Sampson County, NC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

The dimensional-requirements tables at County Code § 2-25-03 (Residential Agricultural) and § 2-25-04 (Residential) set a maximum building height of 40 feet for every category of lot in those districts, whether served by public water and sewer, public water alone, or neither. The 40-foot cap sits alongside the same table's 35-foot front, 10-foot side, 20-foot side-street, and 25-foot rear setback minimums, so any structure counted against the height limit must also clear those yard lines. Section 2-27-13, Height Limit Exceptions, carves out specific rooftop features from the cap: spires, belfries, cupolas, antennas, water tanks, ventilators, chimneys, and mechanical equipment penthouses may rise above 40 feet because the Ordinance treats them as appurtenances usually placed above roof level and not intended for human occupancy, rather than as part of the habitable structure.

Other zoning districts in the schedule, including Mixed Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Conservation, carry their own dimensional tables at §§ 2-25-05 through 2-25-08, so a use permitted in a different district is not bound by the 40-foot figure that governs R and RA land. Height is checked as part of the same permit review that confirms lot area, width, depth and setbacks; Sampson County Planning & Zoning and the Zoning Officer confirm compliance with the applicable district's table before issuing a zoning permit, and the Building Inspections Department separately reviews the structure under the North Carolina State Building Code.