Greensboro, NC Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)

Greensboro's old panhandling-specific ordinance, § 13-201, was repealed by Ord. No. ' In its place, Ord. No. 18-102 (Aug. 2. 1(a) opens by stating 'Solicitation, where not otherwise prohibited herein or by State law, is allowed in the public spaces of Greensboro', so panhandling itself remains lawful citywide. The section then narrows that default only inside city-owned parking garages and lots, where entering to solicit or distribute money, leaflets, or pamphlets is unlawful, though the ban exempts through-sidewalks and landscaped paths that merely run past or through a garage.

2 addresses the aggressive component: a person commits 'harassment in a public space' by knowingly following an individual, or surrounding/cornering them (including at an ATM or parking meter) with intent to threaten, intimidate, or cause fear, and then continuing that conduct after the target has given a negative verbal or physical response. § 160A-174 general-welfare authority. § 14-4, punishable by a fine of up to $50. The council's stated purpose was to protect 'free and safe passage on city sidewalks and streets' from confrontational solicitation without banning solicitation itself, distinguishing Greensboro's current approach from a blanket panhandling ban.