Public Conduct in North Carolina (2026)

Apex, North Carolina requires a town permit before anyone may beg on a public street or public place, with an exemption…

Asheville bans soliciting by accosting someone, forcing oneself upon them, or continuing after a negative response…

Catawba County makes it a class 3 misdemeanor to stand, sit, or loiter in the street, median, or right-of-way of a…

Charlotte bans aggressive begging and panhandling: accosting someone, forcing yourself on them, or soliciting within 20…

Concord bans specific aggressive forms of begging in public under City Code Sec. 42-10: forcing yourself on someone…

Craven County makes it unlawful to solicit, peddle or beg inside any public recreation area it owns or controls, unless…

Durham doesn't ban panhandling outright, but City Code § 54-261 makes it unlawful to beg by accosting someone or…

Fayetteville's begging and soliciting ordinance criminalizes accosting or forcing yourself on someone to ask for money…

Gastonia makes it a misdemeanor to beg or solicit money by accosting someone in a way that would make a reasonable…

Guilford County bans soliciting, peddling and begging inside every county park and recreation area outside an approved…

High Point bars soliciting money in an aggressive manner in public areas, on buses, within 25 feet of banks and ATMs…

Iredell County bans begging or soliciting in a public place by intimidating or accosting someone, or forcing oneself…

Johnston County makes it a misdemeanor to accost, block, touch, or follow anyone while begging or soliciting, and bans…

Moore County Code § 10.5-16 bans soliciting, peddling or begging in any county park, and bans selling merchandise or…

New Hanover County bars soliciting money or goods in an aggressive manner, defined to include physical contact…

Onslow County bans soliciting money or business on public highways and streets from more than a dozen specific…

Raleigh bans begging or panhandling outright between sunset and sunrise (never before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.), near…

Rose Hill requires a town permit before anyone solicits alms in public places by offering merchandise for sale, an…

Wilmington City Code § 6-16 makes it a misdemeanor to solicit, beg or ask for money in an aggressive or intimidating…

Winston-Salem bans accosting, blocking, or forcing oneself on anyone while begging, plus soliciting near ATMs, bus…

Shelby makes it unlawful to beg or solicit alms by accosting people or forcing yourself on someone who has already said…

Greensboro repealed its dedicated panhandling ordinance (former § 13-201) in 2018 and now regulates aggressive…

Asheville makes it a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate anywhere in public, whether on a street, sidewalk, alley…

Charlotte makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in any public place, street, sidewalk, alleyway…

Concord's public nuisance ordinance names public urination or defecation as one of the conduct triggers that turns a…

Urinating or defecating anywhere in Durham other than a designated water closet or toilet facility is a misdemeanor…

Urinating or defecating in any public place, street, sidewalk, alley, right-of-way, public building, or on private…

Urinating or defecating anywhere in public is a misdemeanor in High Point, covering city, state, county, and federal…

Urinating or defecating in any public place, street, sidewalk, right-of-way, or public building in Wilmington is a…

Winston-Salem bans urinating or defecating in any public place, street, sidewalk, right-of-way, or public building…

Raleigh bans urinating or defecating on any City right-of-way, street, sidewalk, park, or building, and bans doing so…

The Town of Cary makes it a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on public streets, sidewalks, parks, or outdoors in…

Willfully urinating or defecating in a public place, street, sidewalk, alley, or outside area open to public view, in…

Gastonia bans urinating or defecating on any public place, sidewalk, street, alleyway, right-of-way or public building…

Kill Devil Hills treats public urination as disorderly conduct. Town Code § 130.01(A)(16) bars urinating anywhere in…

New Hanover County makes it unlawful to defecate or urinate outside the confines of a building where the public can…

Raleigh outright bans skateboarding, roller skating and similar wheeled toys on its downtown Pedestrian Malls under…

Charlotte bans skateboarding on any roadway except to cross at a crosswalk under section 14-3, and separately bans…

Concord bans skating, roller-blading and skateboarding on any city street, and on sidewalks within the fire limits and…

Durham bans riding a skateboard on any roadway except to cross at a crosswalk or on a designated play street under City…

Gastonia prohibits riding skateboards, roller skates, or scooters inside or around specific municipal buildings and…

High Point bans skateboarding at the High Point Library and on public sidewalks, streets, and parking areas throughout…

Kill Devil Hills bans riding skateboards, and other 'play vehicles,' on public property outright, and restricts them on…

Skateboarding, roller skating, roller blading and riding coasters or scooters on any Pitt County-owned property is…

Shelby prohibits skateboards, inline skates, and roller skates on every street and alley, on business-district…

Skateboards, roller skates, scooters, and similar human-powered devices are banned outright on public streets…

Skateboards, roller skates, and similar wheeled toys are banned on streets, sidewalks, parks, and public property…

Apex allows skateboarding on sidewalks with due caution and a 10 mph limit, but bans it outright on sidewalks along…

