Brunswick County, NC Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Sec. 1-4-109 states plainly that every dwelling and dwelling unit must comply with all minimum housing standards in the article, and that no person may occupy or let a dwelling that does not comply. Sec. 1-4-112 requires a central or electrical heating system, or other safe heating facilities, capable of heating every habitable room, bathroom and water closet compartment to at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit, measured three feet above the floor, whenever the outdoor temperature falls below 20 degrees; portable kerosene heaters cannot serve as a permanent heat source, only as a supplemental one in single-family and duplex units.

Sec. 1-4-111 requires potable water and 24-hour access to a commode or privy connected to a public sewer or an approved sewage disposal system, with fixtures maintained in good repair. Sec. 1-4-114 requires natural light and ventilation windows in habitable rooms, with glazing area at least 8 percent of the room's floor area (minimum 10 square feet in habitable rooms, 3 in bathrooms) and openable ventilation area at least half the required glazed area. Sec. 1-4-116 requires screens on doors and windows used for ventilation to keep out mosquitoes, flies, rodents and other pests, with self-closing devices on exterior doors.

Sec. 1-4-118 divides maintenance duties: the owner must furnish, install and maintain plumbing, windows, glazing and screens and must deliver a pest-free unit at the start of a tenancy, while the occupant must keep fixtures clean, exercise reasonable care, and bear repair costs for damage the occupant willfully causes. A designated county public officer enforces these standards through inspection and, ultimately, the repair or vacate/demolish order process in Sec. 1-4-121. This chapter governs unincorporated Brunswick County rentals only; each incorporated town enforces its own housing or property-maintenance standards inside its limits.