Top 7 Community
Standards
1. Abandoned and Junk Vehicles
An abandoned vehicle is one that has been left in a no-parking area or on Town property for longer than 24 hours or that is left on a public street for longer than seven days without a valid registration or license plate. A junk vehicle is one that does not display a current license plate and is either wrecked or doesn’t run. Neither of these definitions includes any vehicle that is used on a regular basis for business or personal use, regardless of its appearance.
Some towing and salvage companies will haul away junk vehicles without charge. Call the Planning Department at (919) 469-4082 for a list of companies providing this service.
Town of Cary Ordinances 34-206 through 34-216
2. Home and Yard Maintenance
In order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents and for the protection of occupants of neighboring housing and other residents of the Town, minimum standards of fitness are required for all dwellings. Some of these standards include:
Foundations: Vents should be in place, and there should be no holes or openings in the brickwork. Crawl space doors constructed of wood should be painted and in good working order.
Walls: All wood construction should be painted and caulked with no visible signs of deterioration.
Roofs: Shingles should be in place without notable leaks in the ceiling. There should be no signs of deterioration at the soffets and facia.
Windows: All wooden windows should be painted and free in movement with locks and hardware meshing together in good working order so windows may be opened and locked with ease. Windows require weather stripping to be reasonably weather tight and shall have no broken glass. Any residence not providing central heat and air must have screens for all windows and screen doors to prevent the intrusion of insects.
Doors: Exterior doors shall be provided with weather stripping to be reasonably weather tight and shall have no broken glass. All door hardware shall be in good working order and all exterior doors shall be painted to render them waterproof.
Porches: There shall be no rotten or termite-damaged members and all platforms located 30 inches or more above the ground must be equipped with railings.
Drainage: Every yard shall be properly graded in order to obtain thorough drainage and to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water.
Yards and Courts: All premises of any housing shall be kept clean and free of rubbish, trash, garbage, debris, discarded appliances, litter, unstacked wood, or other forms of offensive animal or vegetable matter or refuse that may be dangerous to the public health, constitute a fire hazard or be a public nuisance. Grass in lawn areas must be maintained to a height of 8 inches or less.
Plumbing: All housing must be connected to a clean supply of water and have adequate sewage disposal. Every dwelling unit must contain a sink in the kitchen and a sink, toilet and tub or shower in the bathroom and must be provided with an adequate supply of both cold and hot water.
Heating System: All housing must have facilities with sufficient capacity to heat all rooms to a minimum of 68 degrees even when it is 20 degrees outside.
Electrical System: All electric fixtures, receptacles, equipment and wiring must be maintained in good repair, safe, capable of being used, and installed in accordance with the state electrical code.
Exits: Safe, continuous and unobstructed exit must be provided from every room.
Town of Cary Ordinances 8-116 to 8-134 and 18-1 to 18-10
3. Noise
Lawnmowers and other domestic, motorized equipment may be used between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Keep all sound amplification under 60 decibels between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and under 50 decibels between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. We measure from anywhere on adjacent residential property.
Amplified sound greater than these limits requires a permit from the Police Department at least 15 days in advance.
Town of Cary Ordinances 22-102 to 22-111
4. Numbers of Residents
Up to four unrelated people may live in a single residence. This means one person and his or her family AND up to three other people. It does not matter if the three other people are related to each other or not.
Town of Cary Land Development Ordinance 12.4 Key Terms Defined, “Family”
5. Boats and Recreational Vehicles
Boats and RV’s are required to be parked on the side or rear of the house, not in the front yard, driveway, or at the street in the right-of-way.
Town of Cary Land Development Ordinance 5.3.2 (D)(4) Location of Accessory Buildings, Structures or Vehicles
6. Graffiti
To keep our neighborhoods attractive and to reduce any potential gang activity, North Carolina General Statutes prohibit willful and wanton injury to real property, which includes defacing or marking any building, wall, sign or other structure with paint or other substance.
N.C. General Statutes 14-127
7. Obstructions
For motorist and pedestrian safety, please keep all streets, sidewalks, greenways and paths free of obstructions. Trees and shrubs should be planted and trimmed such that they do not overhang or obstruct citizen use of sidewalks, greenways, streets, or bicycle paths or block the clear view of traffic at any intersection.
Town of Cary Code of Ordinances 28-4, 28-6, 28-97 to 28-100