Surry County, NC Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Surry County's zoning code does not create a general accessory dwelling unit right for a house that already has a stick-built or modular home on the lot. Section 154.008(C)(1) covers exactly two situations. The first is a watchman or caretaker's dwelling on land zoned for a non-residential use that does not otherwise permit residential buildings; that dwelling must be clearly incidental to the non-residential operation, not a stand-alone rental. The second is a manufactured home placed as a temporary second dwelling on a parcel that does not meet the minimum lot size, but only in a zoning district where manufactured homes are already permitted.

That hardship placement requires the owner to petition the Planning Board, and before the Planning Board can issue the conditional use, the Environmental Health Department must first approve an additional septic system for the parcel. The conditional use is not permanent: it must be renewed annually by the Planning Board, and if the hardship condition that justified it ever ends, the conditional use "shall become null and void" immediately, not at the next renewal date. Surry County's Board of Commissioners adopted this chapter, and the Zoning Administrator in the Planning and Development Department reviews petitions and monitors ongoing compliance with the annual renewal requirement.