Winston-Salem, NC

Winston-Salem requires dogs off the owner's property to be leashed, chained, or otherwise under a competent person's physical control, while dogs left unattended outdoors on the…

Winston-Salem requires anyone keeping horses, mules, donkeys, goats, sheep, or cattle within city limits to fence and shelter them at least 50 feet from any adjoining property line, or…

Winston-Salem bans inherently dangerous exotics: big cats, bears, wolves, primates, and venomous reptiles. N.C.G.S. 14-417 requires state permits for venomous reptiles.

Winston-Salem bans no dog breeds. NC has no BSL preemption, but the city uses a behavior-based dangerous dog rule under N.C.G.S. 67-4.1 instead of breed legislation. HOAs may set their…

Backyard beekeeping is allowed in Winston-Salem with setbacks. Hives must sit at least 10 feet from property lines, with a 6-foot flyway barrier near neighbors. Annual NC Dept of…

Forsyth County's animal code has no general ordinance against feeding backyard wildlife, but it bars keeping or harboring wild animals (Sec. 6-54) and prohibits public-nuisance…

Cats in Forsyth County must be licensed (Sec. 6-10) and rabies-vaccinated at three months or older (Sec. 6-25). Cats are covered by the running-at-large rule (Sec. 6-13) just like…

Forsyth County has no blanket spay/neuter mandate, but any dog the department of public health or FCSO declares dangerous or potentially dangerous, or that bites a person or animal…

Forsyth County's animal code sets no flat numeric limit on how many dogs or cats you may keep. Instead, keeping animals so as to create a public nuisance is prohibited (Sec. 6-9), and…

Winston-Salem bars parking vehicles, boats, campers or trailers on front lawns unless on an improved driveway or pad at least 10 feet wide, capped at 30% of the front yard.

Winston-Salem requires vehicles parked in designated electric vehicle charging spaces to be actively plugged in and charging, requires drivers to move once charging ends or the posted…

Winston-Salem defines abandoned vehicles as those parked on public streets over 72 hours or inoperative vehicles on private property. Police tag suspicious vehicles with 7-day notice…

When Winston-Salem has a vehicle towed, Chapter 42 gives the owner a fixed set of rights: notice within 24 hours if the car carries a North Carolina plate and 72 hours if it does not…

Winston-Salem requires vehicles parked on a street to sit parallel to the curb, headed in the direction of traffic, within 12 inches of it, and bars stopping on sidewalks, in…

Winston-Salem caps curb loading zone stops at 30 minutes for active loading or unloading, and reserves commercial loading zones for vehicles carrying a state commercial registration.

Winston-Salem bars parking boats, campers, trailers, and vehicles on front lawns, but only inside neighborhoods that petition the city for a 'no parking on the lawn' designation: like…

Winston-Salem prohibits parking private vehicles or trailers wider than 80 inches or longer than 30 feet on any city street, except while actively loading or unloading, under Code of…

Forsyth County has no blanket overnight on-street parking ban for its unincorporated, state-maintained roads. In Winston-Salem, overnight parking is allowed on most residential streets…

Winston-Salem requires a city permit before anyone prunes, sprays, cables, braces, removes, or otherwise maintains a tree on public right-of-way, including street and sidewalk trees…

Cutting, removing, or damaging a tree on Winston-Salem public property or street right-of-way requires a permit from the assistant city manager for public works, who can order…

Winston-Salem caps grass and weeds at eight inches on residential and business lots citywide, with owners liable for civil penalties and lien-backed abatement costs if they don't cut…

Since 2024 Winston-Salem lets residents replace lawns with registered Natural Landscape Areas of native plants. Turf grass must stay under eight inches, areas need a 5-foot setback and…

North Carolina makes water reuse, including captured rainwater, official state policy, and residential rain barrels used for outdoor irrigation are permitted statewide without a state…

Winston-Salem bans loud yard and garage equipment, front-end loaders, garage machinery, lawn mowers and gas-powered tools, in residential areas or within 300 feet of any home between…

Amplified sound equipment used on Winston-Salem streets, sidewalks, parks or other public areas needs a city permit, is capped at four hours a day within set windows, limited to 15…

Winston-Salem bars gasoline-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other gas-powered yard tools outdoors between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in residential zones or within 300 feet of any…

Car audio audible 50+ feet from a vehicle violates Winston-Salem noise code. Exhausts louder than stock are prohibited under N.C.G.S. 20-128. WSPD enforces on sight.

