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

Sec. ' The section lists eleven categories of circumstances that can support that finding, including repeatedly beckoning to or stopping passersby or vehicles, repeatedly passing money or objects to or from passersby, behaving so as to raise reasonable suspicion of drug activity, being a known drug user or seller at a location known to be frequented by drug users or sellers, being involved with a vehicle known to be tied to drug activity, fleeing on the approach of a police officer, and manifestly trying to conceal oneself or a drug-related object.

Sec. 5-86 defines 'public place' broadly, covering streets, sidewalks, bridges, alleys, plazas, parks, driveways, parking lots, transportation facilities, building entranceways fronting those areas, any county- or state-owned right-of-way, private property entered without the owner's invitation, and vehicles located in any of those places. It defines a 'known unlawful drug user, possessor, or seller' as someone the arresting officer knows to have a prior conviction, in this or another jurisdiction, for a controlled-substance violation under Chapter 90, Article 5 or a substantially similar law. The article gives law enforcement a broad evidentiary basis to stop and question a person exhibiting these behaviors even before any drug transaction is observed or completed.