Collecting rainwater is legal in North Carolina, and no county or city may prohibit cisterns or rain barrels used for irrigation. Forsyth County sets no ban. State law expressly protects rainwater collection for non-potable use.
North Carolina encourages rainwater harvesting. State law bars any local government from adopting a code or ordinance that prohibits, or has the effect of prohibiting, the installation and maintenance of cisterns and rain-barrel collection systems used to collect water for irrigation. Harvested rainwater may be used outdoors for irrigation and, under the plumbing code (2009 changes), indoors for non-potable uses like flushing toilets. Forsyth County and Winston-Salem impose no ban. Systems for indoor non-potable use must meet the N.C. Building Code cistern/rainwater-recycling requirements.
No penalty for collecting rainwater for irrigation; local governments cannot prohibit it. Indoor non-potable cistern systems must comply with N.C. Building Code and any plumbing-permit requirements.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Winston-Salem parks are open 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and it is unlawful to be in a public park after closing without permission. A citywide youth-protection...
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Forsyth County and Winston-Salem regulate light trespass only from non-residential property, requiring lighting to be shielded so it does not spill onto neig...
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The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO regulates outdoor lighting only on non-residential property, requiring fixtures to be shielded and aimed so light and gl...
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In Winston-Salem/Forsyth County an on-premises yard or garage sale sign may not exceed two square feet, limited to one sign per lot. It may go up seven days ...
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Under the Forsyth County/Winston-Salem UDO, the base rule limits political signs to two square feet, but Winston-Salem does not enforce that cap for noncomme...
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Forsyth County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A permanent tiny house on a foundation is treated as a dwelling (or a detached ADU) under the UDO and NC ...
See how Forsyth County's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
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