Winston-Salem treats dogs that bark, howl, or whine for 15+ minutes and seriously annoy neighbors as a nuisance. Police notify the owner on complaint, who then has 24 hours to abate it…

Smith Reynolds (INT) and Piedmont Triad (GSO) aircraft noise is federally preempted under 49 U.S.C. 40103. Winston-Salem cannot regulate flights. Airports use FAA Part 150 programs.

Neither Forsyth County's Sec. 15-1 nor Winston-Salem's Chapter 46 sets a numeric construction-hours window. Instead, Winston-Salem Sec. 46-5 bans loud domestic tools, garage machinery…

Forsyth County measures noise by distance, not decibels: Code Sec. 15-1(c) makes it unlawful to play a radio, tape player, or amplifying device so loudly that it disturbs or frightens…

Winston-Salem home-based child care is regulated primarily by the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE). Family child care homes caring for more than two…

A Forsyth County home occupation may display only one occupancy sign no larger than 144 square inches (one square foot). There may be no salesroom or display window, and neon or…

A zoning permit from the Director of Inspections is required for a home occupation in the unincorporated county. The permit is granted only when all UDO conditions are met and is…

Home cooking, baking, and preserving are expressly allowed as a home occupation under the Forsyth County UDO. To sell packaged foods you also need North Carolina Department of…

Winston-Salem exempts outdoor cooking and recreational fires from its bonfire permit requirement only if they're confined to a fire pit or chiminea set at least 25 feet from any…

Winston-Salem requires a permit before kindling or maintaining any bonfire or rubbish fire on private or public ground, though small contained recreational fires are exempt from the…

Winston-Salem requires property owners to keep lots clear of accumulated brush, dead vegetation, and combustible debris that could spread fire. Enforcement is handled under the Code of…

Winston-Salem enforces the NC State Building Code and NC Residential Code, which require working smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on every level…

Only ground-based sparkling devices (sparklers, fountains, snakes, smoke items) are legal in Winston-Salem under NCGS 14-410. All aerial fireworks, firecrackers, Roman candles, bottle…

North Carolina regulates propane storage statewide under G.S. Chapter 119, Article 5. The Board of Agriculture adopts a code of safety, NFPA 58 via 02 NCAC 38 .0700, governing the…

North Carolina vests statewide wildfire response and burn ban authority in the Commissioner of Agriculture and the State Forester, whose declared bans override local burn permits.

Winston-Salem requires a building permit before constructing a residential swimming pool, plus a separate electrical permit with its own $138.00 fee, under the city's building…

Winston-Salem exempts sheds and other small structures from a building permit if the total cost of construction is $5,000 or less and the work skips load-bearing, plumbing, electrical…

Forsyth County has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A permanent tiny house on a foundation is treated as a dwelling (or a detached ADU) under the UDO and NC Residential Code, while a…

You may convert an existing detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit, but the conversion must meet the UDO's ADU standards and the North Carolina Residential Code. Converting a…

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO allows one accessory dwelling unit (ADU) per lot, attached or detached, in districts that permit the principal single-family use. A detached ADU is…

Winston-Salem regulates short-term rentals through its Unified Development Ordinances. NCGS 160D-1207 restricts cities from requiring rental registration as a condition of operating…

North Carolina imposes statewide sales tax on short-term rental accommodations and authorizes counties and cities to add room occupancy taxes only under specific state enabling…

The county sets no fence setback, so you may place a fence anywhere on your own property except in easements and rights-of-way. Inspections advises staying at least six inches off the…

A building permit is only required for fences over six feet tall in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. Those need engineer-sealed plans. Fences six feet or under need no permit, though you…

