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

Sec. 78-644 establishes the Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay District to limit development intensity and protect the viewshed on Buncombe County's mountains and hillsides, applying wherever elevation reaches 2,500 feet above sea level and natural slope reaches 35 percent or more, as delineated on the official zoning map. 5 acres for any new lot with more than ten percent of its area inside the overlay, and a density cap of no more than two dwelling units or two principal buildings per lot of record. Building height itself is defined at Sec.

78-581: inside this overlay (and the neighboring Protected Ridge Overlay), height is measured as the average of the vertical distance from the highest ground level at the foundation to the roof's uppermost point and the vertical distance from the lowest ground level at the foundation to that same point, rather than the single highest-point measurement used elsewhere in the county. 0 acres (eight percent on larger lots), and requires downhill-facing walls to be screened with native trees at a ratio tied to the wall's surface area.

Development on slopes over 35 percent, or mapped as high or moderate hazard on the state's Slope Stability Index, additionally requires a geotechnical engineer's report and a global stability analysis before final approval.