9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Durham County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Durham's City-County Code declares grass, weeds, vines or briars over 12 inches a public nuisance when near a street or building. Owners must cut overgrowth down to no more than six inches.
Durham City Code § 26-181(2)
a place of dense growth of weeds, grass, vines, or briars over 12 inches in height, and within either 100 feet of an abutting public street or 50 feet of a house or other residential, commercial or industrial building
Durham sets no permit or height rule for pruning trees in your own yard. Tree rules bite during land development, where the Unified Development Ordinance protects trees inside a fenced tree protection zone.
Durham UDO 8.3.2E
No storage of materials, dumping of waste materials, fill, or parking of equipment shall be allowed within the tree protection zone.
Durham's UDO requires developments to preserve a minimum share of tree coverage, so trees cannot be cleared freely on land under development. Suburban-tier projects must keep at least 20% preserved tree coverage.
Durham UDO 8.3.1C.4.c
A minimum of 20% preserved tree coverage shall be required for any phase that does not exceed 35 acres.
Durham declares dense weeds, vines, briars and undergrowth a public nuisance when they harbor pests or sit near buildings. Overgrowth over 12 inches high must be cleared and cut to no more than six inches.
Durham City Code § 26-181(2)
The weeds, grass, vines or briars constituting a prohibited condition described by this subsection shall be cleared and cut to not more than six inches in height.
Durham enforces a year-round odd/even irrigation ordinance and can impose tighter water-shortage stages. As of June 2026 Durham is in Stage 2, which bans spray irrigation of landscapes with city water.
Rain barrels and cisterns are legal and encouraged in Durham; no county ordinance bans collecting rooftop rainwater. Durham has historically offered subsidized rain barrels to promote conservation and stormwater control.
Durham lies in the Neuse River and Falls Lake watersheds, where state and UDO riparian buffer rules require a 50-foot protected buffer of native vegetation along streams. The inner 30 feet must stay undisturbed forest.
NC Neuse River Basin Riparian Buffer Rules (15A NCAC 02B .0714)
The rules require a 50-foot riparian buffer that is divided into two zones. The 30 feet closest to the water (Zone 1) must remain undisturbed. The outer 20 feet (Zone 2) can be managed vegetation.
Durham has no ordinance banning artificial turf in residential yards. It counts toward impervious-surface and lot-coverage limits under the UDO, and cannot be installed inside a protected stream buffer.
Backyard composting is legal in Durham and the city offers a curbside food-waste program. Compost piles must be maintained so they do not harbor rodents or pests, or they become a nuisance under the code.
1 cities in Durham County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Durham County Ordinance Hub →