Under the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO, a residential fence six feet or under needs no building permit; anything over six feet triggers a permit and engineer-stamped plans. No…

Winston-Salem gives each household a city recycling roll-out cart that may be used only for recycling, and putting non-recyclable items in it can cost you the cart after three notices…

Winston-Salem residents may set trash carts at the curb starting 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup, no later than 6:00 a.m. on collection day, and must pull them back in by 8:00 a.m. the…

Winston-Salem bans depositing litter anywhere in the city where wind or water could carry it onto streets, sidewalks, waterways, or public and private property, treating any…

Winston-Salem requires bulk dumpster-style containers, not individual carts, for businesses generating over three 32-gallon receptacles weekly, apartments over ten units, mobile home…

Winston-Salem residents may put garbage carts at the curb starting 5:00 p.m. the evening before pickup and must remove them by 8:00 a.m. the next morning; carts must stay covered and…

Winston-Salem collects brush and shrubbery trimmings free up to one truckload (10 cubic yards) when residents place cut branches under six inches in diameter and six feet long at the…

Winston-Salem hauls one truckload of brush free at the curb but charges $100.00 for each additional load, while furniture, appliances and other bulky household items are picked up only…

Owners or occupants must remove solid waste at least once each week. Unincorporated households and small businesses use affordable franchised garbage collection. Franchise haulers must…

Winston-Salem bars every door-to-door solicitor from entering a property posted with a "no solicitation" or "no trespassing" sign, and caps commercial door-to-door hours at 9:00 a.m…

Winston-Salem requires commercial door-to-door solicitors to obtain a license and photo identification badge from the city revenue collector, pass a criminal background check, and pay…

Winston-Salem lets a city-arranged private tow company impound vehicles without the owner's consent for parking violations or obstructions, then charges owners the tower's towing and…

Pawnbrokers in Winston-Salem must obtain a city license before lending against pledged goods, post a bond, verify every pledgor's photo ID, and furnish a daily transaction record to…

Anyone tattooing in Winston-Salem must get a city license first and post a $1,000 cash bond to cover injuries from negligent work.

Businesses that hire employees or contractors to perform massage and bodywork therapy must obtain a city business permit; individually licensed solo therapists are exempt. Permitted…

North Carolina regulates retail sale of vapor products and e-cigarettes under NCGS 14-313 and requires licensure under NCGS Chapter 105, while the federal Tobacco 21 law sets the…

In Winston-Salem, the tenant or occupant of any property bordering a street with an abutting sidewalk must keep that sidewalk clean, including clearing snow or sleet within two hours…

Winston-Salem bans blocking sidewalks, streets, bridges or walkways in any way that stops pedestrians or vehicles from passing freely.

Winston-Salem requires an encroachment permit for anything built under, above, or across a public street or sidewalk, issued by the public works office only if it won't endanger the…

Winston-Salem requires anyone selling food, beverages, or merchandise from a pushcart, mobile food unit, or on foot on any street, sidewalk, or public park to first obtain a vendor's…

Winston-Salem requires a permit from the office of business inclusion and advancement before operating any mobile food unit or pushcart, plus a city-issued ID badge that must be…

Winston-Salem allows mobile food units to vend citywide, but bans vending within the primary pushcart vending area's public right-of-way and in any designated historic district under…

Winston-Salem closes its public parks and city-owned recreation facilities from sunset to sunrise; being on the premises after hours without staff duty or written recreation department…

North Carolina permits cities and counties to enact juvenile curfews under general police power but requires constitutional safeguards under state law.

Winston-Salem requires a permit and electrical-inspector approval before any wiring, device, or equipment installation or alteration, with only licensed electrical contractors normally…

Existing occupied dwelling units with a fossil-fuel heater, appliance, fireplace, or attached garage must have at least one operable, UL-listed carbon monoxide alarm per level under…

Winston-Salem homes built before 1978 are subject to the federal Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule. Contractors disturbing paint in pre-1978 homes must be EPA RRP certified…

Winston-Salem requires an inspections division permit for deck and patio construction unless the total job cost is $5,000 or less and the work avoids load-bearing, plumbing…

Any installation, extension, or general repair of a plumbing system in Winston-Salem requires a permit from the city's inspections division before work begins, under Code of Ordinances…

Winston-Salem requires a special event permit, filed 45 days ahead with a $100-$300 fee, to hold an event in a city park or other public place.

