New Hanover County, NC Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Sec. 38-103 defines 'public place' broadly to include streets, sidewalks, bridges, alleys, plazas, parks, driveways, parking lots, transportation facilities, doorways fronting those places, vehicles in or on those places, and any county-owned property. S. or a substantially similar law elsewhere. The prohibited-acts clause, subsection (c), makes it unlawful to remain or wander in a public place in a manner and under circumstances manifesting a purpose to violate state drug law, and lists nine specific, non-exclusive circumstances an officer can rely on: repeatedly beckoning or attempting to engage passersby, repeatedly stopping vehicles, repeatedly interfering with others' free passage, being a known drug user, possessor or seller, behaving in a way that raises reasonable suspicion of drug activity, repeatedly passing or receiving money or objects to or from passersby, fleeing at the approach of police, being at a location frequented by drug users or sellers, or being connected to a vehicle registered to a known drug offender or known to be involved in drug activity.

Subsection (d) states the ordinance is cumulative and does not repeal any other ordinance covering the same subject. The county adopted the section by ordinance on August 19, 2002, carrying forward Code 1978 § 12-131. This is narrower than a general 'no loitering' or obstruction ordinance: New Hanover County's code does not contain a standalone provision banning loitering or obstructing sidewalks generally outside the drug-activity context.