Guilford County, NC Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Where it applies
- All county-owned parks and recreation areas
- Exception
- Approved events only
- Enforcement
- Removal, trespass prosecution, or G.S. 153A-123 remedy
- Default penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
- Adopted
- Ord. of 5-31-90
Summary
Guilford County bans soliciting, peddling and begging inside every county park and recreation area outside an approved event. Sec. 13-9 makes it unlawful to 'ply the vocation of a solicitor, agent, peddler, beggar or salesman' in a county park, or to hawk food, drinks or merchandise there, and Sec. 13-20 lets the county enforce the chapter through trespass prosecution or any remedy under G.S. 153A-123.
Sec. 13-9. - Selling items prohibited. Except as part of an approved event, it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in soliciting, peddling, begging or selling; ply the vocation of a solicitor, agent, peddler, beggar or salesman of any description in any part; and it shall be unlawful for any person to sell, hawk, or vend fruits, candies, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream, soft drinks or other items of merchandise within any park.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 13 of the Guilford County Code, adopted by ordinance on May 31, 1990, governs conduct on every park and recreation area the county owns. Sec. ' Sec. 13-9, titled 'Selling items prohibited,' bars soliciting, peddling, begging or selling of any kind in a park unless it is part of an approved event, and separately bars hawking or vending fruit, candy, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream, soft drinks or other merchandise there. The ban applies to anyone approaching park visitors for money, not just vendors: the text reaches a person who would 'ply the vocation of a solicitor, agent, peddler, beggar or salesman of any description' inside a park.
A group that wants to raise money or sell goods in a county park has to obtain approval as an event first, the same approval Sec. 13-10 requires for exhibition shows, and flea markets or rummage sales stay prohibited outright even with a permit. The section sits among other conduct rules for the same parks, including a ban on disorderly conduct or boisterous language under Sec. 13-12 and on games of chance under Sec. 13-11, all adopted the same year and enforced the same way.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 13-20 lets the county enforce Chapter 13 by any remedy authorized under G.S. 153A-123. Anyone soliciting, peddling or begging in a county park can be asked to leave immediately, and refusing to go can turn the encounter into a trespass prosecution rather than just a park-rules citation. Because Sec. 13-9 carries no separate fine schedule, a citation for violating the chapter defaults to the Sec. 1-14 general penalty: up to a $500 fine, 30 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is panhandling illegal in Guilford County parks?
What happens if someone refuses to stop panhandling in a Guilford County park?
Does the panhandling ban apply outside county parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Guilford County
Compare Guilford County to another location·View the North Carolina public conduct overview
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