Winston-Salem street fairs and festivals need an economic development permit, and every food, craft or merchandise vendor inside the event must operate under the permit holder's…

Winston-Salem requires a special event permit for any event that closes a city street, including a block party, filed with the office of economic development at least 45 days ahead…

Any parade on a Winston-Salem street used for vehicular traffic needs a city permit, applied for at least 96 hours ahead through the Office of Business Inclusion and Advancement.

Winston-Salem requires restaurants to get a sidewalk cafe permit before extending dining onto a sidewalk, restricts the use to central business or pedestrian business zoning districts…

Winston-Salem's sanitation code makes it a nuisance to maintain any building or premises that provides food, shelter, or protection for rats, backed by a five-day abatement notice and…

Winston-Salem caps shared scooter and dockless bike permits at two per company each year and bans riding stand-up scooters on any public sidewalk, greenway, park, city parking deck, or…

Winston-Salem cyclists on public roadways must ride as near the right-hand side as practicable and may not ride more than two abreast, with sidewalk riding barred downtown and on two…

North Carolina runs two entirely separate regimes, and which one you are in is decided by five miles per hour. A golf cart is defined as a vehicle not capable of exceeding 20 mph, and…

It is unlawful to drink or carry an open container of beer or unfortified wine on Winston-Salem's public streets or on any property the city owns, occupies, or controls, unless you are…

Winston-Salem makes it unlawful to remain or wander about any public place under circumstances that manifest intent to violate the state Controlled Substances Act, using a list of…

Skateboards, roller skates, and similar wheeled toys are banned on streets, sidewalks, parks, and public property within Winston-Salem's central business district, a violation…

Winston-Salem bans urinating or defecating in any public place, street, sidewalk, right-of-way, or public building except in designated restrooms, treating a violation as a class 3…

Winston-Salem bans accosting, blocking, or forcing oneself on anyone while begging, plus soliciting near ATMs, bus stops, parking garages, schools, and after dark; panhandlers must…

Winston-Salem's housing code requires every rental dwelling to have a heating unit capable of warming habitable rooms to 68°F, and bars occupancy of any unit that meets the code's…

North Carolina preempts rent control through NCGS 42-14.1, prohibiting any city or county from enacting rent stabilization or rent control ordinances. Winston-Salem has no rent control…

Winston-Salem has no just-cause eviction ordinance. North Carolina is a landlord-friendly state where evictions follow NCGS Chapter 42 (Landlord and Tenant) statewide rules. Landlords…

Winston-Salem does not maintain a citywide rental registration program. Rental properties must comply with the Minimum Housing Code in Chapter 14 of the City Code, and landlords can be…

For nonpayment of rent, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-3 requires a 10-day demand for past-due rent before the lease term is forfeited. The landlord then files summary ejectment under Article 3…

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46 caps residential late fees on monthly rent at $15 or 5% of the monthly rent, whichever is greater, and bars charging the fee until rent is at least five days…

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14 sets notice periods to end periodic tenancies: seven days for month-to-month, two days for week-to-week, and one month or more before the year ends for…

North Carolina caps a residential security deposit by tenancy length under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-51: two weeks' rent for week-to-week, one and one-half months' rent for month-to-month…

North Carolina recognizes adverse possession after 20 years of open, continuous possession under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-40, or after 7 years if the possessor holds under color of title…

Winston-Salem HOA boards operate under the NC Planned Community Act NCGS Chapter 47F for communities created after 1999 and under the Condominium Act NCGS Chapter 47C for condos…

NC encourages HOA-owner disputes to be resolved through negotiation and mediation before litigation. NCGS 7A-38.3F provides for voluntary mediation. Owners may also file complaints…

