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.
For vacation rental complexes in the unincorporated county, the Zoning Ordinance caps size and sets health/safety minimums. A complex may include no more than 10 separate vacation rental units; a development of more than 10 units is considered a hotel or motel (except in the Open Use District, where it stays a complex requiring a conditional use permit). Complex standards under Sec. 78-678 require a minimum 20-foot distance between buildings for air, light, privacy and emergency access, and one bathroom for every four guest rooms. Buncombe County's zoning ordinance itself does not set a per-guest maximum for a single vacation rental home; overall occupancy is governed by the state building code and septic (NCGS 130A) capacity.
Exceeding the 10-unit complex cap reclassifies the development as a hotel/motel with different district and permitting requirements. Failure to meet building-separation or bathroom minimums can block conditional use approval and trigger zoning enforcement under Sec. 78-596.
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