Lincoln County, NC Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Code §§ 91.35-91.44
- Enforcing official
- County Manager or designee
- Repair/demolition deadline
- Up to 90 days after order
- Demolition bond cap
- $1,000,000 maximum
- Penalty type
- Civil fines, not criminal, under UDO § 11.2
Summary
Lincoln County can force the repair, closing, or demolition of an abandoned structure that threatens health or safety. Under Code § 91.35, the County Manager or designee investigates buildings drawing insects, rodents, fire hazards, or vagrants, and can order an owner to fix or tear the structure down within a set deadline.
It is hereby found that there exists within the county abandoned structures which the Board of Commissioners find to be hazardous to the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the county due to the attraction of insects or rodents, conditions creating a fire hazard, dangerous conditions constituting a threat to children, or frequent use by vagrants as living quarters in the absence of sanitary facilities. ... it is the intent of this subchapter to provide for the repair, closing or demolition of any abandoned structures in accordance with the same provisions and procedures as are set forth by law for the repair, closing or demolition of dwellings unfit for human habitation.
Full Breakdown
§ 160A-441, the same repair-closing-demolition process used for dwellings unfit for human habitation. 36 assigns enforcement to the County Manager or a designee, who locates violating structures and keeps a record of every proceeding. 38 lists the specific conditions that put a structure in violation: holes or cracks that admit rodents or insects, accumulated garbage or rubbish that becomes a breeding ground or fire hazard, violations of the State Building, Electrical, Plumbing, or Fire Prevention codes, use of the structure or grounds as a children's play area, and repeated occupation by transients without sanitary facilities.
39, a petition from at least five county residents, or the County Manager's own inspection, triggers a written complaint and a hearing held 10 to 30 days later; if the Manager finds a violation, the owner is ordered to repair, alter, remove, or demolish the structure within up to 90 days. 42. 44.
Violations & Fines
Violating the abandoned-structure standards in § 91.38 or the enforcement procedure in § 91.39 carries monetary fines and injunctive relief under § 11.2 of the Lincoln County Unified Development Ordinance rather than a criminal charge, since G.S. § 153A-123(b1) bars criminal punishment for this kind of violation. Occupying a structure the county has placarded after an in rem order under § 91.41 is a separate misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building an 'abandoned structure' under Lincoln County's code?
Who enforces the abandoned structure ordinance in unincorporated Lincoln County?
How long does an owner have to fix or remove an abandoned structure?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lincoln County
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