Winston-Salem HOAs collect assessments under authority of NCGS 47F-3-115. Regular assessments fund operations and reserves. Special assessments require owner approval if they exceed…

Winston-Salem HOAs enforce CCRs under the NC Planned Community Act NCGS Chapter 47F. Boards must follow notice and hearing procedures in NCGS 47F-3-107.1 before imposing fines, which…

North Carolina suspends an HOA's power to require landscaping irrigation once the area is designated severe, extreme, or exceptional drought and a government body has imposed water…

State law strips North Carolina homeowners associations of power to block the American or state flag on a member's own lot. G.S. 47F-3-121(1) voids any covenant restriction on a flag…

North Carolina's G.S. 47F-3-107.1 requires due process before an HOA can fine an owner. A hearing must be held before the executive board or an adjudicatory panel, with notice of the…

North Carolina lets a homeowners association foreclose on a house without ever filing a lawsuit. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47F-3-116, an assessment unpaid for 30 days can be turned into…

Winston-Salem enforces its Minimum Housing Code under Code Chapter 14 to abate blighted and unsafe properties. The Community Development Department can order repairs, vacation, or…

Forsyth County bans running or maintaining an open dump on any land in the county, including vacant lots, and requires anyone controlling land where one has operated to close it under…

Winston-Salem caps residential garage and yard sales at two per year, with each sale limited to no more than seven days.

City code defines standing or lying on a sidewalk as unlawful "obstruction" whenever it blocks pedestrian passage, entry to a building, or forces someone off the sidewalk into the…

Winston-Salem bans dumping anything but stormwater into its municipal storm drain system, with civil penalties up to $1,000 per day enforced by the Stormwater Division under Chapter 75.

Winston-Salem enforces NC Sedimentation Pollution Control Act requiring erosion control plans for land-disturbing activities over 1 acre. Silt fences, construction entrances, and…

The Coastal Area Management Act, N.C.G.S. 113A-100 through 113A-134.3, requires CAMA permits for development in 20 coastal counties and Areas of Environmental Concern, preempting local…

North Carolina General Statute 143-215.51 through 143-215.61 and the state Uniform Floodplain Management Program require minimum flood damage prevention standards that all…

Winston-Salem's housing conservation administrator inspects housing only for reasonable cause or inside city council-designated blighted areas, capped at one square mile or 5 percent…

NCGS 22B-20 prohibits HOAs from banning solar panels on single-family homes in Winston-Salem. HOAs may impose reasonable restrictions on location and appearance but cannot make solar…

Winston-Salem requires building and electrical permits for rooftop solar installations. Residential systems typically permitted over the counter for 100-200 dollars. NC state building…

Political signs in Winston-Salem are regulated under NCGS 136-32 on state and federal rights-of-way and locally under the Unified Development Ordinances. Residential political signs…

In Winston-Salem/Forsyth County an on-premises yard or garage sale sign may not exceed two square feet, limited to one sign per lot. It may go up seven days before the sale and must…

Home cultivation of cannabis is illegal under North Carolina law. NCGS 90-95 prohibits manufacture of marijuana including cultivation. Winston-Salem cannot authorize home growing…

North Carolina has no operational medical or recreational marijuana dispensary program, so Winston-Salem has no dispensary zoning. Only hemp and CBD retailers operate legally. The UDO…

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO sets minimum yards by zoning district: for example RS9 requires a 20-ft front, 25-ft rear, and 7-ft one-side setback. RS7 requires 15-ft front…

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County single-family districts cap impervious surface cover at 40% of the zoning lot. Detached accessory structures cannot exceed 5% of the lot (576 sq ft always…

In unincorporated Forsyth County, a detached accessory structure is limited to 17 feet maximum height under the UDO; a detached accessory dwelling unit may go up to 25 feet…

Forsyth County's Voluntary Agricultural District program, Code Chapter 22, exists in part to cut down nuisance suits between farmers and their neighbors. Sec. 22-2 states the district…

