101 local rules on file · Pop. 4,127 · Buncombe County
Showing ordinances that apply to Royal Pines, NC
Royal Pines is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 4,127 in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Because Royal Pines is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, Buncombe County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in Buncombe County may have different rules.
Buncombe County does not paint or regulate curb-color parking markings, because its roads are state-maintained by NCDOT, which controls all pavement markings and traffic-control devices. Residents may not paint curbs or add their own no-parking markings on a public right-of-way. Asheville and other towns set their own curb rules.
Buncombe County does not ban keeping a personal RV, travel trailer, camper, or boat at your home in the unincorporated county. The Zoning Ordinance treats a road-ready, disconnected travel trailer as a parked vehicle. Living in it is capped, and inoperable units can be abated as junked.
Buncombe County does not run a municipal street network or enact everyday on-street parking rules. Roads outside Asheville and other towns are state-maintained by NCDOT, so on-street parking follows NC Chapter 20 motor-vehicle law. A vehicle left too long on public grounds can be handled as abandoned.
Buncombe County sets off-street loading standards through Sec. 78-659 of its Zoning Ordinance, requiring qualifying business, trade, and industrial sites to provide off-street loading berths sized to the use. There are no on-street loading zones in the unincorporated county; state roads are NCDOT-controlled. Cities set their own downtown loading rules.
There is no countywide overnight on-street parking ban in unincorporated Buncombe County; state-maintained roads are governed by NCDOT and NC motor-vehicle law. The county can treat a car left over 24 hours on county-owned property as abandoned. Asheville and other towns set their own overnight rules.
Oversized vehicles, large trucks, buses, and heavy trailers are regulated in unincorporated Buncombe County through zoning district use standards, not a size-based parking ban. There is no county on-street size limit; state roads follow NCDOT. An inoperable oversized vehicle can be abated as junked.
Buncombe County prohibits abandoning and junking vehicles on public and private property. Its ordinance (Chapter 26, Article VI) draws authority from NC Gen. Stat. 153A-132. A vehicle can be towed once left over two hours on private property without consent, or over seven days on public grounds.
Buncombe County does not require homeowners to pave a residential driveway, but a new driveway onto a state road needs an NCDOT permit, and the Zoning Ordinance's off-street parking standards govern surfacing and layout for commercial and multifamily sites. Access-point placement is set in Sec. 78-661.
Buncombe County has no special ordinance restricting home EV chargers. A residential Level 2 charger is installed under the adopted North Carolina Electrical Code with an electrical permit through Buncombe County Permits & Inspections. New commercial charging stations are sited under the Zoning Ordinance's parking and use standards.
Buncombe County regulates commercial vehicles mainly through zoning: parking or storing heavy trucks, trailers, and equipment in residential districts is limited by the Zoning Ordinance's district use standards. There is no countywide on-street commercial-vehicle ban; state roads follow NCDOT. Asheville and other towns apply their own truck-parking limits.
Buncombe County has no separate STR license registry, but its zoning ordinance defines and classifies vacation rentals by size. A property over 9,000 sq ft or with more than two units becomes a "vacation rental complex" with stricter review, and county occupancy tax registration is required.
A Buncombe County vacation rental complex may contain no more than 10 separate vacation rental units; anything larger is treated as a hotel/motel. Complexes must also provide one bathroom for every four guest rooms and keep 20 feet between buildings.
Buncombe County does not require short-term rental operators to carry a specific liability insurance policy. Coverage is left to the owner, lender, HOA, and booking platform. Hosts should still confirm adequate liability insurance before renting.
Buncombe County's zoning ordinance sets no vacation-rental-specific noise rule. Guest noise is instead governed by the county's general noise ordinance and, inside towns, by the municipality's own noise limits. Hosts remain responsible for guest conduct.
In unincorporated Buncombe County, a single vacation rental (up to two homes / 9,000 sq ft) is a permitted use in most zoning districts. Larger vacation rental complexes need a conditional use permit, and a zoning compliance certificate is required.
