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

Town of Enfield’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Building and electric code enforcement inside Enfield town limits.

  • The charter states this rule applies in the absence of Board adoption of a Town Building and Electric Code.

  “The North Carolina State Building Code, as adopted, and amended by the State of North Carolina, is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference as if fully provided herein.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New buildings and repairs inside Enfield town limits for which permits are issued.

  • This applies to work for which permits are issued.
  • If no Town Code Enforcement Officer is appointed or employment terminates, duties are performed by the Halifax County Building Inspector's Office until appointment.

  “The Code Enforcement Officer shall inspect all new buildings and repairs for which permits are issued and shall have the authority to stop any construction when it is not being done according to law or when in his opinion it would be unsafe.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use or occupancy of land and buildings erected, altered, or changed in use inside Enfield town limits.

  • A certificate is also required for changing an existing use and for maintaining, reviewing, changing, or extending a nonconforming use.
  • Application is made coincidentally with the zoning-permit application.

  “No land shall be used or occupied, and no building or structure erected or altered shall be used or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy/compliance has been issued by the Zoning Administrator”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Enfield town limits.

  • Uses not designated as permitted, conditional, or special uses are prohibited under the zoning code.

  “This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Zoning Code of the Town of Enfield, North Carolina, and may be referred to as the Zoning Code.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Enfield town limits.

  • Residential-use table identifies RA, R-15, R-10, R-7.5, RMH, and RO districts.

  “Residential districts. Use Districts RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision final plats inside Enfield town limits.

  • The Planning Board acts at or before the next regular meeting following at least seven days after receipt.
  • The Planning Board must recommend approval, conditional approval with modifications, or disapproval with reasons within 45 days of first consideration.

  Planning Board recommendation period: <= 45 days (Measured from first consideration of the final plat.)

  “The Planning Board shall review the final plat at or before its next regularly scheduled meeting which follows at least seven days after the Subdivision Administrator receives the final plat and shall recommend approval, conditional approval with modifications to bring the plat into compliance or disapproval of the final plat with reasons within 45 days of its first consideration of the plat.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways shown in a zoning-permit application inside Enfield town limits.

  • State Department of Transportation driveway-approval procedures must be initiated.

  “The location and dimensions of driveways. Driveway approval procedures as required by the State Department of Transportation shall be initiated;”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning permits inside Enfield town limits.

  • Fee is set through the annual-budget fee structure.

  “A fee shall be charged for the issuance of each zoning permit in accordance with the fee structure established with the annual budget.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning-permit applications for construction or land use inside Enfield town limits.

  • Application is in the form prescribed by the Zoning Administrator.
  • The application must include the listed scaled plat or site-plan information.

  “All applications for permits shall be in the form prescribed by the Zoning Administrator and shall include a plat or site plan drawn to scale which shall clearly show:”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Enfield

Town of Enfield 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)

  Single-family dwellings in Enfield's R-15 district.

  • Where there is no public water and/or sewer, lots must also meet County Health Department requirements.

  minimum lot area: 15000 square feet

  “Where there is no public water and/or sewer, lots must meet the requirements of the County Health Department as well as the requirements of this section. [...] RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO Single-family dwelling 20,000 15,000 10,000 7,500 10,000 10,000”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in Enfield's RA district.

    “Where there is no public water and/or sewer, lots must meet the requirements of the County Health Department as well as the requirements of this section. [...] RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO Single-family dwelling 20,000 15,000 10,000 7,500 10,000 10,000”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in Enfield's R-15 district.

  • Front-yard exceptions in § 153.008 may apply.
  • Corner lots in residential districts increase the side-yard requirement along the side street by 10 feet.

  front setback: 30 feet · side setback, each side: 10 feet · rear setback: 25 feet

  “RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO [...] Minimum Required Yards (Setback) (feet) Front 30 30 30 30 30 30 Side (each side) 15 10 10 10 10 10 Rear 25 25 25 25 25 25”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in Enfield's RA district.

    “RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO [...] Minimum Required Yards (Setback) (feet) Front 30 30 30 30 30 30 Side (each side) 15 10 10 10 10 10 Rear 25 25 25 25 25 25”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in Enfield's R-15 district.

  maximum lot coverage: 40 percent

  “RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO [...] Maximum lot coverage (percent) 40 40 40 40 50 40”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in Enfield's RA district.

    “RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO [...] Maximum lot coverage (percent) 40 40 40 40 50 40”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in Enfield's R-15 district.

  maximum height: 35 feet

  “RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO [...] Maximum height (feet) 35 35 35 35 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in Enfield's RA district.

    “RA R-15 R-10 R-7.5 RMH RO [...] Maximum height (feet) 35 35 35 35 35 35”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Enfield town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Enfield town limits.
• Living in an RV — Long-term recreational-vehicle occupancy on private land inside Enfield town limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Enfield town limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Enfield 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.