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

3 rules for unincorporated Cabarrus County, North Carolina.

Verified from official government sources

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

Setback Rules

Cabarrus County's Development Ordinance sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks for the five nonresidential zoning districts: Office/Institutional, Limited Commercial, General Commercial, Limited Industrial and General Industrial. Rear yards hold at 20 feet countywide; front and side minimums step up with industrial intensity.

Cabarrus County Nonresidential Yard Setbacks

Some Restrictions

Cabarrus County Code of Ordinances § 5-8

Section 5-8. Nonresidential development standards. Dimensional standards. Nonresidential development shall meet the following standards. Lot Dimensions (minimum) OI LC GC LI GI Lot width (feet) 50 50 120 120 200 Principal (minimum feet) Front yard 30 30 30 50 50 Side yard 10 10 10 10 15 Rear ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Structure Height Limits

Cabarrus 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, general provision of Section 6-13: each extra foot of height above the maximum requires one more linear foot of setback in every direction.

Cabarrus County Structure Height Setback Rule

Some Restrictions

Cabarrus County Code of Ordinances § 6-13

Any principal or accessory structure (not including signage) may exceed the zoning district's height limitation provided there is a proportional increase in the minimum front, side and rear setback requirements. Each foot of height over the maximum allowed height must be matched by an increase of one linear ground foot in each direction for the required front, rear, and side setbacks.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Lot Coverage Limits

Nonresidential development in unincorporated Cabarrus County is capped at 75 percent impervious surface coverage under Development Ordinance Section 5-8. The 75 percent ceiling applies uniformly across all five commercial and industrial districts.

Cabarrus County Nonresidential Lot Coverage Cap

Some Restrictions

Cabarrus County Code of Ordinances § 5-8

Section 5-8. Nonresidential development standards. Dimensional standards. Nonresidential development shall meet the following standards. Lot Dimensions (minimum) OI LC GC LI GI Lot area (square feet) Lot width (feet) 10,000 10,000 1 acre 1 acre 1 acre ... Lot Coverage (maximum) Impervious surface 75% 75% 75% 75% 75%

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Cabarrus County ordinances

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

Cabarrus County Ordinance Hub →