Buncombe County's Zoning Ordinance requires a vacation rental complex or rooming house to provide at least one off-street parking space for every two guest rooms, and to screen parking with a vegetative buffer or fencing next to single-family homes.
Buncombe County does not require a vacation rental to be the owner's primary residence. Whole-home rentals are allowed as permitted or conditional uses by district. Some towns like Asheville do restrict whole-house STRs, so check municipal rules inside city limits.
Buncombe County levies a 6% room occupancy tax on gross receipts from any room, lodging, or accommodation rented for fewer than 90 days, including Airbnb and VRBO stays. It is filed with the county Tax Department and due by the 20th of the following month.
Buncombe County does not require a host or manager to be present or on-site during vacation rental stays. Unhosted whole-home rentals are permitted by district. Individual towns such as Asheville handle owner-present homestays under their own separate rules.
Buncombe County sets no cap on the number of nights per year a vacation rental may be booked. Rentals are defined simply as stays of two or more days to transients, with no maximum-nights limit in the zoning ordinance.
In unincorporated Buncombe County, playing any radio, TV, instrument, or amplifying device so loud it disturbs a neighbor's repose is unlawful, especially between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. The county uses a nuisance standard, not decibel meters.
Noise from the normal operations of any commercial or industrial enterprise is exempt from Buncombe County's noise ordinance, except for electronically amplified sound. Malfunctioning or unmuffled equipment can still be cited.
In unincorporated Buncombe County, building erection, demolition, alteration, or repair in a residential district is prohibited between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. Work outside those hours needs an urgent-necessity permit from the county manager.
Keeping any animal or bird that, by frequent or long-continued noise, disturbs the comfort and repose of neighbors is a prohibited noise in unincorporated Buncombe County. Farm-animal noise is expressly exempt.
Buncombe County has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. Blowers and power fans fall under the general noise rule: they must be adequately muffled so they don't unreasonably disturb neighbors in the unincorporated county.
Outdoor amplified music in unincorporated Buncombe County is governed by the general noise rule: it cannot disturb neighbors, especially 11 p.m.-7 a.m. Recognized community celebrations, festivals, and public events are expressly exempt.
Buncombe County has no aircraft-noise ordinance and cannot enforce one. Aircraft operations and noise are regulated by the FAA under federal law, which preempts local rules. The county noise ordinance does not reach aircraft in flight.
In unincorporated Buncombe County, amplified music or sound that annoys or disturbs neighbors, especially 11 p.m.-7 a.m., is prohibited. Commercial loudspeaker advertising is banned outright; noncommercial speech is capped at 150 feet audibility.
Buncombe County's noise ordinance sets no numeric decibel limit. Instead it prohibits any 'unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary' noise, judged by a reasonable-person standard rather than a sound meter.
In unincorporated Buncombe County, running a vehicle so out of repair or loaded that it makes loud grating, rattling, or screeching noise, or discharging exhaust without an effective muffler, is a prohibited noise. Unnecessary horn use is also banned.
Buncombe County (NC) does not have a general weed-abatement ordinance for private residential property. Overgrown weeds on private lots in the unincorporated county are usually not a county violation. Cities regulate weeds within their limits, and NCDOT handles roadside vegetation.
Buncombe County does not require a permit to trim or prune trees on private residential property. Routine trimming is unregulated by the county. Special standards apply only in the Steep Slope and Protected Ridge overlay districts, and NC utility/road rules govern trimming near power lines and public roads.
Buncombe County has no ordinance prohibiting artificial turf on residential property. In the Steep Slope and Protected Ridge overlays and in watersheds, however, ground cover counts toward built-upon/impervious-surface limits, so large turf or graveled areas can be regulated on steep or watershed lots.
Rain barrels and cisterns are legal in Buncombe County (NC). North Carolina does not restrict residential rainwater collection, and the county encourages it as a stormwater and drought measure. Larger cistern plumbing tied into a home may need to meet the state plumbing code.
