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

Sec. 4-124(a)-(b) sets the baseline: every dwelling or dwelling unit used for human habitation must meet the North Carolina State Building Code at the time it was built, plus every fitness standard in Article VI, and no owner may occupy or let for occupancy a unit that fails those standards. The numbers behind that baseline are specific. Sec. 4-126(a)(2) requires every dwelling unit to have at least a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower and water closet, with a water heater capable of reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sec. 4-126(b) requires a heating system able to hold every habitable room, bathroom and water closet compartment at a minimum of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, measured three feet above the floor, during ordinary winter conditions, and bars portable heaters as a primary heat source. Sec. 4-126(c)(1) requires GFCI-protected outlets in bathrooms, laundry rooms, furnace rooms and kitchens, plus at least two electric receptacles on separate walls in every habitable room. Sec. S. 42-42(a)(5). For rooming houses, Sec. 4-131(a) requires at least one water closet, lavatory and tub or shower with hot and cold water for every four rooms sharing facilities, located no more than one story from any user.

Enforcement runs through the Director of Inspections acting as housing inspector under Sec. 4-133: a preliminary investigation, a complaint and hearing 10 to 30 days out under Sec. 4-137(a), then a written order to repair, alter, vacate-and-close, or demolish. Emergency conditions, such as broken plumbing, exposed wiring, or inoperable heating, must be fixed within 48 hours of notice under Sec. 4-134(a)(1); missing that window triggers a $250 fine, utility disconnection, and an 'unfit for human habitation' placard. Non-emergency violations get 90 days to correct, after which the fine runs $50 a day under Sec. 4-134(a)(4) until re-inspection confirms compliance.