Pitt County, NC Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

The Pitt County Zoning Ordinance defines a Bed and Breakfast Inn as "a lodging facility in which the operator resides and which is established for the purpose of providing temporary overnight accommodations for tourists, vacationers and other similar transients" (Section 15, Definitions). Table 5-1, the Table of Permitted Uses, classifies the use as "D" (permitted with development standards, requiring a Zoning Administrator permit) in the RA, RR, R40, SR and MFR districts, and as "Z" (permitted by right) in the RC, OI and GC districts; it is not a listed use in HC, LI or GI.

Section 8(L) sets the actual permit standards: the inn must be owned and operated by a resident owner, must occupy a structure originally built as a dwelling (new construction solely for the inn does not qualify), and may serve meals only to registered guests, not the public. Exterior advertising is capped at what a home occupation sign is allowed under the sign ordinance, and any parking lot must be screened from adjoining single-family residential uses by a buffer yard meeting Section 10(H). Because the definition and Section 8(L) both hinge on a resident owner-operator, the code does not create a separate permit path for a non-owner-occupied whole-house short-term rental; anyone in unincorporated Pitt County renting a house short-term without living there falls outside the Bed and Breakfast Inn use category and should confirm applicability with the Planning Department before operating.

The applicable development standards permit is issued administratively by the Zoning Administrator for districts marked "D"; no Board of Adjustment hearing is required unless the Administrator's decision is appealed.