New Hanover County, NC Ordinances (2026)

Sec. 23-82 bars occupying a structure the sheriff, health department or building safety inspector has condemned or found unsafe when it lacks functioning electricity, water or waste…

Sec. 23-72(5) declares the uncontrolled growth of weeds or turf grass to a height of one foot or more within 50 feet of any principal residential structure a public nuisance in…

New Hanover County collects bulky items, furniture, appliances, mattresses and similar inorganic items too large for a 90-gallon cart, within one week of a resident's request under…

New Hanover County collects tree limbs, branches and hedge trimmings at the curb under Sec. 44-43(3), but nothing over six inches in diameter or four feet long qualifies, and grass…

Every customer on New Hanover County's mandatory residential collection route gets an 18-gallon recycling bin serviced once a week under Sec. 44-43(2), and the county identifies and…

New Hanover County requires stores, restaurants, apartments and other commercial generators that produce more than 180 gallons of garbage a week to contract for bulk container…

Sec. 44-53 bans dumping litter, trash or refuse on any public street, county property, another person's land without consent, or into any stream or body of water in New Hanover County…

New Hanover County requires every single-family home and duplex in the unincorporated area to take county trash service under Sec. 44-42, unless a director-approved hardship exemption…

Sec. 44-48 tells New Hanover County residents exactly where to put collection containers: behind the curb, or three feet from the pavement edge on streets without curbing, adjacent to…

Sec. 23-34(b) bars operating construction machinery, chainsaws and garage machinery between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and lawn mowers or other domestic power tools between 9:30 p.m. and…

Sec. 23-37 makes it unlawful to own, keep or harbor a dog, other animal or bird that, by frequent or habitual howling, yelping or barking, causes loud noises and a seriously annoying…

Sec. 23-38 bans operating or allowing the operation of any motor vehicle in the county whose muffler-exhaust or other noise control equipment has been removed, altered or left in such…

New Hanover County Code Sec. 23-34(b)(5) bars playing any sound-magnifying device, radio, television, phonograph, amplifier system, tape deck or musical instrument at a volume that…

New Hanover County caps ambient-combined sound at 75 decibels in nonresidential zones and 65 decibels in residential zones under Code of Ordinances Sec. 23-33. Both caps drop between…

Sec. 14-61 makes it unlawful to work as a massagist or operate a massage parlor in the county without a license from the sheriff, and Sec. 14-37 bars any massage parlor from operating…

New Hanover County's sheriff's department keeps an eligible list of garages authorized to tow vehicles at law enforcement's request. Sec. 23-142 requires a listed garage to stay open…

Sec. 14-164 makes it unlawful to operate as a pawnbroker in the county without a license from the county manager, and Sec. 14-165 requires good moral character, no felony conviction…

New Hanover County's only loitering ordinance targets loitering for drug activity, not general loitering. Sec. 38-103 bars remaining or wandering in a public place under circumstances…

New Hanover County bans drinking or carrying an open bottle, can or container of liquor, wine, malt beverage or other alcohol inside any county-owned or leased building, including…

New Hanover County bars soliciting money or goods in an aggressive manner, defined to include physical contact, following, blocking passage or intimidating language, and separately…

A joint ordinance among New Hanover County, Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach bans smoking and e-cigarette use on all government grounds, including parks…

New Hanover County makes it unlawful to defecate or urinate outside the confines of a building where the public can observe it, treating the act as disorderly conduct under Sec…

New Hanover County Code of Ordinances § 5-9 bans letting a dog, cat, or ferret run at large off its owner's property anywhere in the unincorporated county. Animal Services officers can…

New Hanover County does not require pet stores to sell only shelter animals, but § 5-20 makes it unlawful for anyone to collect a dog or cat in the county for resale, including…

New Hanover County does not ban specific dog breeds. Article II of Chapter 5 instead lets a two-person board declare an individual dog 'dangerous' or 'potentially dangerous' based on…

New Hanover County does not impose a blanket spay/neuter mandate on every pet owner. Instead, § 5-27 requires any group, organization, or entity that offers an animal for adoption in…

New Hanover County parks close between midnight and sunrise under Sec. 41-1(20); entering, using or remaining in a park during those hours requires a written permit from the director…

Sec. 11-81 of the county code bars anyone from constructing, reconstructing, altering, repairing, moving, or demolishing a building in the unincorporated county without first securing…

Sec. 11-123 adopts the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, as the minimum standard for all wiring, devices, and equipment installed in the county, and Sec. 11-151 requires anyone…

New Hanover County adopts the current North Carolina Plumbing Code as its plumbing code under Sec. 11-5, and Sec. 11-81 bars anyone from installing, extending, or repairing a plumbing…

New Hanover County regulates stormwater runoff across the unincorporated area under Code of Ordinances Ch. 23, Art. VII. Sec. 23-343 makes it county policy that new development manage…

New Hanover County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan before any land disturbing activity that uncovers more than one acre in the unincorporated area, under…

New Hanover County requires the lowest floor of any new or substantially improved residential structure in a mapped flood hazard area to sit at or above base flood elevation under Code…

New Hanover County governs every development in its FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas under Code of Ordinances Ch. 29. Sec. 29-62 requires the building inspector to stamp every…

New Hanover County bans starting fires, brush pile burning and other debris burning during declared hazardous forest fire conditions or air pollution episodes under Code of Ordinances…

New Hanover County bans camping, sleeping, or setting up tents, cooking equipment or bedding on any county-owned or leased property between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Sec. 38-34…

New Hanover County runs its picnic shelters, fireplaces, tables and benches on a first-come, first-served basis unless a picnic reservation has been issued, per Sec. 41-1(10). Sec…

Anyone who peddles goods door-to-door in unincorporated New Hanover County, on foot or by vehicle, must hold a privilege license under County Code § 14-131(23) before making a single…

New Hanover County bans abandoning or junking any vehicle anywhere in the unincorporated county under Code of Ordinances Sec. 23-114. Sheriff's deputies can tow a junked or partially…