2 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Wake County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
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 Carolina counties by N.C. Gen. Stat. §153A-140, which states that "A county shall have authority by ordinance to require that conditions detrimental to the public health be corrected, and to provide that, upon the failure of the owner of real property to correct such conditions, the county may cause such corrections to be made." Wake County Planning, Development & Inspections (919-856-6310; wake.planning@wake.gov; 336 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC 27602) is the entry point for complaints concerning unincorporated parcels. Wake County does not publish a single numeric grass-height threshold; enforcement applies a nuisance / health-and-safety standard, asking whether vegetation harbors vermin, creates a fire hazard, attracts illegal dumping, or impedes sight distance at intersections. County rules apply only in unincorporated Wake County — Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Knightdale, Wake Forest, Morrisville, Rolesville, Wendell, and Zebulon each enforce their own city tall-grass and overgrowth codes.
NC General Statutes § 153A-140
A county shall have authority, subject to the provisions of Article 57 of Chapter 106 of the General Statutes, to remove, abate, or remedy everything that is dangerous or prejudicial to the public health or safety. ... The expense of the action shall be paid by the person in default, and, if not paid, shall be a lien upon the land or premises where the nuisance arose. ... This section shall not...
As of April 20, 2026, mandatory Stage 1 Water Restrictions are in effect across Wake County for all customers served by Raleigh Water, the regional drinking-water utility operated by the City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department. Raleigh Water supplies more than 650,000 residents across Raleigh, Garner, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell, and Zebulon, which together cover most of Wake County. Restrictions were triggered by severe drought in the Falls Lake and Swift Creek watersheds, although drinking-water supply remained at approximately 84% capacity at the time of declaration. Under Stage 1, automatic and manual sprinklers may operate only between midnight and 10 a.m., with odd-numbered street addresses watering only on Tuesdays and even-numbered addresses only on Wednesdays; hose-end sprinklers are allowed 6 a.m.–10 a.m. or 6 p.m.–10 p.m. on the same address-based schedule. Handheld hoses and drip irrigation remain allowed at any time. The state framework is N.C. Gen. Stat. §143-355.1, which establishes the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council to coordinate drought information that utilities use to activate their water shortage response plans.
City of Raleigh — Stage 1 Water Restrictions (serves Wake County customers)
Water only between midnight and 10 a.m. Odd-numbered addresses: Tuesdays; even-numbered addresses: Wednesdays. Handheld hoses and drip irrigation: Allowed anytime. Restaurants will serve tap water only upon request. Hotels, motels, and B&Bs will ask guests staying more than one night to reuse towels and bedsheets. Residents who are caught violating the restrictions will be given a warning. Afte...
3 cities in Wake County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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