3 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Wake County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Wake County does not regulate where residents store trash bins on their own property in unincorporated areas. Inside Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest and other towns, municipal codes typically require bins to be stored behind the front building line of the home and out only on collection day.
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 unsafe structures in unincorporated areas. Each Wake municipality has its own minimum-housing program (Raleigh §10-6121, Cary Ch. 30, Apex Ch. 11, Wake Forest Ch. 8).
Wake County Planning & Development Services — Code Enforcement
Wake County Code Enforcement staff respond to building code, zoning and environmental health violations ONLY in unincorporated areas of the county. Complaints accepted include: If someone is doing construction without a permit; If someone is operating an illegal commercial business in a residential area; If a building is unsafe due to a leaking roof, unsecured dwelling, structural damage or fir...
Wake County does not enforce vacant-lot grass or maintenance rules in unincorporated areas. Inside Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest and other cities, municipal codes require vacant lot owners to keep grass below the city's threshold and to abate accumulations of debris, junk vehicles, and hazardous conditions.
2 cities in Wake County have their own property maintenance rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Wake County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Wake County Ordinance Hub →