Burke County, NC Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Burke County's board of commissioners regulates conduct at the county's solid waste container sites, known locally as green boxes, under Chapter 58, Division 2 of the county code, which applies only outside the municipal limits of Morganton, Valdese, Drexel, Glen Alpine, Connelly Springs, Hildebran, Rutherford College and Long View (each of those towns runs its own trash rules, and any of them may adopt this division by resolution). Section 58-67 lists eight prohibited acts at container sites, and loitering or congregating is one of them: it is unlawful to loiter and/or congregate on any container site after having deposited solid waste at the site, or without the need or apparent intention to do so.

The same section also bars leaving a vehicle unattended at a container site (subject to towing at the owner's expense), setting a fire in or at a container, climbing on or inside a container, moving a container from its assigned spot, and opening bags left by someone else. 00 per offense, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense. The department of waste management director, or a person designated by the county manager, issues the citation, which must be paid within 72 hours to the tax collector at 203 South Green Street in Morganton.

Unpaid citations move to civil court for collection as a debt; the ordinance is written so that a violation is not a criminal offense or infraction under state law, and the county may also seek an injunction or other equitable remedy in court.