Nash County, NC Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Section 20-28(b) of the Nash County Code prohibits depositing, storing or accumulating solid waste and garbage on any property for more than 48 hours in a manner that provides food or harborage for insects or rodents, or that creates a fire or safety hazard. Subsection (b)(1) goes further for junk items specifically: it is unlawful for any occupant of a dwelling to place or leave outside furniture, a refrigerator, stove or other appliance, machinery, equipment, building material or other item that is wholly or partially rusted, wrecked, junked, dismantled or inoperative, unless it is completely enclosed within a building or a privacy fence.

That prohibition does not apply to a licensed junk dealer. A related subsection, (b)(2), bars leaving an abandoned refrigerator or other container with an airtight lock accessible to children unless the snap lock or similar device has first been removed. Enforcement runs through the county's general penalty, § 1-7: a violation is punishable by a fine of up to $500, with each day the junk remains outside and unenclosed counted as a separate offense. Section 20-27 confirms the violation is a misdemeanor and lets the county pursue restitution in court for any damages or extra expenses the violation caused, on top of the criminal penalty.

Because the rule is written around dwellings and dwelling units, it reaches residential properties in the unincorporated county; commercial junk storage tied to a licensed junkyard business is instead regulated separately under the county's motor vehicle salvage and junk storage yard standards.