Registration Rules: Apex vs Cary
How do registration rules rules compare between Apex, NC and Cary, NC?
Apex, NC
Wake County
Apex does not operate a short-term-rental registration program. North Carolina General Statute 160D-1207(c) broadly preempts NC cities and towns from requiring an owner or manager of residential rental property to register the property with the local government, except for individual properties that have more than 4 verified Article 11/12 violations in a rolling 12-month period or 2 or more verified violations in a rolling 30-day period (or are identified within the top 10% of crime/disorder properties). For those chronic-violator properties, the registration fee is capped at $500 in any 12-month period and criminal penalties for registration violations are prohibited. The NC Court of Appeals in Schroeder v. City of Wilmington (2022) struck down Wilmington's STR registration program as preempted. Apex has not enacted a registration program. Operators must still register with Wake County Tax Administration for the 6% Room Occupancy Tax and with the NC Department of Revenue for state and local sales tax on accommodations.
View full Apex rules →Cary, NC
Wake County
No data available yet for Cary.
Key Facts Comparison
| Fact | Apex | Cary |
|---|---|---|
| Town-Level STR Registration | None (Apex has no registration program) | - |
| State-Law Preemption | NC G.S. 160D-1207(c) bars NC towns from requiring rental registration except chronic-violator properties | - |
| Chronic-Violator Threshold | 4+ verified Article 11/12 violations in 12 months or 2+ in 30 days | - |
| Chronic-Violator Fee Cap | $500 in any 12-month period | - |
| Criminal Penalties for Registration Violations | Prohibited by NC G.S. 160D-1207(c) | - |
| Pre-Utility-Service Inspection | Prohibited by NC G.S. 160D-1207(c) | - |
| Required Wake County Registration | Wake County Tax Administration (6% Room Occupancy Tax) | - |
| Required State Registration | NC Department of Revenue (4.75% + 2.0% sales tax on accommodations) | - |
| Apex Planning Department Contact | planninginfo@apexnc.org / 919-249-6627 | - |
| Key Case Law | Schroeder v. City of Wilmington (NC Court of Appeals 2022) | - |
Highlighted rows indicate differences between cities.
Apex FAQ
Do I need to register my Airbnb with the Town of Apex?
No. Apex does not operate a short-term-rental registration program. North Carolina General Statute 160D-1207(c) broadly preempts NC cities and towns from requiring an owner or manager of residential rental property to register the property, except for chronic-violator properties (more than 4 verified Article 11/12 violations in a rolling 12-month period or 2 or more verified violations in a rolling 30-day period, or top 10% crime/disorder properties), and for any such mandated registration the fee is capped at $500 in any 12-month period and criminal penalties are prohibited. The NC Court of Appeals in Schroeder v. City of Wilmington (2022) struck down Wilmington's STR registration program as preempted by this statute, and Apex has not enacted any similar program.
What do I need to register for to operate an Apex STR?
Three state-and-county-level registrations: (1) Wake County Tax Administration registration for the 6% Wake County Room Occupancy Tax with monthly filing and remittance; (2) NC Department of Revenue sales-and-use tax registration for the 4.75% state sales tax + 2.0% Wake County local sales tax on accommodations under NC G.S. 105-164.4(a)(3), with monthly or quarterly filing depending on volume; (3) verification that the dwelling meets the Apex Housing Code (Code Chapter 5, Article VII) and NC State Building Code (smoke alarms, CO detectors, egress). Plus confirmation that HOA covenants do not impose a minimum-lease-term provision. No filing is made with the Town of Apex itself.
Can Apex ever require me to register?
Only if your property hits the NC G.S. 160D-1207(c) chronic-violator threshold: more than 4 verified Article 11 (Building Code) or Article 12 (Housing Code) violations in a rolling 12-month period, or 2 or more verified violations in a rolling 30-day period, or identification within the top 10% of properties with crime or disorder problems. For such properties, Apex could impose a registration requirement, but the registration fee is statutorily capped at $500 in any 12-month period, criminal penalties are prohibited, and pre-utility-service inspections cannot be required. Apex has not currently adopted such a chronic-violator registration ordinance for STRs.
Cary FAQ
No FAQs available.
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