Harnett County, NC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

261 divides the county's watershed protection area into three districts: WS-III-BW (Balance of Watershed), WS-IV-CA (Critical Area), and WS-IV-PA (Protected Area). In WS-III-BW and WS-IV-CA, single-family detached development is capped at three dwelling units per acre with no residential lot smaller than one-half acre outside an approved cluster development, and all other residential and nonresidential development is capped at 24% built-upon area calculated against the total tract acreage. Up to 10% of the watershed may be developed for nonresidential use at 70% built-upon area if approved as a special nonresidential intensity allocation (SNIA).

In WS-IV-PA, the same 24% built-upon area cap applies, but projects without a curb and gutter street system may go up to 36% built-upon area, and up to 10% of the protected area may reach 70% built-upon area under an approved SNIA. Non-discharging landfills and sludge application sites are allowed in WS-III-BW, but new residual waste sites and landfills are specifically prohibited in WS-IV-CA. 260 exempts existing development from these built-upon limits (though expansions must still comply), and exempts a noncontiguous nonconforming lot developed for single-family residential use from the chapter's development restrictions. 205's buffer table requires a 100-foot stream buffer for development exceeding the low-density standards of this chapter, and 30 feet otherwise.