Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42, landlords must keep rental premises fit and habitable, comply with building codes, maintain plumbing, electrical, heating and other facilities, and provide working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Tenants enforce these duties by civil action, but cannot withhold rent until a court approves it.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-42 requires the landlord to comply with applicable building and housing codes and to "make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition." The landlord must keep common areas safe, maintain electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating and air-conditioning facilities in good working order, and provide operable smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Imminently dangerous conditions must be repaired within a reasonable time. Under § 42-44 these duties are enforceable by civil action, but § 42-44(c) states a tenant "may not unilaterally withhold rent prior to a judicial determination of a right to do so."
Tenants may sue for rent abatement, repair costs, or damages under § 42-44. A landlord who fails to maintain fit premises may also face local housing-code enforcement; there is no fixed statutory fine in Chapter 42.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem driveways require permits for new curb cuts and must meet UDO standards for width and paving material. Residential driveways limited to 24 feet...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem street parking is free in residential areas with 72-hour maximum stays. Downtown has metered parking with enforcement 8 AM to 6 PM Monday throu...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem defines abandoned vehicles as those parked on public streets over 72 hours or inoperative vehicles on private property. Police tag suspicious v...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem prohibits parking of commercial vehicles over 1 ton in residential zoning districts. Semi-trucks, dump trucks, and large delivery vehicles cann...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem is not in a designated high-severity wildfire zone, but wooded neighborhoods along Salem Creek, Muddy Creek, and the western edge near Pilot Mo...
Winston-Salem, NC
Winston-Salem permits recreational fire pits under the NC Fire Code (Section 307) when fires are contained, attended, and set back at least 25 feet from stru...
See how Winston-Salem's repairs & habitability rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.