Wake County, NC Ordinances (2026)

Tobacco, vape and hemp retail stores in unincorporated Wake County must sit at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks, homes and other such stores.

Home occupations in unincorporated Wake County ban outdoor vehicle storage and cap on-site vehicles at two, pickup-or-SUV size: rules that effectively block a residential auto repair…

Wake County requires a county license from the Tax Collector before operating a massage parlor, health salon or physical culture studio, with approval turning on the applicant's moral…

Wake County requires sexually oriented businesses to win a Special Use Permit and meet strict 1,000-2,000 foot spacing rules from schools, churches, homes and residential zones.

Wake County Code §130.05 (adopted 11-9-2022, effective 12-9-2022) prohibits firearm discharge within 300 yards of any dwelling, school, church, warehouse, playground, or park without…

Wake County limits electronic changeable message signs to on-premises use, capping area and message hold time by zoning district and requiring off-hours shutoffs in residential…

Wake County permits accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on lots in unincorporated Wake County that are zoned for single-family or multifamily residential use, subject to compliance with…

Wake County, NC regulates sheds and other detached accessory structures in unincorporated areas through the county Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and the NC Residential Code. Per…

Wake County caps garage, yard, and estate sales at a residence to no more than six days per calendar year under the UDO's definitions section.

Wake County bans leaving bulky waste like old furniture or appliances outside a home for more than 72 hours, except for licensed junk dealers.

Wake County requires garbage to be stored in a durable, watertight, fly-tight container in sufficient number to hold a week's trash, kept clean to prevent odor or nuisance.

Wake County requires dumpster and trash bin screening for multi-unit buildings over five units and for business, commercial, industrial or manufacturing uses in the unincorporated…

Wake County bans dumping litter on streets, lots or private property, with escalating civil penalties of $250, $500 and $1,000 for repeat violations.

Wake County property owners must remove all solid waste from their property at least once every seven days, whether by a private hauler or self-hauling.

Wake County's UDO permits agriculture, including livestock and poultry keeping, as a by-right use in every residential, highway, commercial and industrial zoning district.

Wake County Code §91.07 prohibits owners from permitting any animal to be at large in unincorporated Wake County, and §91.07(C) requires dogs to be on leash at all times in any public…

Wake County has no breed-specific ban; instead it regulates individual dogs declared dangerous or potentially dangerous, requiring constant restraint, warning signs, sterilization and…

Beekeeping in Wake County is governed primarily by North Carolina state law, not by Wake County. NCGS Chapter 106, Article 55 (Bees and Honey) is administered by the NC Department of…

Disturbing an acre or more of land in unincorporated Wake County requires an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan and a land disturbance permit, or the county can fine up to…

New homes in Wake County's mapped flood hazard areas must have their lowest floor, including any basement, built at or above the regulatory flood protection elevation.

Wake County requires Department of Environmental Services review and acceptance of plans before any new construction or substantial improvement is permitted in a mapped area of special…

Unincorporated Wake County caps post-development runoff using maximum curve numbers by soil type and zoning district, under UDO Article 9's stormwater management standards.

Wake County bans smoking, tobacco and vapor use in every county building, county vehicle, and on all county grounds, including parks, greenways and trails.

Wake County exempts bona fide farm properties in the unincorporated county from UDO zoning provisions, including farmhouses and farm buildings.

Wake County's UDO caps exterior lighting spillover at one foot-candle measured at the lot line of any use, preventing glare from crossing onto neighboring property.

It is unlawful in unincorporated Wake County to walk, stand, sit, lie or place an object so as to block pedestrian or vehicular passage while begging, panhandling or soliciting on the…

Wake County bars loading or unloading from the right-of-way of a collector or arterial street and requires off-street loading spaces of set minimum dimensions on approved site plans.

Wake County does not own or maintain a public street system in its unincorporated areas: those roads are NCDOT right-of-way governed by NCGS Chapter 20. Inside Raleigh, Cary, Apex…

Wake County's authority to remove abandoned and junked motor vehicles comes from NCGS §153A-132. The statute defines an abandoned vehicle as one left on public grounds in violation of…

Any new driveway or expanded driveway that ties into an NCDOT-maintained road in unincorporated Wake County requires an NCDOT Driveway Permit under 19A NCAC 02B .0610 and the NCDOT…

Fences that primarily enclose the perimeter of a lot in unincorporated Wake County are exempt from the Land Use Permit otherwise required for construction and structures.

Wake County requires a permit from the Sheriff's Office before any parade, march or procession on county streets, parks or public places in the unincorporated area.

Fairs, carnivals and festivals held on private parcels in unincorporated Wake County need a Land Use Permit and are capped at six events, 30 days per year.