Forsyth County lets farmers enroll at least 5 acres in a Voluntary Agricultural District under a 10-year conservation agreement. Enrollment does not stop a landowner from farming, but…

Forsyth County and Winston-Salem regulate light trespass only from non-residential property, requiring lighting to be shielded so it does not spill onto neighbors. Glare from one home…

North Carolina repealed its state commercial drone operator permit and knowledge test effective December 1, 2024, so commercial pilots now need only the FAA Part 107 remote pilot…

North Carolina General Statute 15A-300.1 and related laws set statewide rules for unmanned aircraft, banning drone surveillance without consent and weaponized drones, while federal law…

North Carolina has no statewide predictive scheduling law and effectively preempts local fair workweek or predictive scheduling ordinances through its Wage and Hour Act framework.

North Carolina issues concealed handgun permits through county sheriffs under NCGS 14-415.10 and recognizes reciprocity with many states; permitless carry is not authorized statewide.

North Carolina preempts local governments from regulating firearms, ammunition, and concealed handgun permitting beyond what state law expressly allows under NCGS 14-409.40.

North Carolina generally permits open carry of handguns and long guns without a permit, but local discharge ordinances and posted-property restrictions may apply under state law.

North Carolina permits transporting firearms in a vehicle, but a handgun carried concealed within reach generally requires a concealed handgun permit under NCGS 14-269 and 14-415.10.

North Carolina lets exempt nonprofits run bingo and raffles under Chapter 14, Part 2's charitable-gaming statutes. Bingo requires a $200 annual license from the Alcohol Law Enforcement…

North Carolina's gambling law, N.C.G.S. § 14-292, makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor for anyone to bet money, property, or anything of value on a game of chance, whether the wager is…

North Carolina legalized sports wagering under G.S. Chapter 18C, Article 9, effective March 2024. The State Lottery Commission licenses online and in-person sportsbooks; interactive…

North Carolina is one of the few states whose legislature expressly authorized sobriety and license checkpoints by statute. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-16.3A lets any law enforcement agency…

North Carolina never enacted an express right to record police, and it never enacted a buffer law either. What it has is a one-party consent wiretap statute: N.C. Gen. Stat. §…

North Carolina has no general stop-and-identify statute. A pedestrian stopped on the street commits no offense by declining to give a name, and the state's entire vagrancy article…

North Carolina is one of the few states that wrote consent searches into statute instead of leaving them to case law. Article 9 of Chapter 15A defines consent as a statement to the…

North Carolina has no statewide ban on plastic straws and does not authorize local governments to ban single-use plastic straws or other utensils.

Federal law sets the minimum tobacco purchase age at 21 nationwide, but North Carolina's own statute, NCGS 14-313, still sets the state age at 18, so retailers must follow the stricter…

North Carolina has not enacted a statewide flavored tobacco or flavored vape ban, and no state law authorizes local governments to ban flavored tobacco products, leaving flavor rules…

North Carolina lets any motor vehicle carry up to two spot lamps and up to two front auxiliary driving lamps, and it caps every other added lamp at 25 candlepower unless the beam is…

North Carolina has no statute telling you where a dash cam may be mounted. Part 9 of Article 3 of Chapter 20 regulates the windshield only for tint and for safety glass, and nothing in…

North Carolina has never authorised lane splitting and has never written a section that uses the phrase. The motorcycle lane statute, G.S. 20-146.1, entitles a motorcycle to the full…

North Carolina bans anything over a plate that makes part of it unreadable, and it names frames and clear covers specifically. G.S. 20-63(g) makes it an infraction to cover a plate…

North Carolina has no statute regulating radar detectors in a private passenger vehicle. The words radar and detector appear nowhere in the 868 sections of Chapter 20, the Motor…

North Carolina lets you run studded tires on any day of the year. G.S. 20-122(b) permits studs on regular and snow tires "for increased safety" so long as they project no more than one…

North Carolina allows aftermarket tint on any window except the windshield down to 35% total light transmission, with reflectance of 20% or less and no red, yellow or amber film. The…