Kill Devil Hills, NC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

100(F) of the Kill Devil Hills zoning code sets the lot-coverage ceiling for the OIR Zone at 55% of useable land west of the vegetation line, counting the principal use, every accessory structure, and all vehicular circulation and parking area together. Useable land itself is defined narrower than the whole parcel: division (A) measures it from the north, south and west property lines east only to the first line of stable vegetation west of the high-water mark, so sand seaward of that line does not count toward the lot area used in the percentage.

Division (F)(2) adds a hard cap on building count: no lot may carry more than two main buildings along with its permitted accessory structures, regardless of how much coverage percentage remains. The section also lets a lot's wetland soils reduce the calculation on a sliding scale, from crediting 75% of wetland area toward coverage on a lot with under 25% wetland soils down to none of it once wetlands reach 75% of the lot, and it gives specific percentage credits, 40% to 60%, for permeable paving systems used for parking and drive aisles.

A separate, tighter backstop in division (F)(3)(b) caps the area occupied and obstructed by any above-ground structure, parking included, at 65% of the lot for parcels of 15,000 square feet or more and 60% for smaller parcels. 082(C).