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

Town of Falcon’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Falcon town limits.

  • The ordinance exempts bona fide farms and certain farm lands, buildings, and farm-worker houses under Section 1.5.

  “These regulations shall govern the use of all lands lying within the Town.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Falcon town limits.

  • District boundaries are shown on zoning maps and may be interpreted by the Board of Adjustment in stated circumstances.

  published residential districts: R40A, R20, R20A, R15, R15A, R7.5, R6

  “For the purpose of this ordinance the areas affected as described herein are divided into the following general classes of districts.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential lots in Falcon residential districts.

  • The dimensional table is subject to special provisions in Sections 7.1 and 7.2.
  • The table references paragraphs 7.13, 7.14, 7.15, and 7.19.

  R40A minimum lot size: 40000 square feet · R20/R20A minimum lot size: 20000 square feet · R15/R15A minimum lot size: 15000 square feet · R7.5 minimum lot size: 7500 square feet · R6 minimum lot size for first dwelling unit: 6000 square feet

  “R40A 40,000 40,000 40,000 100 50 15 15 10 ft/story 35 R20 20,000 20,000 20,000 100 30 15 15 10 ft/story 35 R20A 20,000 20,000 20,000 100 30 15 15 10 ft/story 35 R15 15,000 15,000 15,000 75 30 10 15 10 ft/story 35 R15A 15,000 15,000 15,000 75 30 10 15 10 ft/story 35 R7.5 7,500 7,500 7,500 75 30 10 15 8 ft/story 35 R6 6,000 5,000 4,000 60 25 10 12 6 ft/story 30”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential structures in Falcon residential districts.

  • The dimensional table is subject to special provisions in Sections 7.1 and 7.2.
  • R40A measurements shown are front 50 feet, side 15 feet, rear 15 feet; R20/R20A are front 30 feet, side 15 feet, rear 15 feet; R15/R15A are front 30 feet, side 10 feet, rear 15 feet.

  “R40A 40,000 40,000 40,000 100 50 15 15 10 ft/story 35 R20 20,000 20,000 20,000 100 30 15 15 10 ft/story 35 R20A 20,000 20,000 20,000 100 30 15 15 10 ft/story 35”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Class A manufactured homes on individual lots in Falcon R40A, R20A, and R15A residential districts.

  • The ordinance expressly identifies Class A manufactured homes in the listed districts.
  • The use remains subject to district requirements and zoning compliance.

  “R40A Residential District. A district designed primarily for single family dwelling units including the use of manufactured homes, class A on individual lots, with a lot area of forty thousand (40,000) square feet or above.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable

  Bona fide farms inside Falcon town limits under the zoning ordinance.

  • Nonfarm residences and other nonfarm uses remain subject to the ordinance.
  • Farm-worker houses must be in the same ownership as the farm and located on the farm.

  “The provisions of this ordinance do not apply to bona fide farms. This ordinance does not exercise controls over crop lands, timber lands, pasture lands, or other farm lands, not over any farm house, barn, poultry house, or other farm buildings including tenant or other houses for persons working on said farms, as long as such houses shall be in the same ownership as the farm and located on the farm. Residences for nonfarm use or occupancy and other nonfarm uses are subject to the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Lots in Falcon where a building permit is sought.

  • The ordinance requires frontage on a public street or other legally adequate access as a condition of issuance of a building permit.

  “No structure shall be erected on a lot which does not abut a public street or approved private street for at least twenty (20) feet, such frontage (abutting) to be continuous from the property line to the front yard building setback line, where the lot width must conform with the provisions of Section 7.3.”

• Permit processPartial

  Falcon zoning permits and certificates of occupancy involving off-street parking.

  • Each application must include parking and ingress/egress location and dimensions sufficient for the zoning inspector to determine compliance.

  “Each application for a zoning permit or certificate of occupancy shall include information as to the location and dimensions of off-street parking and loading space and the means of ingress and egress to such space. This information shall be in sufficient detail to enable the zoning inspector to determine whether or not the requirements of this article are met.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Falcon

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

• Building permitRequired

  Construction and listed building-system work inside Falcon town limits, administered by the County agency contracted with Falcon for planning and inspections.

  • State-law exemptions in G.S. 160D-1110(c) apply, including specified work costing $40,000 or less.
  • The Falcon ordinance defines the County Planning and Inspections Department as contracted with the Town for planning and inspections services.

  “Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, and subsection (h) of G.S. 160D-1110.1, no person shall commence or proceed with any of the following without first securing all permits required by the North Carolina State Building Code and any other State or local laws applicable to any of the following activities:”

• InspectionsRequired

  State-Code construction inspections inside Falcon town limits, performed through the County agency contracted with Falcon for inspections.

  • Inspections are those necessary to enforce applicable State and local laws.
  • The statute requires an inspector to conduct inspections requested by the permit holder for each scheduled inspection.

  “The duties and responsibilities set forth in subsection (a) of this section include the receipt of applications for permits and the issuance or denial of permits, the making of any necessary inspections in a timely manner, the issuance or denial of certificates of compliance, the issuance of orders to correct violations, the bringing of judicial actions against actual or threatened violations, the keeping of adequate records, and any other actions that may be required in order adequately to enforce those laws.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside Falcon town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Falcon town limits.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Falcon town limits.
• Building height — Structures inside Falcon town limits.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Falcon 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.