Home composting is permitted in Buncombe County (NC). There is no county ordinance banning or licensing backyard compost piles. The county actively promotes composting to reduce landfill waste. Piles must not become a rodent or odor nuisance, and large-scale operations fall under NC solid-waste rules.
Buncombe County does not require native landscaping on ordinary lots, but in the Steep Slope and Protected Ridge overlays, required screening trees must be native species with no single species exceeding 50% of the plantings. The county Cooperative Extension also promotes native, drought-tolerant plants.
Buncombe County (NC) has no ordinance capping grass or lawn height on private residential lots. North Carolina counties have limited nuisance authority over overgrown vegetation, so tall grass is generally not a county violation. Inside Asheville and other towns, the municipality sets its own rules.
Buncombe County does not require a permit to remove trees on ordinary private property. The real county tree standards apply in the Steep Slope and Protected Ridge overlay districts, where required screening trees must stay within 50 feet of the downhill side of a structure and follow native-species and spacing
Buncombe County has no standing landscaping water-restriction ordinance. Outdoor watering limits kick in through the water utility (Asheville water system) and North Carolina's drought-response system, which sets county restriction stages each week based on the U.S. Drought Monitor at ncdrought.org.
Keeping horses, cattle, goats, sheep, swine, and fowl on qualifying property in the unincorporated county is protected as a bona fide farm use under NCGS 160D-903, so county zoning cannot bar it. The animal code still bars public-nuisance conditions and regulates dead-animal disposal.
Buncombe County cannot zone out bona fide farm uses, so keeping chickens, fowl, and livestock on qualifying property in the unincorporated county is broadly allowed under NCGS 160D-903. Animals must still avoid nuisance conditions and cages/pens have setback limits under the animal ordinance.
Buncombe County Sec. 6-61 makes it unlawful to keep any venomous reptile or any other wild or exotic animal within the county. Zoos, performing-animal exhibitions, circuses, and licensed wildlife rehabilitators are exempt.
Buncombe County sets no simple household pet limit, but keeping seven or more dogs or cats on one premises makes the property a 'kennel' requiring a permit (Sec. 6-28). Keeping animals in numbers that create a public nuisance is separately prohibited under Sec. 6-57.
In unincorporated Buncombe County, dogs and other animals must stay on the owner's premises. Off the property, an animal must be under the control of a competent person by a chain, leash, harness, or other physical control (Sec. 6-76). Loose animals may be impounded.
Buncombe County's animal code has no general wildlife-feeding ban, but it prohibits keeping wild animals (Sec. 6-61). In bear-heavy western NC, the state Wildlife Resources Commission rule (15A NCAC 10B .0202) bars intentionally feeding or placing food that attracts bears and causes damage or a safety risk.
Buncombe County does not ban any dog breed. Both the county code (Sec. 6-28) and NC state law (NCGS 67-4.1) define a 'dangerous dog' by behavior, not breed. A dog is dangerous only if it kills or severely injures without provocation, or is declared potentially dangerous.
Cats four months or older in Buncombe County must be vaccinated against rabies and wear a collar with the current rabies tag at all times (Sec. 6-56). Cats are covered by the same restraint and nuisance rules as other animals, and unvaccinated or stray cats may be impounded.
Buncombe County has no dedicated beekeeping ordinance. Keeping honey bees is an agricultural activity protected from county zoning as a bona fide farm use under NCGS 160D-903. Colonies must not create a public nuisance under the animal code, and state law governs bee registration and disease.
Buncombe County has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but Sec. 6-57 prohibits keeping animals in numbers or conditions that constitute a public nuisance, and Sec. 6-58 bars neglect. Severe cases are prosecuted under NC animal-cruelty law (NCGS Ch. 14 Art. 47 / 19A).
North Carolina bans nearly all consumer fireworks statewide. Only non-aerial, non-explosive novelties, sparklers, fountains, snakes, party poppers, and smoke devices are legal. Anything that flies, explodes, or spins is illegal in Buncombe County.
