Chapel Hill, NC Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Property blight enforcement in Chapel Hill runs through several overlapping authorities. (1) Town Code Chapter 11 (Misdemeanors and Offenses) declares various conditions to be public nuisances and authorizes Code Enforcement action — including illegal dumping of trash and rubbish in public areas, parks, greenways, and open spaces (Sec. 11 prohibitions on depositing trash / rubbish / garbage / ashes / waste / broken glass except in receptacles provided for the purpose). (2) Chapel Hill maintains its own Minimum Housing Code, separate from Orange County's. Orange County's Minimum Housing Code expressly does not apply within Chapel Hill, Carrboro, or Mebane — those jurisdictions enforce their own. The state authority is NCGS Chapter 160D Article 12 (Minimum Housing Standards), which allows the Town to declare structures unfit for human habitation and to require repair, vacation, or demolition. (3) Junked / abandoned vehicles: NCGS 160A-303 authorizes the Town to require removal of vehicles that are partially dismantled or wrecked, cannot be self-propelled or moved as originally intended, are more than five years old and appear to be worth less than $100, or do not display a current license plate. The Town's published Code Enforcement guidance states that inoperable vehicles creating health or safety hazards due to accumulation of weeds, rubbish, wildlife, or conditions that may cause injury must be removed within 30 days after written notice. (4) The Town's 'Good Neighbors' page reminds residents that allowing trash to accumulate on the property, leaving trash containers in plain view, and similar conditions are subject to code enforcement. (5) Stormwater and erosion accumulations on construction sites are enforced under LUMO. Enforcement follows a Notice of Violation, a compliance window, and escalation to civil penalties or Town abatement. Reports can be filed via Chapel Hill Connect (online), 919-969-5043, or codeenforcement@townofchapelhill.org.