Wayne County, NC Ordinances (2026)

In unincorporated Wayne County, yard waste must go to the county landfill, not into regular garbage. Since January 1, 1992 the code requires vegetative debris from landscaping to be…

Unincorporated Wayne County runs no curbside recycling program; residents self-haul to the county's recycling and convenience centers, where Sec. 62-149 requires cardboard, newspapers…

Wayne County caps recyclables in landfill-bound loads: since January 1, 1992 no individual, collector, or municipality may deliver solid waste to the landfill containing more than 10…

Dumping solid waste in an open dump anywhere in Wayne County is unlawful under Code § 62-1, and mail or other identifying material found in dumped waste creates a legal presumption…

Wayne County requires every property owner, tenant or occupant to store garbage in a durable, rust-resistant, watertight container with a close-fitting, flytight cover, or in another…

Wayne County limits how long bulky waste, like furniture or large appliances, can sit outside a home. Code § 62-27(e) bars any owner, occupant, tenant or lessee, other than a licensed…

Every property owner, occupant, tenant or lessee in unincorporated Wayne County must remove all garbage from the property at least once every seven days. Code § 62-27(b) pairs that…

For new subdivisions in unincorporated Wayne County, Sec. 70-103(c) sets minimum building setbacks of 30 feet from the front line, 10 feet from the side, 25 feet from the rear, 25 feet…

In unincorporated Wayne County's WS-IV Neuse River and Little River watershed areas, § 30-57 caps most new development at 24 percent built-upon area, or two dwelling units per acre for…

In unincorporated Wayne County subdivisions, Sec. 70-103(c)(6) keeps accessory buildings like sheds at least 5 feet from side or rear lot lines, bars them from side or rear yards only…

Unincorporated Wayne County's flood ordinance draws a bright line for tiny homes: County Code § 38-5 excludes "tiny homes/houses" and park models from the recreational-vehicle…

The Neuse Stormwater Ordinance, Sec. 78-62, applies to development and redevelopment across unincorporated Wayne County, exempting single-family and duplex lots disturbing under one…

Anyone building, filling, or altering land in a mapped special flood hazard area of unincorporated Wayne County must get a floodplain development permit from the county's floodplain…

In unincorporated Wayne County's mapped flood hazard areas, new and substantially improved residential structures must be elevated to the regulatory flood protection elevation, defined…

Wayne County treats a commercial film or television production as a special event in its own right. Sec. 47-2 defines 'special event' to include any film or TV production event, and…

A parade, street fair, or other assembly on a public right-of-way in unincorporated Wayne County qualifies as a 'special event' under Sec. 47-2 and needs a covered event permit from…

A retaining wall built inside a mapped regulated floodway or nonencroachment area in unincorporated Wayne County must meet the no-rise standard of Sec. 38-66: it cannot raise flood…

New homes and substantial improvements in a mapped special flood hazard area of unincorporated Wayne County must have their lowest floor, the 'reference level,' built no lower than the…

Once a TV or film production has its Sec. 47-3 special event permit, Sec. 47-6 layers on location-specific conditions: a pre-production meeting with emergency services, $2 million in…

Wayne County's film permit rules require a production company to vacate each filming location with minimal noise and disruption at the end of every shooting day. Sec. 47-6(f) sets this…

Any filming activity that holds, delays, or reroutes traffic in a residential area or on a state-maintained road in Wayne County must be accompanied by at least one deputy sheriff…

In unincorporated Wayne County, no one may install, extend, alter or repair electrical wiring, devices or equipment without a written permit from the county electrical inspector…

In unincorporated Wayne County, permit holders must call the inspection department for approval at each construction stage, from footing and foundation through framing and insulation…

In unincorporated Wayne County, no one may commence or proceed with the construction, reconstruction, alteration or repair of any building or structure without a written permit from…

Wayne County adopted the North Carolina Plumbing Code by reference under Code § 14-22, and Section 14-92(c) requires a written permit from the county plumbing inspector before anyone…

Every dwelling in unincorporated Wayne County used for human habitation must meet the minimum standards of fitness set out in Sec. 14-153 through 14-158, covering structure, plumbing…

Residents can report a dwelling as unfit for human habitation in unincorporated Wayne County by filing a written petition with the county inspector, signed by at least five adult…

In unincorporated Wayne County, Sec. 14-155(c)(4) requires every home lacking smoke detectors to have an approved smoke detector installed outside its bedroom areas as part of the…

In unincorporated Wayne County, any planned event of 500 or more people that includes the use, sale or display of fireworks qualifies as a "special event" under County Code § 47-2 and…

