Raleigh, NC local landlord rules
State law also applies. See North Carolina landlord-tenant law and the North Carolina landlord FAQ. State rules: Security deposit limit · Deposit return deadline · Notice to enter · Late fees · Eviction notice (nonpayment) · Rent increase notice.
Quick facts
| Topic | At a glance |
|---|---|
| Rent control / stabilization | No local rent control: North Carolina cities and counties may not enact, maintain or enforce ordinances regulating rent on privately owned residential property, with limited exceptions for publicly owned or subsidized housing. |
| Rental licensing / registration | Raleigh requires registration only for rental dwellings that Art. H covers; it is tied to Raleigh's probationary rental occupancy permit rules (Art. G). Once the Inspections Department serves notice that registration is required, the owner has 10 days to file a complete application; after that it is unlawful to rent, collect rent or offer the dwelling for rent without one (§§ 12-2177, 12-2180). Applications are made under oath, with owner, manager and alternate-contact details. Fees: a $30 application fee, then $15, $25 or $50 a year depending on the number of units. Information must be updated every year, and a new owner must register within 30 days (§ 12-2178). Owners must answer contacts from police, fire or inspections within 2 business days, name a local alternate contact within 25 miles, and keep an occupant list (§ 12-2179). Civil penalties: $50 for a first violation plus $50 a day after notice, $100 (and $100 a day) for a second, capped at $2,000 a month (§ 12-2181). |
Details & sources
Rent control / stabilization
No local rent control: North Carolina cities and counties may not enact, maintain or enforce ordinances regulating rent on privately owned residential property, with limited exceptions for publicly owned or subsidized housing. (Based on the state statute.)
Verified Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14.1 · last checked 2026-10-15
Back to quick facts ↑Rental licensing / registration
Raleigh requires registration only for rental dwellings that Art. H covers; it is tied to Raleigh's probationary rental occupancy permit rules (Art. G). Once the Inspections Department serves notice that registration is required, the owner has 10 days to file a complete application; after that it is unlawful to rent, collect rent or offer the dwelling for rent without one (§§ 12-2177, 12-2180). Applications are made under oath, with owner, manager and alternate-contact details. Fees: a $30 application fee, then $15, $25 or $50 a year depending on the number of units. Information must be updated every year, and a new owner must register within 30 days (§ 12-2178). Owners must answer contacts from police, fire or inspections within 2 business days, name a local alternate contact within 25 miles, and keep an occupant list (§ 12-2179). Civil penalties: $50 for a first violation plus $50 a day after notice, $100 (and $100 a day) for a second, capped at $2,000 a month (§ 12-2181).
Verified Source: Raleigh Code pt. 12, ch. 2, art. H, §§ 12-2177, 12-2178, 12-2179, 12-2180, 12-2181 (Browser transcription) · last checked 2026-10-16
Back to quick facts ↑Research coverage
1 of 13 topics checked at the local level (state law is covered on the state page). A topic counts as checked only when every subtopic in it is checked or no additional requirement was found after a recorded full read. How coverage works.
| Topic | Status | Subtopics done |
|---|---|---|
| Deposits | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Deposit return deadlines | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Rent increases and rent control | Checked: requirement found | 1 of 1 |
| Late fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Landlord entry | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Repairs and habitability | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Screening and application fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Fair housing and assistance animals | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Disclosures | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Renewal and termination | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Eviction | Not researched | 0 of 3 |
| Registration and licensing | Partially researched | 1 of 3 |
| Short-term rentals | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
Also applies statewide
North Carolina rules that also apply in Raleigh:
- Security deposit limit
- Two weeks' rent for week-to-week tenancies, 1.5 months' rent for month-to-month, and 2 months' rent for terms longer than month-to-month. Verified Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-51(b) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full North Carolina security deposit limit page
- Deposit return deadline
- Itemized accounting plus balance within 30 days after the tenancy ends and possession is returned. If the claim can't be determined by then, send an interim accounting within 30 days and a final accounting within 60 days. Verified Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-52 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full North Carolina deposit return deadline page
- Notice to enter
- No N.C. statute sets a notice period for landlord entry (full-text search of N.C. Gen. Stat. ch. 42). Guidance (N.C. Real Estate Commission, not statute): entry rights come from the lease, entry should be at reasonable times on reasonable notice, and if the lease doesn't address entry the landlord has no right to enter during the term. Verified Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. ch. 42 (full-text search); N.C. Real Estate Commission, Questions and Answers on Renting Residential Real Estate (guidance) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full North Carolina notice to enter page
- Late fees
- Only once rent is 5 or more calendar days late. Monthly rent: no more than $15 or 5% of monthly rent, whichever is greater. Weekly rent: $4 or 5%, whichever is greater. Only one late fee per late payment. Verified Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(a)-(b) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full North Carolina late fees page
Other North Carolina cities
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