Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Windsor, North Carolina

Town of Windsor’s own rules

• InspectionsRequired

  Work for which a Windsor certificate of occupancy is sought.

  • The certificate is issued automatically only after all final inspections and issuance of a Certificate of Compliance.

  “The Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued automatically by the Building Inspector after all final inspections have been made”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New buildings, additions, enlargements, moved or altered buildings, and changes of occupancy inside Windsor town limits.

  • The change-of-occupancy provision does not apply to rooms intended for transient rental.
  • A temporary certificate may be issued for safely occupiable portions before final completion or for other temporary uses.

  “No new building or part thereof shall be occupied [...] until the Building Inspector has issued a Certificate of Occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within Windsor town's planning and development-regulation jurisdiction.

  • The ordinance's development-approval authority is subject to the scope of regulatory authority granted by NCGS Chapter 160D.

  “The regulations set forth in this Ordinance shall apply to all property within the Town limits/extraterritorial jurisdiction and within the various zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts within Windsor's UDO jurisdiction.

  • Use permissions vary by primary zoning district and the CBO overlay district.

  published primary districts: RA-20, R-10, R-7, R-5, R-75, R-15, R-5MH, R-10MH, O-I, C-1, C-2, M-I (Table also identifies CBO as an overlay district.)

  “Uses RA-20 R-10 R-7 R-5 R-75 R-15 R-5MH R-10MH O-I C-1 C-2 M-I CBO”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny houses inside Windsor town limits.

  • The use table marks tiny houses as permitted with special regulations in R-5 and R-5MH only, and directs readers to Section 8.50.

  permitted districts: R-5 and R-5MH (Permitted with special regulations under Section 8.50.)

  “Tiny houses (Amended 3/14/2019) PS PS Section 8.50”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes on individual lots inside Windsor town limits.

  • Class A manufactured homes are permitted with special regulations in RA-20, R-75, R-5MH, and R-10MH.
  • Class B manufactured homes are permitted with special regulations in RA-20 and R-5MH.
  • The table directs readers to Section 8.4.

  “Manufactured home, Class A on individual lot PS PS PS PS Section 8.4 Manufactured home, Class B on individual lot PS PS Section 8.4”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Manufactured-home-park site-plan review inside Windsor town limits when septic tanks or individual wells are required.

  • The rule applies when a septic tank or individual well is required for the proposed manufactured-home park.

  “Bertie County Health Department. When septic tank or individual wells are required, the Health Department permit shall be submitted”

• Septic permitRequired

  Manufactured-home-park site-plan applications inside Windsor town limits when septic tanks or individual wells are required.

  • The Health Department permit must be submitted with the site-plan application only when septic tanks or individual wells are required.

  “When septic tank or individual wells are required, the Health Department permit shall be submitted with the application”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Curb cuts and driveways connecting property to Town public rights-of-way inside Windsor town limits.

  • Curb cuts require Administrator approval for ingress and egress to property abutting a Town public right-of-way.
  • NCDOT is the approval authority where curbs affect state-highway access.
  • State-controlled-street driveway connections must be requested from and approved by NCDOT on its standard form.

  residential driveway distance from intersection corner: >= 20 feet (Measured along the right-of-way line.) · commercial and industrial driveway distance from intersection corner: >= 30 feet (Measured along the right-of-way line.)

  “Construction of curb cuts for purposes of ingress and egress to property abutting a Town public right-of-way shall be approved by the Administrator.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term lodging uses on ground-floor street-facing facades inside Windsor town limits.

  • The prohibition excludes alleys.
  • The prohibition does not apply within properly permitted single-family, duplex, triplex, quadraplex, and multi-family structures existing when the ordinance was adopted.

  “Short-term lodging uses shall be prohibited on the ground floor of street-facing facades, excluding alleys”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Development approvals administered by Windsor inside its planning and development-regulation jurisdiction.

  • Applicants may be the landowner, lessee, option or contract holder, the landowner's authorized agent, or an authorized easement holder.
  • A development approval expires one year after issuance if authorized work has not been substantially commenced; after commencement it expires when activity is discontinued for 12 months, subject to tolling during an appeal.

  approval commencement period: 1 year (Expires if work has not been substantially commenced.) · discontinuance period: 12 months (Approval immediately expires after commencement if activity is discontinued; appeal pendency tolls the period.)

  “A development approval issued pursuant to this Ordinance shall expire one year after the date of issuance if the work authorized by the development approval has not been substantially commenced.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Windsor

Town of Windsor does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-10 Single & Two-Family Residential district inside Windsor town limits.

  • The 10,000-square-foot and 80-foot standards apply to the first dwelling; second dwellings or duplexes and non-residential uses have separately listed standards.

  first-dwelling minimum lot area: 10000 square feet · first-dwelling minimum lot width: 80 feet

  “R-10 Single & Two-Family Residential First dwelling Second dwelling or duplex Non-residential uses 10,000 6,000 15,000 80 20 160”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RA-20 Single-Family Agricultural Residential district inside Windsor town limits.

    “RA-20 Single-Family Agricultural Residential 20,000 100 35 15 (see Note 2) 25 35”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-10 Single & Two-Family Residential district inside Windsor town limits.

  • Standards shown are for the first dwelling; second dwellings or duplexes and non-residential uses have separately listed standards.
  • The base side setback is subject to Note 2.

  first-dwelling front setback: 30 feet · first-dwelling side setback: 10 feet (See Note 2.) · first-dwelling rear setback: 20 feet

  “30 30 30 10 (see Note 2) 10 (see Note 2) 20 (see Note 2) 20 20 20”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RA-20 Single-Family Agricultural Residential district inside Windsor town limits.

    “RA-20 Single-Family Agricultural Residential 20,000 100 35 15 (see Note 2) 25 35”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-10 Single & Two-Family Residential district inside Windsor town limits.

  • The 35-foot standard is shown for first dwellings, second dwellings or duplexes, and non-residential uses.

  building height: 35 feet

  “R-10 Single & Two-Family Residential First dwelling Second dwelling or duplex Non-residential uses 10,000 6,000 15,000 80 20 160 30 30 30 10 (see Note 2) 10 (see Note 2) 20 (see Note 2) 20 20 20 35 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RA-20 Single-Family Agricultural Residential district inside Windsor town limits.

    “RA-20 Single-Family Agricultural Residential 20,000 100 35 15 (see Note 2) 25 35”

• Well permitRequired

  Private drinking-water wells located inside Windsor town limits.

  • A repair permit is not required for maintenance, pump repair, or pump replacement.
  • An abandonment permit is required before permanent abandonment.

  “No person shall construct a private drinking water well without first obtaining a well construction permit from the local health department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Windsor or Bertie County directly.

• Building permit — Residential building construction inside Windsor town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Windsor town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Windsor town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Windsor town limits.
• Lot coverage — Residential lots inside Windsor town limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.