Wake County does not count artificial turf as impervious surface when it's installed over a pervious base per the manufacturer's specifications, easing stormwater coverage limits for…

Wake County requires a tree and vegetation protection zone along new development sites to stay undisturbed unless the Planning Director permits removal for reasonable use of the…

Wake County water customers in unincorporated areas served by City of Raleigh Public Utilities follow Raleigh's Water Conservation Ordinance (Code Ch. 8). Odd/even day watering may be…

Wake County, North Carolina enforces overgrown-lot and weed-nuisance complaints in unincorporated Wake County through the public-health nuisance abatement authority granted to North…

Wake County's UDO permits child or adult day care homes by right in every residential district and most nonresidential districts under the Sec. 4-11 use table.

Home occupations in unincorporated Wake County can't create objectionable traffic and can't let customers come to the house to buy goods, under UDO §4-72-1(C) and §4-72-4(C).

A home occupation in unincorporated Wake County may post just one wall or ground sign, capped at four square feet per side and eight feet tall, under UDO §4-72-4(G).

Wake County limits home businesses to incidental accessory uses under 750 square feet, with no outdoor storage, retail sales or customer visits.

Wake County's UDO sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks by residential district, ranging from 40 feet in R-80 down to 20 feet in R-15 through R-5.

Residential lots in Wake County's non-watershed zoning districts may not exceed 30 percent impervious surface coverage under the UDO's dimensional standards table.

Wake County caps residential building height at 35 feet in the R-80 through R-10 and HD districts, per the UDO's non-watershed district standards table.

Wake County Code §92.04(A)(2) exempts lawn care equipment and agricultural activities from the noise pollution ordinance during DAYTIME HOURS (7 a.m. - 11 p.m.). There is no…

Wake County Code §92.03(A)(2) makes it unlawful to play any radio, music player, television, audio system or musical instrument at a volume that annoys neighboring inhabitants or that…

Wake County Code §92.05(L) bans operating or maintaining any garage or filling station in a residential district so as to cause plainly audible unreasonable noise during nighttime…

Wake County Code §92.04(A)(3) permits construction equipment to operate only during DAYTIME HOURS (7 a.m. - 11 p.m.) in unincorporated Wake County, and §92.05(H) prohibits plainly…

Wake County Code §92.05(O) makes it unlawful to keep any bird, livestock or other animal that, by causing frequent or long-continued plainly audible unreasonable noise, disturbs the…

Wake County Code §92.05(H), (I), and (L) target industrial and commercial noise: construction over 1,000 ft from residences, loading/unloading noise at night, and garage/filling…

Wake County Code §92.05(B), (C), (F) prohibits vehicle exhaust noise from out-of-repair or modified vehicles, gong/siren on non-emergency vehicles, and any internal combustion exhaust…

Wake County requires a permit before installing, replacing or relocating plumbing utilities or equipment in unincorporated areas.

Wake County requires a permit from the Inspections Division before erecting, altering, repairing or relocating any building or structure, or changing land use, anywhere in the…

Wake County requires a written permit from the Department of Environmental Services before anyone may beg, panhandle or solicit for personal benefit on streets or public property in…

Backyard recreational fires in Wake County are governed by NC Fire Prevention Code §307.4.2 (adopted by Wake County Code Ch. 72): pile size capped at 3 ft diameter x 2 ft height, fuel…

Smoke alarms in Wake County dwellings follow the NC Residential Code §R314 and the NC Fire Code §907. Homes built or substantially renovated on or after June 30, 1999 must have a smoke…

Outdoor open burning in Wake County is regulated by the NC Department of Environmental Quality (15A NCAC 02D.1903) and the NC Forest Service under NCGS §106-940 et seq. Burning trash…

NC state law (NCGS Ch. 14 Article 54) restricts consumer fireworks to sparklers, fountains, and novelty items that do not explode, spin, or fly. Display pyrotechnics require a Wake…

Short-term rental guests in unincorporated Wake County are subject to Chapter 92 of the Wake County Code (adopted 12-4-2023). §92.05(D) singles out playing radios, stereos, TVs…

Wake County levies a 6% Room Occupancy Tax on the gross receipts from rental of any room, lodging or accommodation furnished by a hotel, motel, inn, tourist camp, Airbnb, VRBO or…

Wake County itself does not issue a single short-term rental permit for unincorporated areas: the Wake County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) regulates homestays and tourist homes…

Home cultivation of marijuana is illegal in Wake County and statewide. Under NCGS §90-95(a)(1) it is unlawful to manufacture (which includes cultivation) any controlled substance, and…

Wake County does not run a county-wide minimum-housing code in residential neighborhoods within municipalities. NCGS §160D-1203 gives counties authority over abandoned, blighted, or…

Ground- and roof-mounted solar energy systems in unincorporated Wake County need permits, with FAA notice and a recorded decommissioning plan required for larger arrays.

Every public swimming pool in Wake County, hotel, motel, apartment, condominium, HOA, country-club, fitness-club, water park, school, camp, and municipal pool, is regulated by 15A NCAC…