Sec. 14-158 requires every dwelling in unincorporated Wayne County to be screened against insects and kept free of rodent and pest infestation. Owners must maintain a dwelling in a…

Wayne County's sign ordinance permits automatic changeable facing signs, meaning billboards whose message rotates or updates electronically, but Code § 58-23(9)b bans animation…

Wayne County's outdoor advertising ordinance says its purpose is to bar billboards along freeways in the unincorporated county while only controlling them on other highways. Under Code…

Unincorporated Wayne County allows yard sale signs on or off the premises without a permit, but caps them at three per sale, three days of display in any 30-day period, four square…

Store window signs in unincorporated Wayne County are exempt from the sign permit process, but the county caps them at 25 percent of the glass area of the entire storefront under the…

Unincorporated Wayne County allows nonilluminated political campaign signs without a permit, but they cannot go up more than 60 days before an election and must come down within 14…

Anyone operating a massage parlor, health salon or similar establishment in unincorporated Wayne County must hold a county license under Sec. 18-19 through 18-23, filed with the tax…

In unincorporated Wayne County, sexually oriented businesses and adult businesses cannot locate within 1,000 feet of a residence, church, school or licensed day care, public park…

Wayne County allows outdoor advertising signs to be lit, but Code § 58-23(9)b requires the light to be aimed at the sign face and shielded so the source itself is not visible to…

Wayne County's Zoning Ordinance requires exterior lighting aimed at a sign to be shielded so it lights only the sign face and does not shine onto the public right-of-way or a…

Unincorporated Wayne County makes it unlawful under County Code § 30-148(c) to play a radio, stereo, CD player, musical instrument or any sound-amplifying device at a volume that…

Unincorporated Wayne County's noise ordinance exempts aircraft noise outright: County Code § 30-149(5) excuses noise from the normal operation of properly equipped aircraft, and §…

Unincorporated Wayne County caps noise at 90 decibels under County Code § 30-150: continuous sound cannot exceed 90db for more than one minute in any ten-minute period, and…

In unincorporated Wayne County, § 30-148(e) bars construction, excavation, demolition, alteration, or repair work in a residential area between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., except in…

In unincorporated Wayne County, § 30-148(c) bars playing a radio, stereo, or other sound-amplifying device loudly enough to disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of anyone in a…

In unincorporated Wayne County, § 30-148(d) makes it unlawful to keep any animal or bird in a manner that causes frequent or long continued noise unreasonably disturbing the comfort…

In unincorporated Wayne County, § 30-148(b) bars sounding a vehicle horn, signal device, or siren so as to create an unreasonably loud or harsh sound, and separately bars sounding such…

Unincorporated Wayne County declares in County Code § 14-151(a) that dwellings suffering dilapidation, fire hazards, or a lack of ventilation, light or sanitary facilities are unfit…

Unincorporated Wayne County makes it unlawful to abandon a vehicle under County Code § 30-183(a), defining "abandoned" in § 30-182 to include a vehicle left on private property without…

Wayne County Code § 10-5 makes it unlawful for any owner to let an animal run at large off the owner's property and unrestrained. Animal control officers seize loose animals and…

Wayne County Code § 10-7 bars anyone from keeping an inherently dangerous mammal, defined as a wild canid, a large wild felid or a bear species, anywhere in the county. Narrow…

Wayne County Code § 10-29 requires every unsterilized dog or cat adopted from the county shelter at five months or older to be spayed or neutered within one month of adoption. Animals…

Wayne County does not restrict dog breeds by name; instead the Animal Services Department Head decides case by case whether a dog is a "dangerous dog" or "potentially dangerous dog"…

Wayne County Code §§ 10-17 and 10-19 require every cat four months or older to carry a current rabies vaccination. Cats do not need to wear the metal tag dogs must wear; instead…

Wayne County protects working farmland through a Voluntary Agricultural District program administered by a seven-member Agricultural Advisory Board under Chapter 6, Article II…

In unincorporated Wayne County, no one may operate, maintain, or establish a solar energy facility until the Wayne County Planning Board approves its site plan under Code § 18-194…

In unincorporated Wayne County, a home occupation is permitted in residential districts only if it stays subordinate to the home: just one worker from outside the household, the…

Unincorporated Wayne County limits a home occupation's client visits to the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., one of the conditions the county attaches to any residential home…

A home occupation in unincorporated Wayne County may not change the outside appearance of the dwelling except for one nonilluminated sign of no more than three square feet, the only…

Wayne County prohibits radio-controlled airplanes and rockets, the closest local rule to consumer drones, from flying anywhere on Wayne Executive Jetport property except during a…