Carteret County, NC Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Carteret County's zoning ordinance does not post hours restricting when a loading dock or loading zone may be used in unincorporated areas of the county. Instead, Section 2014 sets a performance standard rather than a numeric formula. Section 2014.1 requires that offstreet loading spaces be provided 'as appropriate to the function and scope of operation' of the building or use, leaving the actual count to the zoning enforcement officer's review of each project rather than a fixed ratio tied to square footage. Section 2014.2 controls how those spaces must work: all maneuvering to park and unpark vehicles for loading and unloading has to happen entirely within the property lines, and the space has to be designed so it does not interfere with the normal movement of vehicles and pedestrians on public rights-of-way.

That means a truck backing into the street to reach a loading dock, or a loading area that forces cars onto the shoulder to get around it, does not meet the standard. Section 3003 reinforces that every permitted and special use in the county's zoning districts, not just the more obviously commercial ones, must comply with the parking and loading standards written into Chapter 2000. Compliance is confirmed by the zoning enforcement officer as part of the site and parking plan review before a certificate of occupancy issues.