Forsyth County, NC Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- no open dump or waste accumulation on land
- Code section
- Forsyth County Code Sec. 19-11
- Applies to
- any land, incl. vacant lots, unincorporated county
- Enforcer
- county manager and designated officials
- Criminal penalty
- up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
- Civil penalty
- up to $500 per day, G.S. 153A-123
Summary
Forsyth County bans running or maintaining an open dump on any land in the county, including vacant lots, and requires anyone controlling land where one has operated to close it under state Department of Environmental Quality standards. It is enforced under the county's solid waste chapter, separate from the housing weed rule.
Sec. 19-11. - Open dumps. (a)Any owner or operator of an open dump or any person who owns, leases or otherwise controls land on which such an open dump is or has been operating shall immediately close the site in accordance with the requirements established by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.(b)Any open dump or deposit or unsanitary accumulation of any waste matter whatsoever is prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 19-11 of the Forsyth County Code, in Chapter 19, Solid Waste and Recovered Material Management, prohibits any open dump, deposit, or unsanitary accumulation of waste matter on land in the county, whether or not a dwelling sits on it. Subsection (a) puts the duty on the owner, operator, or anyone who owns, leases or otherwise controls land where an open dump is or has been operating to immediately close the site to state Department of Environmental Quality standards. Sec. 19-1 defines an 'open dump' broadly as any facility or site where solid waste is disposed of that is not a permitted sanitary landfill, coal combustion residuals impoundment, or hazardous waste facility, so the rule reaches informal dumping on an otherwise unimproved parcel, not just a licensed landfill gone wrong.
Sec. S. 153A-123, in addition to criminal or civil penalties. This chapter's provisions run alongside, but separately from, the yard-weed standard in Sec. 7-117(f), which only applies to dwelling yards; Sec. 19-11 is the provision that reaches a bare vacant lot with no structure on it.
Violations & Fines
Under Sec. 19-3, violating Chapter 19, including the open-dump ban in Sec. 19-11, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to five hundred dollars ($500.00) or imprisonment of up to thirty days, or both, as provided by G.S. 14-4, with each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense. The county may instead or additionally pursue a civil penalty of up to $500.00 per day under G.S. 153A-123, and the county manager can seek equitable relief such as an injunction or abatement order under Sec. 19-2(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this cover a vacant lot with no house on it?
What counts as an 'open dump' under the county code?
Who enforces the open-dump ban?
What is the penalty for maintaining an open dump?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Forsyth County
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