Buncombe County is a mountain wildland-urban-interface area, but North Carolina has no mandatory statewide defensible-space clearance law. Property owners clear brush voluntarily; the main legal tool is the NC Forest Service permit and burn-ban system that governs how cleared brush is disposed of.
Small recreational fires and fire pits for warmth or cooking are generally allowed, but any open burning must follow the Buncombe County Fire Prevention Ordinance and Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality rules. Fires must be attended and are banned during a county burn ban.
Residents may burn leaves, brush, and yard trimmings from their own property on approved burn days between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., with nothing added after 6 p.m. Burning trash, plastics, and building materials is banned, and open burning is prohibited where yard-waste pickup exists.
Small backyard fires for cooking or warmth are allowed if contained, attended, and not during a burn ban. Burning yard debris follows the open-burning rules: burn days only, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., no trash, and a safe distance from structures.
North Carolina requires operable smoke alarms in all rental homes and in new construction under the state Fire and Building Codes. Landlords must install and maintain them; since 2013 rentals need tamper-resistant 10-year sealed-battery alarms unless hardwired.
Propane storage is governed by the North Carolina Fire Prevention Code (which adopts NFPA 58), enforced locally by the Buncombe County Fire Marshal, not by a separate county propane ordinance. Small residential cylinders are allowed; larger tanks have placement and permit rules.
Buncombe County is a mountainous wildland-urban-interface area with real wildfire risk, but North Carolina has no mandatory WUI building code or defensible-space mandate. Wildfire management is handled through NC Forest Service programs, burn bans, and voluntary Firewise practices.
Buncombe County's Zoning Ordinance sets no maximum height for a standard residential fence in the unincorporated county. Instead it exempts fences ten feet or less from setback rules, so a fence up to ten feet high may sit on a property line without triggering the district yard setbacks.
Buncombe County's Zoning Ordinance sets no material restrictions on ordinary residential fences, so wood, vinyl, metal, chain-link, and masonry are all allowed. Special uses such as junkyards and impound lots have their own required fencing standards.
Buncombe County zoning does not require a separate zoning permit for an ordinary residential fence, and the North Carolina building code exempts residential fences up to seven feet from a building permit. A building permit from Permits and Inspections is required for construction that does need one.
Buncombe County's Zoning Ordinance does not set a standalone retaining-wall height limit, but a wall that also functions as a fence follows the ten-foot setback-exemption rule. In the mountainous Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay, grading limits and building-code engineering govern retaining structures.
A fence ten feet or less may sit on the shared property line in unincorporated Buncombe County. On corner lots, no fence, wall, planting, sign, or obstruction may be erected so as to interfere with the sight distance at the intersection. Cost sharing between neighbors is a private civil matter.
Buncombe County lets residents use any common fence material for a standard fence. Where screening between uses is required, a solid visual barrier fence, earth mounding, and evergreen planting can be combined to reach the required buffer height.
In unincorporated Buncombe County, a fence ten feet or less is exempt from yard setbacks and may sit on the property line. Fences must not block sight distance on corner lots, and screening or buffer fences in nonresidential settings carry specific height and maintenance duties.
Under North Carolina law you can care for two or fewer unrelated children at home without a license. Caring for more than two but less than eleven children in your home is a family child care home and must be licensed by the state DCDEE; a county home occupation may
In unincorporated Buncombe County a home occupation must satisfy the zoning standards, and construction or alteration requires a certificate of zoning compliance plus a building permit from Permits & Inspections. No more than two non-resident employees may work in the home occupation.
A home occupation is allowed in Buncombe County residential zoning as a use conducted entirely within the dwelling or an accessory structure and clearly incidental to residential use. It cannot occupy more than 25 percent of the dwelling's floor space, and no more than two non-resident employees may work there.
