Sampson County, NC Ordinances (2026)

In unincorporated Sampson County, new subdivisions must be designed and built to comply with NCDEQ stormwater requirements, and every NCDEQ permit, including an Erosion and…

In unincorporated Sampson County, any subdivision project disturbing one acre or more of land must obtain a State of North Carolina erosion control permit before construction begins…

Every new home and substantially improved structure in a Sampson County Special Flood Hazard Area must have its reference level, including the basement, built no lower than the…

In unincorporated Sampson County, anyone developing land inside a Special Flood Hazard Area must obtain a Floodplain Development Permit from the Floodplain Administrator before…

Unincorporated Sampson County does not require a Zoning Permit to install a fence. Code Sec. 2-18-02.B, governing Zoning Permits generally, specifically exempts fences, along with…

A retaining wall, sidewalk, or driveway that places fill inside a regulated floodway or non-encroachment area in unincorporated Sampson County must clear a no-rise engineering test in…

Sampson County allows electric fences on residential property, but Sec. 2-28-12 requires a privacy fence around any electric fence built within 3 feet of the property line. Bona fide…

Sampson County doesn't cap ordinary yard fence height countywide, but County Code § 2-27-15 bans any fence, planting or structure between 2 and 10 feet high inside the corner-lot sight…

In unincorporated Sampson County, no new, altered, or moved building may be occupied until the Building Inspector issues a Certificate of Occupancy under Code Sec. 2-18-04, adopted…

Anyone who lives in or owns land in unincorporated Sampson County can file a written complaint about a suspected zoning violation, and phone complaints can be made anonymously. Code…

Sampson County's Voluntary Agricultural Districts Ordinance (Sec. 2-37) protects farmland in unincorporated Sampson County from suits and non-farm development pressure. Qualifying…

Sampson County's Voluntary Agricultural Districts Ordinance, County Code § 2-37, lets farmland owners in unincorporated Sampson County enroll qualifying farms in an agricultural…

Unincorporated Sampson County has no curbside pickup; residents haul household waste to County-owned Convenience Sites operated by GFL Environmental. Commercial haulers and…

Sampson County makes it unlawful to litter, dump, or accumulate solid waste on any public or private property in the unincorporated area. Violators face a misdemeanor with up to a $500…

Sampson County Code Section 2-6-03.B.3.C requires every refuse receptacle and detachable container in unincorporated Sampson County to stay covered at all times with a tight-fitting…

In unincorporated Sampson County, anyone generating tree and shrubbery trimmings or yard trash must keep them in adequate receptacles capable of holding the material, and trimmings…

In unincorporated Sampson County, the zoning ordinance's Multi-Family Development standard requires every apartment or townhouse project to provide its dumpster site with opaque…

Unincorporated Sampson County requires exterior lighting to be aimed away from neighbors. Section 2-28-11 keeps all lighting directed onto the owner's own site, and § 2-32-08…

Sampson County's zoning ordinance requires that all outdoor lighting on a property be directed away from adjacent land and roadways and confined to the owner's own site. The rule is a…

Sampson County allows residential backyard composting in the unincorporated area but sets five operating standards: a 25-foot setback from a neighbor's dwelling, no pest or odor…

Sampson County Water District 1 (and, under a parallel ordinance, District 2) can trigger phased water-use restrictions once supplies run short. The Water Shortage Response Ordinance…

Unincorporated Sampson County bans operating a TV, radio, stereo or any sound-amplifying equipment loud enough to disturb a reasonable person's peace under Sampson County Code §…

Lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other landscape maintenance equipment in unincorporated Sampson County may run only between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., under Sampson County Code §…

Construction work in unincorporated Sampson County is exempt from the noise ordinance only between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends, under Sampson County…

Unincorporated Sampson County bars sounding a vehicle horn for anything but a danger signal and bars driving with faulty or missing mufflers loud enough to disturb neighbors, under…

Unincorporated Sampson County bars keeping any pet, other than farm livestock, that habitually howls, yelps or barks enough to disturb a residential area, under Sampson County Code §…

Unincorporated Sampson County's noise ordinance exempts all noise from the normal operation of properly equipped aircraft, under Sampson County Code § 4-6-03(6). The exemption does not…

In unincorporated Sampson County, owners must keep every cat currently vaccinated against rabies once it turns four months old and must keep a valid rabies tag on its collar or harness…

In unincorporated Sampson County, chickens and rabbits may be kept without a numeric limit as long as the pen meets the Board of Health's sanitary standards, stables must be kept…