Asheville City Code § 12-45 requires anyone riding a skateboard at the city-operated Cherry Street skateboard park to…

Craven County bans skateboards, bicycles, hand scooters, roller skates and in-line skates from the walkways, tennis…

Skateboards are barred outright from the Core Downtown Area under Sec. 24-139, but permitted on ordinary city sidewalks…

Riding a skateboard, roller skates or non-motorized scooter on any Greensboro street, on municipal building or…

Iredell County bans skateboarding, roller blading and in-line skating on any county-owned property or facility outside…

Rose Hill's traffic code bars roller skates, coasters, toy vehicles and similar devices, including skateboards, from…

A gathering at a Fayetteville address becomes a nuisance party the moment attendees create unlawful drinking, public…

Brunswick County's noise ordinance singles out gatherings of 10 or more people that spill outdoors into a yard…

Gathering at a party loud enough to disturb neighbors is a nuisance noise under Code of Ordinances § 8-1(a)(11), and a…

High Point's noise ordinance makes it unlawful to host a party where music or amplified sound from a dwelling carries…

Onslow County outlaws loud, boisterous shouting or language that disturbs a neighbor's quiet, comfort or repose…

Raleigh's nuisance-party ordinance makes hosts legally responsible when a gathering they control turns into unlawful…

Rockingham County bans unreasonably loud noise, including music and stereos audible in nearby homes between 10 p.m. and…

Shelby's noise ordinance makes the person who owns, manages, or operates a residence responsible for loud party noise…

Apex bans habitually loafing or loitering on streets and sidewalks that blocks passage to a business or private…

Concord makes it a crime to remain or wander in any public place for the purpose of engaging in illegal drug activity…

Article VII of the county code makes it a misdemeanor to loiter in a public place in unincorporated Cumberland County…

Fayetteville bans loitering that breaches the peace, blocks pedestrians or vehicles, or manifests drug activity, plus…

High Point makes it a misdemeanor to remain or wander in a public place while manifesting intent to violate North…

City Code § 11-2154 makes it unlawful to stand, sit or loiter in any Raleigh street right-of-way, including medians, in…

Wilmington City Code § 6-19 makes it unlawful to remain or wander in a public place under circumstances showing a…

Asheville City Code § 11-17 makes it unlawful to loiter, loaf, wander, stand, or remain idle in any public place with…

Catawba County bans loitering on county public grounds and buildings between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Code of…

Charlotte makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor to stand, sit, lie, or loiter in a street, highway, shoulder, or median strip…

Cleveland County bans loitering and rummaging at its sanitary landfill under Code § 11-39(b)(1), along with removing…

Durham's loitering ordinance, City Code § 46-150, doesn't criminalize standing around generally: it targets repeated…

Durham County bans loitering and congregating on the property of its residential convenience centers, the county-run…

Gastonia makes it unlawful to loiter in a public place under circumstances that show intent to violate North Carolina's…

Section 10.5-7 makes it unlawful to loaf, lounge or loiter near, on or about the parking or sidewalk areas of any…

Section 16-5 makes it unlawful to loiter, loaf, wander, stand, or remain idle in a public place in a way that obstructs…

Lincoln County does not ban loitering on public property; instead, § 91.50 makes it a trespass to loiter, hunt, fish…

In unincorporated Moore County, the Solid Waste Container Ordinance bars loitering or congregating on any solid waste…

New Hanover County's only loitering ordinance targets loitering for drug activity, not general loitering. Sec. 38-103…

Onslow County has no general street-corner loitering ordinance. The only loitering ban in the code sits inside the…

Rose Hill makes it a violation to loiter or prowl in a way that would alarm a reasonable person for the safety of…

Rowan County makes it unlawful to loiter, sleep or block traffic on the steps, passageways, sidewalks, drives or…

Shelby bans loitering on streets or in public places that blocks vehicle or pedestrian traffic, and separately bars…

Winston-Salem makes it unlawful to remain or wander about any public place under circumstances that manifest intent to…

Brunswick County, North Carolina does not have a general public loitering law for the unincorporated county. Its only…

Asheville City Code § 11-32(a) makes it unlawful to smoke or carry a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe, or e-cigarette in…

Concord bans smoking and tobacco use throughout its entire parks system, including greenways, trails, playgrounds and…

Smoking, vaping and any tobacco product use is banned outright in all Gaston County-owned, leased or operated parks…

Union County bans smoking and tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and vaping, across the entire human services campus…

Apex bans smoking, vapor products, and tobacco use in all town parks, greenways, and park property outside posted…

Craven County confines smoking to the parking lots of every public recreation area it owns or controls, meaning county…

Durham County outlaws smoking, including e-cigarettes, across a long list of outdoor and indoor public spaces, from…

Smoking is prohibited on all city-owned or leased property and in every city vehicle under Code of Ordinances § 2-121…

A joint ordinance among New Hanover County, Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach bans smoking…

