New Hanover County, NC Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Sec. 23-72 lists conduct the county treats as a nuisance under Article III of Chapter 23, and item (5) targets the uncontrolled growth of weeds or turf grass to a height of one foot or more within 50 feet of any principal residential structure. The list is illustrative, not exclusive, so the county can still act on overgrown vegetation outside that framing under the article's general nuisance definition in Sec. 23-71, but the one-foot, 50-foot rule is the clear numeric trigger for a straightforward citation.

Once a violation is found, Sec. 23-74 requires the sheriff's department, health director or another designated county officer to give the property owner or occupant written notice to abate. Sec. 23-75 specifies the notice must state the deadline to cut the growth or request a hearing, describe the location and nature of the violation, and warn that the county may abate the nuisance itself and bill the owner if nothing is done. Sec. 23-77 lets the county mow or clear the lot after the deadline passes, and Sec.

23-78 turns the county's abatement cost into a lien against the property, filed with the tax administrator and collected like an ad valorem tax bill, bearing interest until paid. An owner or the person cited can request a hearing before the county manager under Sec. 23-79 before the abatement deadline or citation payment date runs out. The rule applies only inside unincorporated New Hanover County; incorporated Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach enforce their own weed and grass ordinances.