Franklin County, NC Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Section 20-1(9) of Chapter 20, the parks and recreation code adopted November 17, 2003, is Franklin County's rule against riding wheeled and similar equipment on park surfaces not meant for it. It names a specific list of surfaces off limits to riding, sidewalks, walking trails, exercise stations, playgrounds, courts, ballfields, benches, tables, curbing and parking lots, and a specific list of equipment, bicycles, motorcycles, sleds, coasters, toy wagons, roller skates, roller blades and skateboards, or other similar devices. The clause carries two built-in outs: riding is allowed if it is purely for transportation to and from the park, meaning passing through rather than using the surface as a riding area, and riding is allowed anywhere the parks and recreation department has specifically designated for that equipment.

Read together with section 20-1(8), which separately bars motor vehicles, motorcycles and off-road vehicles from anywhere but paved park roads and designated parking, the county's scheme treats motorized riding and non-motorized riding like skateboarding as two distinct prohibited acts rather than one general rule. Enforcement follows the rest of Chapter 20: section 20-5(b) lets the parks and recreation director, county employees and law enforcement eject or suspend anyone who violates section 20-1, and section 20-6 makes any violation of the chapter a misdemeanor, chargeable as a Class III misdemeanor or as otherwise provided by state statute.

Because the rule turns on county ownership or control of the facility under the opening clause of section 20-1, it applies to every county park and recreation facility across Franklin County, not only those in the unincorporated area.