Rental Property Rules in Buncombe County, NC (2026)

2 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.

Rental Registration

Any landlord who doesn't live in Buncombe County but rents out property in the unincorporated area must register a local agent with the county's rental housing director to accept legal papers on the owner's behalf. The filing must include the agent's name, address and phone number, and must be updated within ten days of any change.

Buncombe County Rental Owner Agent Requirement

Light Restrictions

Buncombe County Code Sec. 10-156

All owners who do not reside in the county but who own rental property in the unincorporated areas of the County of Buncombe must authorize a person residing in the county to serve as his or her agent for the purpose of accepting service of process under this article. The authorization shall be complete upon the owner providing a completed form supplied by the director including the authorized ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Repairs & Habitability

Rental dwellings in unincorporated Buncombe County must meet the minimum standards in Sec. 10-159 of the county's Rental Housing Ordinance: a potable water supply, a working kitchen sink and bathroom fixtures, hot water at not less than 116 degrees F, and heat capable of holding 68 degrees F indoors when it is 14 degrees F outside. An enforcement officer applies these standards to decide whether a dwelling is unfit for human habitation.

Rental Housing Minimum Standards in Buncombe County

Some Restrictions

Buncombe County Code Sec. 10-159 (Minimum standards, Rental Housing Ordinance)

Every dwelling shall be furnished with a potable water supply system... Every dwelling shall contain not less than a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower, and a water closet all in good working condition and properly connected to an approved water and sewer system. ... Every dwelling shall have water heating facilities which are properly installed and maintained in a safe and good working cond...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

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