Davidson County, NC Ordinances (2026)

Davidson County does not require every pet to be fixed, but a two-strike rule does: once an owner has been cited for two separate animal-control violations, that owner may no longer…

Davidson County bans letting a dog or other animal roam loose off its owner's property. Any animal off-property and not leashed, caged, vehicle-confined, or inside the owner's home is…

Davidson County outright bans owning big cats, wolf hybrids, great apes, bears, and venomous reptiles as pets. Owners who already had a prohibited animal before the ordinance can keep…

Davidson County does not ban breeds; it regulates individual dogs found dangerous by behavior. A dog that unprovoked bites, attacks, or is trained to attack must be confined in a…

In unincorporated Davidson County, the zoning ordinance does not regulate chickens, poultry or livestock kept as part of a bona fide farm at all. Section I.5 exempts bona fide farms…

Davidson County bars leaving bulky waste, like old furniture, outside a building or dwelling for more than 72 hours, whether or not a hauler has been scheduled. Junk vehicles stored…

Davidson County encourages, but doesn't mandate, separating recyclables from household trash, and it operates recycling through drop-off containers at county collection centers rather…

Davidson County requires every property owner, occupant, tenant, or lessee to remove all solid waste from the property at least once every seven days. There's no scheduled curbside…

Davidson County requires garbage to be stored in a durable, rust-resistant, watertight container with a close-fitting, fly-tight lid kept in place, and property owners must clear all…

Davidson County makes illegal storage, dumping, and littering of solid waste a criminal and civilly punishable offense under §50.07, and it declares any unpermitted accumulation…

Davidson County requires refuse on every property to be sorted so it will not harbor rodents or vermin, under Code of Ordinances § 50.03(D). Garbage must sit in durable…

Davidson County bans possessing an obstruction device or chaining yourself to a fixture with intent to block a public sidewalk, road, or right-of-way. Under §30.03(C)(3)-(4), only…

Davidson County makes it a misdemeanor to camp on any county-owned public property, including rights-of-way and sidewalks, outside designated park areas. The county treats camping as a…

Davidson County's Watershed Protection Ordinance (Ch. 152) governs stormwater runoff and land-disturbing development inside state-designated Public Water Supply Watersheds. It caps…

In unincorporated Davidson County, land mapped as floodplain on the HUD Flood Insurance Program maps cannot be platted for dwellings or other uses unless the site is flood-protected…

Dwellings and self-contained sewage disposal units in unincorporated Davidson County's mapped floodplain must be built at an elevation above the maximum flood heights shown on the…

Subdividers in unincorporated Davidson County must mulch, seed, sod, or otherwise protect all grading, excavations, open cuts, and side slopes to comply with the county's sedimentation…

Davidson County protects working farmland through its Voluntary Agricultural District Ordinance (Ch. 153), which lets qualifying farmland enroll for legal protection from encroaching…

Unincorporated Davidson County exempts bona fide farms from its Zoning Ordinance entirely, and the RA-1, RA-2 and RA-3 Rural Agricultural districts are established specifically to keep…

Davidson County requires a County Manager permit for any 'mass gathering,' defined as 1,000 to 5,000 people assembled outdoors for 24 continuous hours or more. It does not cover a…

Davidson County makes it unlawful to openly burn solid waste anywhere in the unincorporated county. Section 50.03(P) bans the practice outright with no permit exception, and anyone who…

When a Davidson County Code Official finds a building, structure, or service system that poses a clear and inimical threat to human life, safety, or health, § 98.085(C) orders the…

Davidson County requires a building permit before any new commercial construction, addition, alteration, or occupancy change begins in the unincorporated county. Under Code of…

For commercial construction that needs a Technical Codes permit in unincorporated Davidson County, § 98.046(B) requires the applicant to submit an electrical plan along with the…

Davidson County's Fire Marshal treats a solar or photovoltaic power system as a permit-required construction item under the N.C. Fire Prevention Code. Chapter 98's Appendix C sets a…

Davidson County bans drinking malt beverages or unfortified wine anywhere on property the county owns or occupies. Section 110.01 makes no exception for parks, parking lots, or other…

Davidson County requires anyone operating a massage business to hold a $100 annual privilege license under § 111.11 before opening. The County Clerk routes every application through…

Davidson County requires a permit from the County Manager before anyone can operate an adult establishment in the unincorporated county under § 113.15. The annual permit costs $500…

Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair is not a by-right use anywhere in unincorporated Davidson County; the Table of Permitted Uses marks it 'D,' meaning it is allowed only after the…

In unincorporated Davidson County, the zoning ordinance caps how much of a lot buildings can cover, from 30% in RA-1, RA-2, RA-3 and RS districts up to 60% in RM-2 and mixed-use…

In unincorporated Davidson County, the Zoning Ordinance's Table of Dimensional Requirements caps building height at 35 feet in most residential and commercial districts, 50 feet in…

In unincorporated Davidson County, the Zoning Ordinance's Table of Dimensional Requirements sets minimum front, side and rear setbacks by district: 30 feet front in the RA-1/RA-2/RA-3…

In unincorporated Davidson County, off-site outdoor advertising signs (billboards) are capped at 400 square feet per face and may only go up on parcels fronting NC, US or Interstate…

In unincorporated Davidson County, a truck stop approved as a special use in the Heavy Industrial district must install full cut off outdoor lighting fixtures, and no lighting may be…

In unincorporated Davidson County, a small home daycare caring for fewer than six children under 13 for a non-family provider is a permitted by-right use in the county's residential…

In unincorporated Davidson County, a home occupation must stay incidental to the residence: it cannot use more than 25% of the dwelling or 500 square feet, whichever is less, and no…

A home occupation in unincorporated Davidson County's residential districts may put up only one sign, and it must be a non-illuminated wall sign no larger than three square feet…

In unincorporated Davidson County, fences and walls in the required front setback cannot exceed five feet, and fences in the side or rear setback cannot exceed six feet, with a…

In unincorporated Davidson County, sheds and other accessory structures in residential districts cannot exceed 20 feet in height, cannot sit in the required front setback, and must…

In unincorporated Davidson County a residential lot may keep only one junked motor vehicle, and it must sit behind the front building line. On non-residential property, any junked…

Every industrial and commercial building in unincorporated Davidson County must provide dedicated off-street loading space, separate from required parking. Each space needs a minimum…

Landscaping in unincorporated Davidson County cannot be placed to block a motorist's view of a street, driveway, or parking aisle. Required trees must also be pruned to ANSI standards…