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

Chapter 14, Article III of the Burlington Code of Ordinances sets the minimum standards used to determine whether a dwelling is fit for human habitation, and Section 14-10 is the operative provision. Under subsection (e), plumbing must connect to the city sanitary sewer or water system, or to an existing permitted septic or well system, and be kept in proper working condition; the section elsewhere requires operable fixtures, no broken water closets or leaking lines, and hot water available at every tub, shower, lavatory and kitchen sink.

Subsection (f) requires every building and dwelling unit to be weatherproof and capable of being adequately heated and cooled, with the equipment kept in good order and repair; where central heating or cooling is installed, it must safely heat all habitable rooms, bathrooms and water closet compartments to at least sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit measured three feet above the floor when the outside temperature is twenty degrees. The same section imposes structural, electrical and light/ventilation floors, including required window screening, a minimum of one bathroom light, and limits on extension-cord length and overloaded circuits.

Enforcement runs through the code enforcement administrator, who under Section 14-5 can inspect, cite, and refer properties to the city manager and city council when repairs are not made. A dwelling that racks up more than five separate types of Section 14-10 violations can be found unfit for human habitation under Section 14-20, triggering the repair-or-vacate order process in Section 14-21.