Chapel Hill, NC Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Ramp hours (4-12 ft)
- Mon-Fri/Sun 2-6pm, Sat noon-6pm
- Users per ramp
- 1 at a time
- Large ramp threshold
- Over 10 ft high or 30 ft long
- Removal deadline
- 30 days after notice
- Sidewalk ban streets
- Franklin, Rosemary, Columbia St.
- Sidewalk penalty
- $5.00 civil penalty
- Park exemption
- Town parks 35+ acres
Summary
Chapel Hill regulates skateboarding two ways: hour and size limits on outdoor ramps in residential zones, and a downtown sidewalk riding ban. Ramps over four feet or twelve feet are restricted to set weekday and weekend hours with one rider at a time, and oversized ramps become a public nuisance.
The use or operation of an outdoor skateboard ramp made of wood or other material located within an area in the town zoned residential and exceeding four (4) feet in height or twelve (12) feet in length is limited as follows: Monday through Friday and Sunday 2—6 p.m. Saturday 12 noon—6 p.m. In addition, during the days and times allowed, skateboard ramps are limited to one (1) user at any one (1) time. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to ... ride a bicycle, skateboard, roller skates or scooter on the sidewalk on either side of Franklin Street between Robertson Lane and the western boundary of the town, on either side of Rosemary Street between Henderson Street and the western boundary of the town, or on either side of Columbia Street between Rosemary Street and Franklin Street. ... A person found in violation of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed five dollars ($5.00).
Full Breakdown
Chapel Hill treats backyard ramps and street riding as separate issues. Section 11-13 limits any outdoor skateboard ramp over four feet high or twelve feet long that sits in a residentially zoned area to specific hours, Monday through Friday and Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., and caps use to one rider at a time even during those windows. Section 11-14 goes further: a residential-zone ramp over ten feet high or thirty feet long is declared a public nuisance outright, and its owner must stop using it and dismantle or resize it within thirty days of receiving notice.
Section 11-14.1 exempts ramps and skate facilities inside town-owned public parks of thirty-five acres or more, which covers town skate parks such as the one at Homestead Park. Separately, Chapter 21's traffic code bans riding a skateboard, along with bicycles, roller skates and scooters, on the sidewalk on either side of three named downtown streets under Sec. 21-3: Franklin Street between Robertson Lane and the town's western boundary, Rosemary Street between Henderson Street and the western boundary, and Columbia Street between Rosemary Street and Franklin Street.
That section's penalty is separate from the ramp rules: a civil penalty of up to $5.00. The ramp rules and the sidewalk rule sit in different chapters, so a rider ticketed downtown under Sec. 21-3 is not also charged under the ramp ordinance.
Violations & Fines
A homeowner running an oversized ramp, over four feet high or twelve feet long during restricted hours, or over ten feet high or thirty feet long at any time, risks a public-nuisance order under Sec. 11-14 requiring removal within thirty days of notice. Riding a skateboard on the restricted Franklin, Rosemary or Columbia Street sidewalks carries a civil penalty of up to $5.00 under Sec. 21-3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a skateboard ramp in my Chapel Hill backyard?
Is there a size limit for skateboard ramps in Chapel Hill?
Where can't I skateboard on the sidewalk in Chapel Hill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chapel Hill
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