Forsyth County, NC Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard
- no noxious weeds/plant growth in yards
- Code section
- Forsyth County Code Sec. 7-117(f)
- Applies to
- dwelling yards, unincorporated county
- Enforcer
- county housing administrator
- Penalty
- Class 3 misdemeanor, G.S. 14-4
- Related standards
- rodent-proofing, drainage, Sec. 7-117
Summary
Forsyth County's Minimum Housing Standards require that yards and areas surrounding an occupied dwelling be kept free of noxious weeds and plant growth that harm health or shelter insects and rodents. The rule sits inside the county's sanitation standards for dwellings, enforced by the housing administrator, not a stand-alone grass-height code.
Sec. 7-117. - Minimum standards for sanitation. (f)Noxious weeds and tall grass. Yards and areas surrounding a dwelling shall be kept free of species of weeds or plant growth which are noxious or detrimental to health or provide breeding places for insect or rodent infestation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 7-117(f) of the Forsyth County Code, within Article VI Minimum Housing Standards, states that yards and areas surrounding a dwelling must be kept free of weeds or plant growth that is noxious or detrimental to health, or that provides a breeding place for insect or rodent infestation. It sits alongside the rest of Sec. 7-117's sanitation standards, which also require rodent-proof exteriors, pest control, proper garbage and rubbish storage, and yard drainage that prevents stagnant water, all of which the county treats as part of the same habitability picture as tall grass and weeds.
Because this provision is written into the Minimum Housing Standards article, Sec. 7-111 limits its reach to dwellings and their surrounding yards in the unincorporated areas of Forsyth County (plus municipalities that separately adopt the article); it targets improved, occupied lots rather than vacant land. The housing administrator enforces it through the same inspection and notice process used for structural and plumbing violations: an inspection under Sec. 7-121, a notice of violation, and, where conditions rise to unfitness, the hearing procedure in Sec. 7-122.
Violations & Fines
Failing to keep a dwelling's yard free of noxious weeds and tall grass under Sec. 7-117(f) is enforced as a violation of Article VI, punishable as a Class 3 misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4 per Sec. 7-125(a). The housing administrator can issue a warning or notice of violation and, if unresolved, swear out criminal charges; the county may also seek an equitable remedy such as an injunction or order of abatement under Sec. 7-125(d) rather than, or in addition to, criminal prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a set maximum grass height in Forsyth County?
Does this weed rule cover vacant land with no house on it?
Who enforces the weed and tall grass standard?
What is the penalty for not clearing weeds around a dwelling?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Forsyth County
How Forsyth County compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Forsyth County to another location·View the North Carolina landscaping rules overview
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