Lincoln County, NC Ordinances (2026)

In unincorporated Lincoln County, new and substantially improved residential structures, including manufactured homes, must have their lowest floor built no lower than the Regulatory…

Lincoln County's Board of Commissioners adopted a formal policy directing county staff to stop funding programs serving “illegal residents” (the ordinance’s term), cut non-mandated…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, any outdoor open burning within 100 feet of a structure requires a permit under Code § 95.042, and the County Fire Marshal's office can shut every…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, County Code § 95.082 requires every landlord to keep rental property in a fit condition, including working smoke detectors, as required by G.S. §…

Anyone who wants to shoot off fireworks for a public display in unincorporated Lincoln County needs a permit from the Fire Marshal's office first, plus a bond or insurance and a passed…

When the County Manager declares a Stage 2, 3, or 4 water shortage on the county water system, watering lawns, gardens, and shrubbery becomes unlawful except by hand-held hose or under…

Lincoln County's fire nuisance chapter requires every property owner or occupant to cut down and remove weeds, grass, and vines that endanger property or could catch fire. County Code…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, solicitors and peddlers must honor a posted "No Soliciting" or "No Trespassing" sign and must leave any property once the owner, tenant or occupant…

Anyone planning to peddle or solicit door to door in unincorporated Lincoln County must apply to the County Manager's office at least 15 business days ahead for a solicitation-peddling…

Pawnbrokers operating in unincorporated Lincoln County need a county license, a $5,000 bond, and must cap interest at 2% a month plus scheduled fees, record every pawn ticket, and hold…

Cash converters, dealers and secondary metals recyclers operating in unincorporated Lincoln County must keep the transaction records state law requires in electronic form and report…

Lincoln County does not license or zone sexually oriented businesses in a standalone ordinance; instead, Lincoln County Code § 114.01 bars any business establishment frequented by…

Unincorporated Lincoln County lets qualifying farms of 50 or more acres join an Enhanced Agricultural District, giving advance notice of farm operations to neighbors and a public…

Lincoln County's leash law only applies inside listed subdivisions, not the whole unincorporated county: § 92.08 bans dogs at large in 31 named subdivisions such as Westport, Lincoln…

Lincoln County does not run a coyote cull or hazing program. Instead, its park preservation ordinance bans harassing, provoking or feeding any wild animal, including coyotes, deer…

Lincoln County does not require spay or neuter for pets generally. Under Lincoln County Code § 92.21(B)(2), the Animal Services Director can order it as one containment measure only…

Lincoln County has no breed-specific ban: § 92.11.2 of the Dangerous Dog Ordinance classifies a dog as dangerous or potentially dangerous based on what it actually does, such as biting…

Lincoln County does not require every pet to be microchipped, but § 92.11.4 makes it mandatory for any dog the county has declared dangerous or potentially dangerous: before the owner…

Lincoln County bans owning most dangerous exotic animals outright: § 92.12.5 makes it unlawful to import, possess, or sell a crocodilian, venomous reptile, large constricting snake…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, a cat that Animal Services determines to be feral gets a shorter shelter hold than other strays: 72 hours instead of the standard 96, under Lincoln…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, a film or television production counts as a covered event under the county's special-event ordinance. Any filming that holds up, delays or reroutes…

A production filming in unincorporated Lincoln County needs the standard special event permit plus the added conditions in § 96.05: a pre-production meeting with the county's review…

§ 96.05(F) requires a production company to vacate each filming location "with a minimum amount of noise and disruption at the end of each shooting day." The same section requires a…

A car alarm that keeps blaring in unincorporated Lincoln County falls under the county's general noise ordinance, not a special alarm law: Code § 91.02 bans loud, raucous, and…

Lincoln County bans smoking, vaping and tobacco use outdoors across every county-owned, leased or operated park and recreation facility in the unincorporated county. Section 97.08 sets…

Lincoln County does not ban loitering on public property; instead, § 91.50 makes it a trespass to loiter, hunt, fish, trap, or ride an ATV on someone else's private land without…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, drinking beer, whiskey or any other alcoholic beverage is illegal while standing, walking or riding on any county road, and illegal in any parking…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, § 97.09 bars launching, flying or landing a drone or other aviation apparatus within a park except above a designated open-space area, and never over…

Any land-disturbing activity in unincorporated Lincoln County must keep post-construction stormwater runoff velocity from exceeding either a table of maximum permissible velocities by…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, piers, boat docks, floating boat houses, moorings, marine railways and similar fixed facilities on Lake Norman are regulated under the county's Lake…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, no development can begin inside a Special Flood Hazard Area shown on the county's FEMA flood maps without a floodplain development permit from the…

Unincorporated Lincoln County requires new and substantially improved structures in a Special Flood Hazard Area to sit at least two feet above the Base Flood Elevation, and at least…

Unincorporated Lincoln County requires a filed and approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land-disturbing activity that uncovers one acre or more, and a permit even…

Unincorporated Lincoln County closes its parks overnight: § 97.10 sets hours of operation at 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. unless a park posts different hours, and entering or staying past…

To hold a gathering or reserve a facility in a Lincoln County park, § 97.11 requires either a Chapter 96 covered-event permit for a large or organized event, or a reservation and fee…

Lincoln County's special event ordinance folds commercial filming into its permit system: § 96.02 defines a SPECIAL EVENT as a public gathering of 300 or more people involving…

Lincoln County requires a permit before holding any "covered event" on real property in the county, including activities located wholly or partially on public rights-of-way, the…

County Code § 95.131 requires owners and occupants to keep vacant lots, along with roofs, courts, yards, and open spaces, free of waste paper, hay, straw, litter, combustible waste…

Lincoln County can force the repair, closing, or demolition of an abandoned structure that threatens health or safety. Under Code § 91.35, the County Manager or designee investigates…

The Lincoln County Historic Preservation Commission can recommend that the Board of Commissioners designate individual structures, sites, or objects as protected landmarks. Once…

A barking dog in unincorporated Lincoln County is not handled by Animal Services: § 92.09(B)(3) of the county's Animal Ordinance says noise complaints, even when caused by an animal…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, commercial, institutional, and industrial establishments must set out solid waste in garbage receptacles, bulk containers, or other containers under…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, County Code § 52.34(J) sets the pickup schedule for franchised residential trash haulers: they must remove waste from a customer's premises at least…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, County Code § 52.11 makes it unlawful to accumulate excessive, unsightly, or improperly contained solid waste on property you own, occupy, or control…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, County Code § 52.21 sets the container standard for trash set out ahead of collection: receptacles must be durable, watertight, fly-proof, and…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, recycling and convenience sites are county-run, manned drop-off locations reserved for residents under County Code § 52.24. Only household solid waste…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, County Code § 52.36 puts brush, tree, and shrubbery debris from land clearing outside the county's regular collection: county staff will not pick it…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, yard waste such as leaves, grass trimmings, tree trimmings, and shrubbery trimmings has its own rule under County Code § 52.25(B): it must be accepted…

Unincorporated Lincoln County routes fire code and hazard complaints through the Fire Marshal's office at 704-736-8516 during business hours, and to the County Communications Center's…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, general construction, remodeling and building work of any kind is governed by the 2018 North Carolina State Building Code and G.S. Chapter 160D…

Electrical work in unincorporated Lincoln County follows the National Electric Code, one of ten construction codes the county adopted together under Lincoln County Code § 94.02(H)…

Plumbing work in unincorporated Lincoln County follows the 2018 North Carolina State Plumbing Code, adopted by Lincoln County Code § 94.02(F) as one of ten construction codes…