Forsyth County, NC Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Access authority
- housing administrator, Sec. 7-121
- Trigger
- complaint by 5+ residents or own motion
- Hearing timeline
- 10 to 30 days after notice served
- Refusal remedy
- administrative inspection warrant
- Applies to
- dwellings in unincorporated county
- Occupying posted unfit dwelling
- Class 1 misdemeanor
Summary
Forsyth County inspects dwellings, including rentals, under its Minimum Housing Standards article rather than a routine city-style rental registration program. The housing administrator can enter and examine any dwelling on complaint or on his own motion, and owners must give reasonable access for inspections and repairs.
Sec. 7-121. - Access to premises for inspections. For the purposes of making inspections, the housing administrator is hereby authorized to enter, examine and survey at all reasonable times all dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units and premises. The owner or occupant of every dwelling, dwelling units, or rooming units or the person in charge thereof, shall give the housing administrator free access to such dwelling, dwelling unit, or rooming unit and its premises at all reasonable times for the purpose of such inspection, examination and survey. Every occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall give the owner thereof, or his agent or employee, access to any part of such dwelling or dwelling unit, and its premises, at all reasonable times for the purpose of making such repairs or alterations as are necessary to effect compliance with the provisions of this article or with any lawful order issued pursuant to the provisions of this article. If the occupant or owner refuses the housing administrator admittance, then the housing administrator may obtain an administrative inspection warrant.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 7-121 of the Forsyth County Code authorizes the housing administrator to enter, examine, and survey all dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units, and their premises at reasonable times for inspection. The owner or occupant must give the housing administrator free access for that purpose, and an occupant must likewise let the owner in to make repairs needed to meet the article's standards. If access is refused, the administrator may obtain an administrative inspection warrant rather than force entry. This is a complaint- or referral-driven scheme, not a scheduled rental-license inspection cycle: under Sec.
7-122, a petition from a public authority or at least five county residents, or the administrator acting on his own motion, triggers a preliminary investigation, followed by a notice of hearing served on the owner and any parties in interest, held no less than ten and no more than thirty days after service. Sec. 7-120 gives the administrator power to inspect dwellings countywide to determine unfitness, administer oaths, take evidence, and keep a record of noncompliant dwellings. S. S. Chapter 160D, Article 12 per Sec.
7-111, this scheme applies only to dwellings in the unincorporated areas of Forsyth County and municipalities that separately adopt it, so a rental unit inside Winston-Salem or Kernersville falls under those cities' own housing codes instead.
Violations & Fines
Refusing the housing administrator access under Sec. 7-121 does not itself criminalize the refusal; instead the administrator may obtain an administrative inspection warrant to gain entry. Once a dwelling is found unfit under Sec. 7-122, failure to comply with a resulting repair, vacate, or demolition order is enforceable by the housing administrator carrying out the repair or demolition itself and filing a lien for the cost under Sec. 7-122(e), and separately, occupying a dwelling posted as unfit under Sec. 7-122(c) is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Forsyth County run a mandatory rental-registration inspection program?
Can a landlord refuse to let the inspector in?
How many resident complaints does it take to start an inspection?
Does this inspection scheme apply to rentals in Winston-Salem?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Forsyth County
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