A home occupation in unincorporated Buncombe County may have one unlighted sign on the premises no more than two square feet in area. There may be no display, no outside storage, and no change in the outside appearance of the building or premises from the home occupation.
North Carolina lets you make and sell non-potentially-hazardous foods like baked goods, jams, and candies from your home kitchen without a food-establishment permit. You register with the NC Department of Agriculture, which inspects the home kitchen; Buncombe County issues no separate cottage-food permit.
An above-ground residential pool still needs a NC Residential Code barrier. The pool wall can serve as the barrier if it is at least 48 inches high, and any ladder or steps must be removable, lockable, or fenced so children cannot climb in. A building/electrical permit from Permits & Inspections
A residential pool must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with a self-closing, self-latching gate under the NC Residential Code, verified at final inspection by Buncombe County Permits & Inspections. Public pools follow a parallel 4-foot fence-and-gate standard in 15A NCAC 18A .2528.
A private home hot tub follows the same NC Residential Code barrier rules as a pool, but a spa or hot tub with a safety cover complying with ASTM F1346 is exempt. A public spa must meet the pool rules plus extra circulation and timer standards in 15A NCAC 18A
A backyard residential pool needs a building and electrical permit from Buncombe County Permits & Inspections; there is no state operation permit for a private pool. Any pool open to the public (apartment, club, HOA, hotel) must hold an annual North Carolina public-pool operation permit from Buncombe County Environmental Health.
Public pools in Buncombe County must have compliant, unexpired anti-entrapment drain covers, depth markings, and warning signs under 15A NCAC 18A .2500, or the permit is suspended. Residential pools rely on the NC Residential Code barrier, gate, and door-alarm requirements enforced by Permits & Inspections.
Buncombe County's Zoning Ordinance (Ch. 78) does not create a dedicated ADU program; an accessory apartment is treated as an accessory building/structure and must meet the accessory-structure setbacks in Sec. 78-663 and the district's dimensional limits. A rented garage or basement apartment falls under the county's vacation-rental rules.
A shed or other accessory structure of 320 sq ft or less and 15 ft or less in height must sit at least seven feet from side and rear property lines. Larger or taller sheds need bigger setbacks (up to ten feet). This applies in the unincorporated county; towns set
Buncombe County classifies a tiny home on wheels as a travel trailer. It may be used as a temporary dwelling for no more than 180 days per calendar year, only in districts that permit travel trailers (R-3, PS, CR, OU), and may never be permanently affixed to the ground as
Buncombe County's zoning code has no dedicated garage-conversion section. Converting a garage to living or business space is governed by the underlying district's use and dimensional rules (Sec. 78-642), the accessory-structure standards (Sec. 78-663), and, if used for work, the home-occupation limits (Sec. 78-665). A building permit applies countywide.
A carport is an accessory structure. In unincorporated Buncombe County, a carport of 320 sq ft or less and 15 ft or less in height must be at least seven feet from side and rear property lines under Sec. 78-663. Larger carports need a ten-foot rear setback and up to
Backyard barbecue grills, propane and charcoal, are allowed for personal use in Buncombe County. There is no county grilling ordinance; the main rules come from the NC Fire Code for cylinder safety and any apartment or HOA restrictions on grill placement near buildings.
Backyard meat smokers, whether wood, pellet, charcoal, or propane, are allowed in Buncombe County with no dedicated permit. They are treated as contained cooking under the NC Fire Code rather than open burning, but smoke that becomes a persistent nuisance can still be regulated.
In the unincorporated county's R-1 Residential district, Buncombe County requires a 20-foot front yard, 10-foot side yard, and 20-foot rear yard where there is no public sewer. Accessory structures use reduced seven-to-ten-foot side and rear setbacks under Section 78-663.
Buncombe County's base zoning districts do not fix a single lot-coverage percentage, but the Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay District strictly caps disturbed and impervious surface. On steep-slope lots under two acres, impervious surface is limited to 0.16 acres and site disturbance to 0.3 acres.
