Building Setbacks & Zoning in Buncombe County, NC (2026)

3 rules for unincorporated Buncombe County, North Carolina.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Buncombe County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Setback Rules

In the unincorporated county's R-1 Residential district, Buncombe County requires a 20-foot front yard, 10-foot side yard, and 20-foot rear yard where there is no public sewer. Accessory structures use reduced seven-to-ten-foot side and rear setbacks under Section 78-663.

Building Setback Requirements in Unincorporated Buncombe County

Some Restrictions

Buncombe County Code Sec. 78-642, Table 2

R-1 Residential — Minimum Yard Setback Requirements in Feet (no public sewer): Front Yard 20; Side Yard 10; Rear Yard 20. (public sewer): Side Yard 7. Maximum Height 35 feet.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Structure Height Limits

Homes built inside Buncombe County's Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay District, land above 2,500 feet with a natural slope of 35 percent or more, are capped at 35 feet of building height under Code Sec. 78-644(f)(3). Lots outside the overlay follow the county's base district height table instead.

Steep Slope Overlay Height Limit in Buncombe County

Some Restrictions

Buncombe County Code Sec. 78-644(f)(3)

(f)Development standards.(1)Lot size standards. Any new lot created with greater than ten percent of the area in the Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay District after the effective date of this section shall be a minimum of 1.5 acres...(2)Density standards. No more than two dwelling units or two principal buildings or structures per lot of record shall be allowed in the Steep Slope/High Elevati...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Lot Coverage Limits

Buncombe County's base zoning districts do not fix a single lot-coverage percentage, but the Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay District strictly caps disturbed and impervious surface. On steep-slope lots under two acres, impervious surface is limited to 0.16 acres and site disturbance to 0.3 acres.

Lot Coverage and Impervious Limits in Buncombe County

Some Restrictions

Buncombe County Code Sec. 78-644(f)(4)

The maximum gross site area impervious surface allowed in the Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay District for any single lot shall be: For lots less than 2.0 acres shall be 0.16 acres. For lots 2.0 acres and larger shall be eight percent.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Buncombe County ordinances

See every category we cover for Buncombe County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.

Buncombe County Ordinance Hub →