It is the municipality’s obligation to itself and the State of North Carolina for the preservation of cities and of urban life against physical, social and other hazards that endanger the safety, health and welfare of its citizens.

State law prohibits junked, abandoned, and nuisance vehicles from being left on public and private property.

• An abandoned vehicle is a vehicle left upon a public street in violation of a law or ordinance prohibiting parking; is left on a public street or highway for longer than seven (7) days; is left on private property owned or operated by the town for longer than twenty-four (24) hours; or is left on private property without the consent of the owner.
• A nuisance vehicle is a vehicle that is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests; a point of heavy growth of weeds or other noxious vegetation over eight (8) inches in height; a point of collection of pools of water; a point of concentration of quantities of gas, oil or other flammable or explosive materials as evidenced by odor; one which has sharp edges of metal or glass.
• A Junked motor vehicle is a vehicle that does not display a current license plate lawfully; is partially dismantled or wrecked, cannot be self-propelled or moved in the manner in which it was originally intended to move; is more than five (5) years old and appears to be wroth less than one hundred dollars ($100.00)

A vehicle that is found to be junked, abandoned, or nuisance will be tagged.  Once tagged, the owner has fifteen (15) days to correct the violation.  If not corrected within fifteen (15) days the vehicle in violation will be towed to a towing yard, and not someplace else in the town.  The vehicle may be reclaimed at the impoundment yard for the towing cost and storage charge.

The procedures and policies of abatement for violations of the following ordinances and code ordinances are the same:

Accumulation of Excess Debris and Tall Grass on any lot or tract of land in the town.  Excess debris includes appliances, building materials, paper, rags, cartons, boxes, tires, trash and junk.  It is aN ORDINANCE violation to operate a junk or salvage yard in a residential zoning district.

Minimum Housing Ordinance shall be enacted to ensure inhabitability of residential and commercial dwellings and buildings.

Littering Ordinance shall be enacted for the purpose of regulating dumping of garbage or other offensive material on private or public property.

Once a violation of any of the above ordinances is noted, a Warning Citation is issued noting the date, citation date, the owner’s address, the physical location of the violation, and a description of the violation.  The owner is provided ten (10) working days to correct the violation.

If left uncorrected beyond ten working days, a Civil Citation is issued.  The owner is now subject to a civil penalty in the amount of $100.00.  If the penalty is not paid within fifteen days of the date shown on the Civil Citation, the Town will institute a civil action against the responsible person(s) in the North Carolina General Court of Justice for the collection of penalty, attorney fees, interest, court cost, and other such relief as permitted by law.

The above ordinances are state laws that serve to protect you, the citizen, against physical, social and other hazards that threaten your safety, health and welfare.