Burlington, NC Mobility & Curb Rules: TNC Pickup Zones (2026)

Chapter 39 of the Burlington City Code, Vehicles for Hire, regulates taxicabs directly and folds in transportation network company drivers for a narrower set of rules. Section 39-1 states that vehicles dispatched by a transportation network company, defined and regulated under G.S. Chapter 20, Article 10A, are exempt from most of Chapter 39 except the provisions on traffic and parking. Section 39-14, one of those traffic provisions, requires drivers of taxicabs and any vehicle dispatched by a transportation network service to receive or discharge passengers out of the travel lane: they must pull off to the right-hand sidewalk as nearly as possible, or to the extreme right-hand side of the street where there is no sidewalk, before loading or unloading riders.

The only exception is one-way streets, where a driver may use either the right- or left-hand sidewalk or side of the street to pick up or drop off. The rule sits alongside other Chapter 39 curb-conduct provisions for taxicabs, including section 39-12's requirement that drivers solicit passengers only from the driver's compartment or immediately beside the vehicle, and section 39-13's ban on loud or annoying solicitation. Enforcement of the taxicab side of the chapter runs through the police department, which under section 39-3 conducts quarterly inspections and, under section 39-9, can support license revocation for a driver or operator who ignores the rules after notice.