In unincorporated Sampson County, keeping wolves, coyotes, bears, wild cats, ten-foot-plus constricting or poisonous reptiles, crocodilians, or primates over twenty-five pounds as pets…

Sampson County issues no wildlife rescue permit of its own. County Code § 4-1-02.H(d) instead carves a single exception into its ban on keeping wild or exotic animals: a person…

Sampson County will not adopt out a dog or cat from its Animal Shelter unless the animal has already been surgically spayed or neutered, or the adopter agrees to have the surgery done…

When a dog in unincorporated Sampson County is tethered outdoors instead of fenced, County Code § 4-1-02.N(g) sets exact standards: the tether cannot exceed one-tenth of the dog's body…

Sampson County sets no blanket limit on how many dogs or cats a household in the unincorporated county may keep. County Code § 4-1-02.Q instead lets any more restrictive zoning…

Sampson County does not regulate dogs by breed; instead County Code § 4-1-03 requires any dog individually declared dangerous or potentially dangerous to be registered with the…

In unincorporated Sampson County, the zoning ordinance limits vehicle storage on residential lots. Commercial trucks or vans driven home by employees or owners must be parked in the…

Unincorporated Sampson County limits how RVs, boats and trailers can be kept on residential property. They cannot serve as an accessory structure, and a standalone power pole may be…

In unincorporated Sampson County's Residential Agricultural district, an owner-occupied lot may store up to three junk, inoperable or unlicensed vehicles if fully concealed from public…

Unincorporated Sampson County requires off-street loading space sized to a building's floor area. Loading spaces must be at least 15 by 30 feet for buildings under 20,000 square feet…

In unincorporated Sampson County, no one may install, remove or retrofit an underground or aboveground propane or other flammable-liquid storage tank without a written permit from the…

In unincorporated Sampson County, no one may use pyrotechnics or fireworks without a permit from the county fire marshal, who holds that authority under G.S. § 14-413 per Sampson…

In unincorporated Sampson County, no one may place a monument, memorial, or piece of public artwork on county property without review by the nine-member Historical and Cultural…

Before breaking ground on new construction in a Sampson County Special Flood Hazard Area, the permit holder must give the Floodplain Administrator a FEMA Elevation Certificate proving…

Sampson County Code Section 2-6-05 makes it unlawful to create or allow a public health nuisance on any parcel of land in the unincorporated county, covering junk, stagnant water, and…

When a property in unincorporated Sampson County has a condition dangerous or prejudicial to public health or safety, Section 2-6-05.B.2 lets the county send the owner a notice with up…

In unincorporated Sampson County, an accessory dwelling unit is allowed only as a Special Requirement in the RA, R and MRD zoning districts, capped at 60% of the principal home's floor…

Unincorporated Sampson County caps detached residential accessory structures like sheds at three per parcel and requires a 10-foot setback from side and rear property lines, plus 5…

Sampson County Code Section 2-7-02 governs outdoor advertising along interstate highways in the unincorporated county: structures must sit at least 300 feet from any residential…

Sampson County only allows accessory solar panels to be roof-mounted; stand-alone, ground-mounted panels anywhere in a parcel's yard are not permitted. Because roof-mounted solar…

In unincorporated Sampson County, an in-ground pool must be enclosed by a barrier fence at least 4 feet and no taller than 8 feet, and every pool, in-ground or above-ground, must sit…

An adult entertainment establishment in unincorporated Sampson County must sit at least 1,000 feet from another adult entertainment establishment and at least 1,000 feet from any…

In unincorporated Sampson County, Sec. 4-7-03 of the county code bans smoking and tobacco use inside every county-owned or leased building, on the grounds around those buildings, and…

In the Residential (R) zoning district covering unincorporated Sampson County, County Code § 2-25-04 sets a 35-foot front setback, 10-foot side setback, 20-foot side setback on a lot…

Sampson County caps stick-built home height at 40 feet in both the Residential (R) and Residential Agricultural (RA) zoning districts under County Code §§ 2-25-03 and 2-25-04, the same…

Running a business from home in unincorporated Sampson County requires a Home Occupation permit under County Code § 2-26-01, and only occupations specifically listed in the Ordinance…

Home-based businesses in unincorporated Sampson County can only see customers between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, under County Code §…

Home-based daycare is a permitted Home Occupation in unincorporated Sampson County, listed by name in County Code § 2-26-04 for Residential and Mixed Residential zoning districts and…

Home Occupation signs in unincorporated Sampson County are capped by zoning district: 4 square feet in Residential and Mixed Residential districts under County Code § 2-26-04.B, 6…