322, an infraction carrying up to a $50.00 penalty. City skate parks require helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads under § 66-323, and riders assume the park's inherent risks.
Durham Skateboard Roadway & Park Rules
Significant RestrictionsDurham City Code §§ 66-322, 66-323
"No person upon a skateboard or similar device shall go upon any roadway, except while crossing the street on a crosswalk and except upon streets set aside as play streets when and as authorized by the provisions of this Code or other ordinances of the city. In addition to any other remedy available in the Code, violation of this section is an infraction and the person found responsible for suc...
Loitering Rules
Durham's loitering ordinance, City Code § 46-150, doesn't criminalize standing around generally: it targets repeated conduct in a public place tied to drug transactions, like beckoning passersby or stopping cars to exchange money for controlled substances. A separate, narrower rule at § 50-1 bans loitering on a bus terminal platform without a ticket or business there.
Durham Drug-Related Loitering Law
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 46-150
(a)For the purpose of this section, "public place" means any street, sidewalk, bridge, alley or alleyway, plaza, park, driveway, parking lot or transportation facility, or the doorways and entranceway to any building which fronts on any of those places or a motor vehicle in or on any of those places, or any property owned by the city.(b)If a person remains or wanders about in a public place and...
Public Alcohol Use
Durham bars possessing or drinking an open beer or wine container on any public street under City Code § 46-149. Vehicle occupants and pub-bike passengers are exempt, but everyone else needs a city-manager-issued event permit or must be inside the downtown Social District's active hours to legally drink outside.
Durham Open Container Alcohol Rules
Significant RestrictionsDurham City Code § 46-149
(b)Possession of open containers. No person, other than an occupant of a motor vehicle or a passenger on a pub bike, shall possess an open container of beer or wine on any public street except as permitted in subsection (e) of this section.(c)Disposal of containers. No person shall drop, throw, cast, or deposit any used wine or beer container upon any public street or upon any public or private...
Looking for Durham County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Durham city rules.
Public Conduct in Durham County →