The City of Shelby prohibits smoking and tobacco use on the Carolina Harmony Trail and at the City of Shelby Dog Park…

Wake County bans smoking, tobacco and vapor use in every county building, county vehicle, and on all county grounds…

Buncombe County bans lighted smoking material in every county building, on every county-owned outdoor ground, and…

Cumberland County bans smoking inside every county-owned or leased building and on the outdoor grounds around them…

Greensboro bans smoking in a defined list of enclosed public places, elevators, museums, libraries, theatres, large…

Lincoln County bans smoking, vaping and tobacco use outdoors across every county-owned, leased or operated park and…

Onslow County lets its parks and recreation department ban smoking, vaping and other tobacco use in any structure or…

Raleigh bans smoking in all City parks and greenways and their associated structures, with one carve-out: smoking is…

Wilmington City Code § 6-9 bans smoking on any city building, ground, park or vehicle, covering outdoor spaces like…

Rowan County lets its Parks and Recreation Commission forbid smoking in any structure or area of a county park where…

Apex pedestrians crossing outside a marked or unmarked intersection crosswalk must yield to all vehicles on the…

Asheville lets pedestrians cross outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk, but City Code Sec. 19-231 requires them to…

Concord bars pedestrians from crossing a street except by the shortest route straight across, at right angles to the…

On any Fayetteville street controlled by traffic lights, pedestrians must cross only at designated crossings, and only…

High Point, North Carolina pedestrians who cross a street outside a marked or unmarked intersection crosswalk must…

Raleigh bans street crossing at any point a posted sign, barricade or notice marks off-limits under City Code §…

Apex prohibits using, consuming, or possessing any narcotic drug, hallucinogen, or other controlled substance in any…

Cleveland County makes it a misdemeanor to drink, or attempt to drink, beer, wine or liquor anywhere open to the public…

Davidson County bans drinking malt beverages or unfortified wine anywhere on property the county owns or occupies…

Drinking beer, wine, ale or any alcoholic beverage on High Point streets, sidewalks, or city property is a misdemeanor…

Moore County Code § 10.5-21 bans possessing, consuming, displaying or selling any alcoholic beverage on the premises…

Onslow County bans selling, possessing, or drinking beer, wine, whiskey, or any other intoxicating beverage anywhere…

Rose Hill bans possessing any intoxicating beverage, open or closed, on property owned or controlled by the town, and…

Rowan County prohibits the sale, possession, or consumption of any alcoholic beverage on property the county owns…

Asheville bars anyone outside a vehicle from drinking or even carrying an open container of malt beverage or…

Possessing, drinking, displaying or selling beer, wine or liquor on any Buncombe County-owned or operated property…

Charlotte bans drinking or carrying an open container of beer or wine on any public street, sidewalk, or light-rail…

Cumberland County Code Sec. 9.5-2(b) bars selling or drinking beer, wine or liquor on any public building, lot, park…

Durham bars possessing or drinking an open beer or wine container on any public street under City Code § 46-149…

Durham County bans consuming or possessing an open container of any alcoholic beverage anywhere on county-owned or…

It is unlawful in Fayetteville to consume alcohol or carry an open container on public streets, unless you're inside a…

Forsyth County bans consuming or possessing malt beverages, wine, spirits, or mixed drinks at ten named county parks…

Gastonia bans possessing or consuming alcohol on any public street, sidewalk, alley, parking lot or city-owned…

Greensboro bans possessing an open container of malt beverages or unfortified wine, or consuming either, on any public…

Kill Devil Hills bans open alcohol containers on a specific list of town properties, the Ocean Bay Boulevard bathhouse…

In unincorporated Lincoln County, drinking beer, whiskey or any other alcoholic beverage is illegal while standing…

Shelby makes it a misdemeanor to drink, sell, or give away beer, wine, or malt liquor on city-owned property, with a…

Union County bans drinking or carrying an open container of beer or wine on any park property, and bans possessing or…

It is unlawful to drink or carry an open container of beer or unfortified wine on Winston-Salem's public streets or on…

Apex bans consuming or possessing open malt beverages and unfortified wine on public streets and town property, with a…

The Town of Cary bans open containers and drinking of malt beverages or wine on public streets, with narrow exceptions…

Concord allows open alcohol only inside the Downtown Concord Social District, and only between 11:00 a.m. and 10:00…

Gaston County bans possessing an open container of, or drinking, malt beverages or unfortified wine inside any…

New Hanover County bans drinking or carrying an open bottle, can or container of liquor, wine, malt beverage or other…

Pitt County prohibits possessing, consuming, or displaying alcoholic beverages on any property the Cultural Arts &…

Raleigh City Code § 12-4001 makes it unlawful to consume malt beverages or unfortified wine as a pedestrian on any city…

Wilmington City Code § 6-12 bars drinking malt beverages or unfortified wine on any public street, sidewalk or…