Granville County, NC Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Triggering threshold
- 6+ inoperable vehicles, 15+ days
- Road setback
- 1,000 feet from right-of-way
- Minimum lot size
- 10 acres if unpermitted/post-1986
- Side/rear setback
- 25 feet
- First-offense fine
- Up to $250.00
- Repeat-offense fine
- Up to $500.00
Summary
In unincorporated Granville County, storing six or more unlicensed, inoperable vehicles on a property for 15 days or more makes that lot a junkyard under the county's Junkyard Control Act, triggering a 1,000-foot road setback and a permit requirement. A single junked car is not separately banned, but a cluster of dead vehicles near a primary or secondary road is regulated ground.
Automobile graveyard means any establishment or place of business which is maintained, used or operated for storing, keeping, buying or selling wrecked, scrapped, ruined or dismantled motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts and shall include any establishment or place of business upon which six or more unlicensed, used motor vehicles which cannot be operated under their own power are kept or stored for a period of 15 days or more. ... (a)No junkyard shall be established, operated or maintained any portion of which is within 1,000 feet of the nearest edge of the right-of-way of any primary or secondary road, except the following: ... (b)All junkyards which are established from and after August 19, 1986, or that have not been issued a current valid permit to establish, operate or maintain a junkyard, as provided in section 26-68, shall be situated on lots of at least ten acres (excluding rights-of-way); have a minimum front lot line of 150 feet and a setback from side and rear property lines of at least 25 feet
Full Breakdown
Granville County Code § 26-63 defines an 'automobile graveyard' as any establishment storing six or more unlicensed, used motor vehicles that cannot run under their own power, kept for 15 days or more; this brings a property within the county's Junkyard Control Act (Ord. of 8-19-1986). Under § 26-64, no junkyard may sit within 1,000 feet of the nearest edge of the right-of-way of any primary or secondary road unless it is screened from view year-round by natural objects, plantings or fencing, or is simply not visible from the traveled way.
Any junkyard established after August 19, 1986, or operating without a current permit under § 26-68, must also sit on at least ten acres, hold a 150-foot minimum front lot line, and keep a 25-foot setback from side and rear property lines. Screening itself, if used to satisfy an exception, cannot be placed within 100 feet of the road right-of-way. Development Services and the Sheriff's Office are the practical enforcers of the article, and Chapter 26 cross-references the county's environmental performance standards for related nuisance conditions.
Property owners piling up wrecked vehicles near a county road should expect a permit demand or a screening order rather than an outright ban on a single vehicle.
Violations & Fines
Under § 26-65, violating any part of the Junkyard Control Act is a misdemeanor: a first conviction draws a fine of up to $250.00, and a second or later conviction up to $500.00, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense. Section 26-66 lets the county manager give 30 days' notice to remove junk from an illegal junkyard, then remove it at the owner's expense and enter the property without civil or criminal liability if the owner does not act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is one junked car in my yard illegal in unincorporated Granville County?
How close to a road can a junkyard sit?
What happens if the county finds an illegal junkyard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Granville County
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