Buncombe County caps building height at 35 feet in its residential zoning districts. In the mountainous Steep Slope/High Elevation Overlay District, the maximum building height is also 35 feet. Taller limits apply to some commercial and employment districts.
There is no Buncombe County ordinance setting a maximum grass or weed height on private property in the unincorporated county. North Carolina counties lack the broad nuisance authority cities use for weed abatement, so this is honestly not a county rule. Inside Asheville and other towns, the municipal weed/overgrowth ordinance
North Carolina counties have limited private-property nuisance power, so general "blight" or unsightly-yard rules are usually a city matter. Buncombe County's real code reaches junked/abandoned vehicles, which it regulates as a public nuisance in the unincorporated county. Inside Asheville and other towns, the city governs blight.
Buncombe County does not impose a countywide permit or day-limit for residential yard sales in the unincorporated area — casual garage sales are treated as a normal residential activity, not a regulated home business. Signs and any city-level frequency limits are handled by the municipality if you live inside a
Buncombe County does not set a countywide rule for how residents store trash cans between pickups; residential collection is handled through the county's franchised hauler (FCC) and container use follows that service. Store carts on your own property and keep loads secured. Municipal residents follow their town's container rules.
Buncombe County does not impose a general upkeep or mowing standard on private vacant lots in the unincorporated county — NC counties lack broad private-property nuisance power. The county can act on specific problems like junked/abandoned vehicles and illegal dumping on a lot. Overgrowth complaints inside a town go to
Illegal dumping is prohibited by both the Buncombe County solid-waste ordinance and North Carolina's littering statute, NCGS 14-399. Dumping litter on public or private land you don't own is a misdemeanor carrying fines from $500 to $2,000 plus mandatory community service, and vehicles used to dump large amounts can be
For county drop-off and self-haul, loads must be covered and secure. Curbside cart placement (timing, curb position, bring-in window) follows the franchised hauler's service rules rather than a countywide ordinance. Set recyclables out by early morning on your collection day and keep loads from blowing on the way to county
Buncombe County collects residential household waste through an exclusive franchise; FCC Environmental Services is the county's contracted hauler. The county code grants one or more exclusive franchises for collection and disposal to keep service consistent. Residents subscribe for curbside service or self-haul to the landfill or transfer station.
Bulky waste, mattresses, and appliances go to the Buncombe County Landfill; the transfer station takes white goods and tires. NC law bans appliances (white goods) from the landfill working face, so they are handled separately. TVs and CRT monitors are not accepted at the transfer station and must go to
Buncombe County offers curbside recycling to FCC subscribers and free drop-off at the landfill and transfer station. Accepted: metal cans, plastics #1–7, glass bottles/jars, cartons, mixed paper, and flattened cardboard. Not accepted: plastic bags, Styrofoam, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, dishware, paper towels, or shredded paper.
Buncombe County's zoning ordinance does not set a specific rule for garage or yard sale signs on residential property, so the county imposes no permit or size limit for them. Signs placed in a state road right-of-way remain subject to North Carolina's roadside-sign statute, and towns may have their own
Buncombe County's zoning ordinance regulates only commercial/institutional signage, not residential yard signs, so political signs on private property in the unincorporated county are largely unregulated. Signs in state road rights-of-way are controlled by North Carolina statute NCGS 136-32, which limits timing, size, and placement.
Under Sec. 78-668, outdoor lighting on regulated development may not exceed 0.75 footcandles at any property line, and 3.0 footcandles at any public street right-of-way. Fixtures must be aimed downward and cutoff to keep glare and spillover off neighboring property.
Buncombe County's zoning ordinance (Sec. 78-668) sets dark-sky-style lighting standards for new commercial, industrial, public and multi-family development. Fixtures over 1,250 lumens must be full cutoff, upward-oriented lighting is prohibited, and LED color temperature is capped at 4,300 Kelvin. Single-family homes are largely exempt.
These unincorporated areas are also governed by Buncombe County ordinances.