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

Town of Mount Pleasant’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Public and private land within Mount Pleasant town limits.

  • The MPDO also applies in the Town's ETJ, but this claim is limited to municipal limits.

  “The Department also ensures compliance with the zoning and development regulations”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles on property in Mount Pleasant town limits.

  • An RV may only be used for recreational travel purposes.
  • It may not be used as a dwelling at any time or for visiting guests for more than 14 days per calendar year.

  guest use limit: <= 14 days per calendar year (Visiting guests only.)

  “Recreational vehicles shall only be used for recreational travel purposes. A recreational vehicle shall not be used as a dwelling at any time or for visiting guests for more than 14 days per calendar year.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units inside Mount Pleasant town limits.

  • Accessory dwellings must be built to the NC Building Code.
  • Manufactured homes and recreational vehicles may not be accessory dwellings.
  • Only one accessory dwelling or accessory apartment is permitted per lot.
  • The unit must meet principal-use setbacks, be behind the principal building except as provided for AG or RE lots exceeding 10 acres, and require one additional parking space.
  • County Health Department approval is required before construction if there is no public sanitary sewer service.

  maximum accessory dwelling size: <= 50 percent of primary structure livable area (May not exceed 1,100 square feet of gross floor area, whichever is less.) · maximum gross floor area: <= 1100 square feet (Whichever is less than 50 percent of primary structure livable area.)

  “Only one (1) accessory dwelling or accessory apartment shall be permitted per lot. The accessory dwelling or accessory apartment shall not exceed 50 percent of the square footage of the livable area of the primary structure or 1,100 square foot of gross floor area, whichever is less.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivisions inside Mount Pleasant town limits.

  • Minor subdivisions may create no more than five new lots from the original parent tract and are limited to one minor subdivision or five new lots from the parent parcel per five-year period.
  • All other nonexempt subdivisions must be processed as major subdivisions.
  • A final plat must be approved before recordation.

  maximum new lots in minor subdivision: <= 5 lots (From the original parent tract.) · minor-subdivision limitation: <= 1 minor subdivision per five-year period (Alternatively, creation of five new lots from the parent parcel per five-year period.)

  “From and after the effective date of this Article, the owner or proprietor of any tract of land who desires to subdivide land (to create a “Subdivision”) shall be required to submit a plat of such Subdivision to the Administrator, whom is hereby charged with the responsibility for coordinating the processing of such plats. The subdivision plat submitted to the Administrator must be made in accordance with the regulations set forth in this Article.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town development-approval and zoning-permit applications inside Mount Pleasant town limits.

  • Fees are limited to reasonable costs of administering and processing development-approval applications.
  • No permit is processed or considered submitted until applicable administrative fees are paid.

  “The Town Board may establish any administrative fees necessary to enforce of the zoning ordinance. Such fees shall be limited to the reasonable costs of administering and processing applications for development approval. No permit shall be processed, and no permit shall be considered to be submitted, until all applicable administrative fees have been paid.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Mount Pleasant

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

• InspectionsRequired

  Work performed under a building permit, including work inside Mount Pleasant town limits.

  • Applies as work under a building permit progresses.
  • For an owner exempt from licensure under G.S. 87-1(b)(2), no inspection may occur without the owner present unless plans were drawn and sealed by a Chapter 83A architect.

  “local inspectors shall make as many inspections thereof as may be necessary”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New buildings, additions, enlargements, and altered or moved buildings inside Mount Pleasant town limits.

  • A temporary certificate of occupancy may permit occupancy for a stated period if the inspector finds the building may safely be occupied before final completion and State Building Code conditions are met.

  “until the inspection department has issued a certificate of compliance”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units inside Mount Pleasant town limits where no public sanitary sewer service is available.

  • County Health Department approval of sanitary sewer services is required before construction where there is no public sanitary sewer service.

  “Where there is no public sanitary sewer service to the accessory dwelling unit, County Health Department shall approve sanitary sewer services provided to such accessory dwelling unit prior to its construction.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential building construction inside Mount Pleasant town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Mount Pleasant town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption and administration inside Mount Pleasant town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Mount Pleasant town limits.
• Minimum lot size — Residential lots inside Mount Pleasant 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.