Moore County, NC Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Moore County Code § 10.5-16
- Covers
- soliciting, peddling, begging, selling
- Exception
- county-granted concessions
- Exception
- nonprofit sales, advance permit
- Enforcement
- ejection, G.S. 153A-123, trespass
Summary
Moore County Code § 10.5-16 bans soliciting, peddling or begging in any county park, and bans selling merchandise or wares there, unless the activity is part of a county-approved event, a county-granted concession, or a nonprofit or civic group sale with an advance department permit. The ban covers begging alone, not just commercial sales.
Except as part of an approved event, it shall be unlawful for any person to solicit, peddle or beg within any park or sell any merchandise or wares, provided that this section shall not apply to (a) any concession granted by the county or department for a recreation facility; or (b) any solicitation or sale of goods by nonprofit or civic groups, provided that a permit is obtained in advance from the department.
Full Breakdown
Sec. " The ban applies across every "public recreation area" as defined in Sec. 5-2, meaning parks, recreation centers, playgrounds, pools, ball fields, tennis courts and their parking lots, and it reaches solicitation and begging alike, not just commercial sales, so a person asking park patrons for money without a permit is covered even without an accompanying sale. " A group or individual soliciting without first securing that department permit, or outside an approved event, is in violation regardless of the cause being raised. Enforcement runs through Sec.
5-26, which lets the parks director or any authorized department employee eject a violator on the spot, and Sec. S. 153A-123 and treats a refusal to leave as criminal trespass.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate fine schedule for begging or unpermitted solicitation in the parks chapter; violators are subject to on-site ejection by the parks director or staff under Sec. 10.5-26, the civil and injunctive remedies of G.S. 153A-123 referenced in Sec. 10.5-27, and a trespass charge if they refuse to leave after being told to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is panhandling allowed in Moore County parks?
Can a charity ask for donations in a county park?
What happens if someone begs or solicits in a park without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Moore County
Compare Moore County to another location·View the North Carolina public conduct overview
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