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

Two separate chapters of the county code reach loitering on county property. Section 13-39(e), adopted May 6, 2019 as part of the Thermal Belt Rail Trail's Article III, states plainly: "No loitering shall be allowed on the Thermal Belt Rail Trail. Loitering is defined as remaining on the trail for a protracted period of time for non-recreational purposes." That definition targets people using the corridor for something other than walking, running or cycling through, without banning benches or rest stops for genuine trail use. Separately, section 15-28(b)(1), part of the solid waste article's rules for the county sanitary landfill, prohibits "loitering or rummaging about landfills and removing articles therefrom," addressing scavenging rather than mere presence.

The landfill subsection sits alongside other listed prohibitions at the same site: discharging firearms or explosives by unauthorized personnel and driving in excess of 15 mph, all enforced by the solid waste director under section 15-22. Neither provision reaches general public streets, sidewalks or county buildings; the code's loitering rules are limited to these two named properties, the recreational trail and the landfill, rather than a countywide loitering ordinance. Both provisions predate the current chapter renumbering but remain in force: the trail rule was enacted by the May 6, 2019 ordinance rewriting Article III in full, and the landfill rule traces to the May 4, 1992 solid waste ordinance codified at section 15-28.