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

Town of Clarkton’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Development requiring a Town zoning site plan inside Clarkton town limits.

  • No permanent power is authorized until required site-plan items are provided, the Zoning Officer deems the site plan complete, and an as-built plan is submitted.

  “No permanent power will be authorized and no Certificate of Occupancy will be issued until all the above items are provided and the Zoning officer deems the Site Plan complete, and an "as built plan" is submitted.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Clarkton town limits subject to the Town's zoning jurisdiction.

  • Development requires the Town zoning permit specified by Article 5.

  “Commissioner Stephen Hester serves as the Zoning Officer for the Town of Clarkton Board of Commissioners. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing zoning regulations and ensuring that growth aligns with community goals while maintaining compliance with state and local laws.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Clarkton town zoning jurisdiction.

  • The Official Zoning Map is on file in the town clerk's office and available for public inspection.

  “The zoning map properly attested is on file in the office of the town clerk and is available for inspection by the public.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Tiny homes inside Clarkton town limits.

  • The requirement is for at least one habitable space; bathrooms, closets, halls, and storage areas are not habitable spaces under this provision.
  • Each additional habitable room cannot be below 70 square feet or less than seven feet in any horizontal direction; kitchens have no size minimum.

  minimum gross floor area of one habitable space: >= 200 square feet (Tiny homes) · minimum additional habitable-room area: >= 70 square feet (Kitchens have no size minimum)

  “Tiny Homes must, at a minimum contain at least one habitable space which is a minimum of 200 square feet of gross floor area. Each additional habitable rooms cannot be less than 70 square feet, and no less than seven feet in any horizontal direction, excluding kitchens, which have no size minimum.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential development in Clarkton's RA Residential Agriculture district.

  minimum lot area: >= 20000 square feet · minimum lot width at building line: >= 100 feet · minimum lot depth: >= 150 feet

  “Minimum Lot Area in Square Feet 20,000 Sq. Ft. Minimum Lot Width in Feet 100 ft. at the building line Minimum Lot Depth in Feet 150 ft.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential development in Clarkton's RA Residential Agriculture district.

  • Corner lots require 10 additional feet on the non-facing street side.

  front setback: >= 40 feet · side setback: >= 15 feet · rear setback: >= 30 feet

  “Minimum Setback Lines In Feet: Front 40 ft. Side 15 ft. Corner Lot, side abutting street Add 10 ft. on non-facing streets side Rear 30 ft.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family residential development in Clarkton's R-15 Residential district.

  • For height above 35 feet, the required front-yard depth and total required side-yard width must each increase five feet per additional 10 feet or fraction thereof.

  building height before yard-increase condition: <= 35 feet

  “No structure shall exceed 35 feet in height unless the depth of front and total width of side yards required herein shall be increased 5 feet for each 10 feet or fraction thereof, of building height in excess of 35 feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured-home parks in the R-85 and R-6 zoning districts inside Clarkton town limits.

  • The R-85 district allows up to five units per acre.
  • The R-6 district has a maximum of seven dwelling units per acre except as otherwise provided by the ordinance.

  R-85 density: <= 5 units per acre · R-6 density: <= 7 dwelling units per acre (Except as otherwise provided in the ordinance)

  “Density is a maximum of seven dwelling units per acre except as otherwise provided in this ordinance. Typical Uses and Structures Duplex Home Tiny Homes Manufactured Home Parks Multi-Family Apartments”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Lots developed with a Tiny House used for single-unit living or an Attached House used for two-unit living inside Clarkton town limits.

  • One accessory dwelling unit is permitted per qualifying lot.

  accessory dwelling units per lot: 1 ADU (Lot developed with a Tiny House used for Single-unit Living or an Attached House used for Two-unit Living)

  “For any lot developed with a Tiny House used for Single-unit Living or an Attached House used for Two-unit Living, one accessory dwelling unit is permitted per lot.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable

  Bona fide farms within Clarkton's zoning jurisdiction.

  • Use of farm property for non-farm purposes remains subject to Town zoning regulations.

  “Nothing in this ordinance shall in any way regulate, restrict, prohibit or otherwise deter any bona fide farn1s within the jurisdiction of this ordinance, except that any use of such property for non-farm purposes shall be subject to these regulations.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development activity in Special Flood Hazard Areas inside Clarkton town limits.

  • Application must be made to the Floodplain Administrator before development activity in a Special Flood Hazard Area.
  • Some certification requirements have stated exemptions, including recreational vehicles meeting Article 5 requirements, temporary structures meeting Article 5 requirements, and qualifying small accessory structures.

  “Application for a Floodplain Development Permit shall be made to the Floodplain Administrator prior to any development activities located within Special Flood Hazard Areas.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town zoning permits for development inside Clarkton town limits.

  • The application must include the required fee, deed and survey (or tax-map photocopy if no survey), and other listed materials.
  • A Minor or Major Site Plan is required as determined by the Zoning Officer.
  • If on-site wastewater is necessary, environmental-health information is required when no public-sewer connection is available.

  “The Zoning Permit application shall also be accompanied by: A. The required fee. B. A deed and survey, provided that a tax map photocopy may be substituted if a survey has not been conducted.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Clarkton

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-site wastewater needed for a building or lot inside Clarkton town limits.

  • The Town zoning permit must be submitted to the Bladen County Health Department before the County can release an Authorization for Wastewater System Construction.

  “The Zoning Permit which is then secured at the Town must be submitted to the Bladen County Health Department before the County can release an Authorization for Wastewater System Construction.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Clarkton town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption and enforcement for construction inside Clarkton town limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Clarkton town limits.
• Septic permit — On-site wastewater systems inside Clarkton town limits.
• Septic inspection — On-site wastewater systems inside Clarkton 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.