Cabarrus County, NC Ordinances (2026)
Local rules and regulations for Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Population: 244,925.
Verified from official government sources
Browse Ordinances by Topic
Select a topic to see Cabarrus County's rules on that subject.
Browse by topic
🏡 Home & Property
🌿 Yard & Garden
🔊 Noise & Neighbors
🐾 Animals & Farming
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🏗️ Accessory Structures
Shed & Carport Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cabarrus County, an accessory building or shed up to 15 feet tall follows the same front and side setbacks as the house, but the rear setback drops to a minimum of…
Tiny Homes
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cabarrus County, a tiny home on wheels is classified as a Recreational Vehicle under the Development Ordinance, so it cannot be lived in or kept as an accessory…
ADU Rules
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County allows one accessory dwelling unit per parcel in most residential and commercial districts, capped at fifty percent of the primary home's tax-card square footage, or…
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Significant RestrictionsCabarrus County allows auto repair work as a home-based business only as a Rural Home Occupation, and only in the Agriculture/Open zoning district. It is not on the permitted list for…
Adult Entertainment
Significant RestrictionsAdult businesses in unincorporated Cabarrus County are treated as a Special Use permitted only in the General Commercial district, and must sit at least 3,000 feet from residential…
🍔 Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors
💼 Home Business
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Some RestrictionsA home occupation in unincorporated Cabarrus County can use no more than 25% of one floor of the house, may employ just one nonresident assistant, and cannot involve any outdoor…
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Some RestrictionsHome occupations that let clients or customers visit in unincorporated Cabarrus County must provide off-street parking for those visitors and may have to meet Accessibility Standards…
Home Daycare
Some RestrictionsA home daycare serving eight children or fewer is a permitted home occupation in unincorporated Cabarrus County, listed by name in the zoning code and cross-referenced to the state…
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Chickens & Livestock
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cabarrus County allows up to 15 female chickens on lots under five acres, scaled by acreage, but bans roosters outright and requires livestock housing to sit at least…
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cabarrus County, running a veterinary hospital, animal shelter or commercial kennel is not allowed by right. County Code of Ordinances Section 8-4(35) lists…
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County's Development Ordinance sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks for the five nonresidential zoning districts: Office/Institutional, Limited Commercial, General…
Lot Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsNonresidential development in unincorporated Cabarrus County is capped at 75 percent impervious surface coverage under Development Ordinance Section 5-8. The 75 percent ceiling applies…
Structure Height Limits
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County lets a principal or accessory structure exceed its zoning district's height limit if the front, side and rear setbacks grow to match, under the Height limitation…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Height Limits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Cabarrus County, rear and side yard fences cannot exceed seven feet and front yard fences are capped at five feet under Section 6-9 of the county's Development…
Fence Permit Requirements
Few RestrictionsCabarrus County does not require a zoning permit to install a residential fence anywhere in the unincorporated county, per Section 6-9 of the Development Ordinance. Owners are still…
🏊 Swimming Pools & Spas
Pool Permits
Some RestrictionsA residential pool in unincorporated Cabarrus County is reviewed as a Performance Based Standards use: it must sit entirely inside the property's primary setbacks, and decking around…
Fencing & Safety Requirements
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County's Development Ordinance requires every outdoor swimming pool to be enclosed by a barrier or fence at least four feet high with a self-closing, self-latching gate, per…
🚗 Parking Rules
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsEvery industrial and commercial building in unincorporated Cabarrus County must supply dedicated off-street loading space in addition to required parking, per County Code § 10-12. Each…
Abandoned Vehicles
Significant RestrictionsCabarrus County's Development Ordinance flatly bars storing a junk or abandoned motor vehicle on any parcel in the unincorporated county under Section 6-11, with narrow exceptions for…
RV & Boat Parking
Significant RestrictionsCabarrus County allows an RV on a residential parcel only if it isn't lived in, isn't hooked to utilities, stays on its wheels and axles, is licensed and insured for the road, and…
🪧 Sign Regulations
Freeway-Facing Signs
Heavy RestrictionsOff-premise signs, the billboard category advertising something not located on the site, are flatly prohibited throughout unincorporated Cabarrus County under Development Ordinance §…
Window Signs
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County lets businesses place window signs without a sign permit, but only if the lettering or graphics cover no more than 25 percent of the glass area of the entire…
Digital Billboards
Some RestrictionsGround-mounted signs in unincorporated Cabarrus County may include a changeable copy or electronic message board face, but Development Ordinance § 11-16 caps that digital or…
💡 Outdoor Lighting
Dark Sky Rules
Some RestrictionsNew commercial development in unincorporated Cabarrus County must use full cut-off light fixtures aimed downward or at the building face, and wall pack lighting is banned outright…
Light Trespass & Shielding
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County caps how much outdoor light can cross onto neighboring land: 1.5 foot-candles at the property line for cutoff fixtures, 0.4 for non-cutoff fixtures, and no fixture may…
🌍 Environmental Rules
Flood Zones
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County requires a Floodplain Development Permit before any development activity begins in a Special Flood Hazard Area within the unincorporated county, under Chapter 16 of the…
Boat Dock Permits
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County treats piers, docks, landings and ramps as "Development Activity" under Chapter 16 of the Development Ordinance, so any dock built within a Special Flood Hazard Area…
Flood Elevation Requirements
Some RestrictionsCabarrus County requires new and substantially improved homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area to sit at the Regulatory Flood Protection Elevation, the Base Flood Elevation plus a…
Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsEvery land-disturbing project in unincorporated Cabarrus County must hold a state Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) permit issued by the NC Department of Energy, Mineral, and Land…
Stormwater Management
Some RestrictionsEvery proposed project in unincorporated Cabarrus County must carry a Phase 2 Post-Construction Stormwater Permit from the NC Department of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources, and…
Data Sources
Ordinance data for Cabarrus County is sourced from the following official government references. Click any topic above for detailed citations.