Bolthole Index

Johnston County, North Carolina

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Four Oaks, North Carolina

The Town of Four Oaks, in Johnston County, North Carolina, requires a zoning permit before any building is erected or moved inside town limits1. The town also issues its own building permits and runs its own inspections, unlike most Johnston County municipalities2. Septic permits and private wells go through Johnston County Environmental Health34.

At a glance

Zoning
Town zoning; a zoning permit is required before building1
Building permit
Issued by the town's own building official inside Four Oaks2
Certificate of occupancy
Required; issued by the zoning administrator5
Septic
Johnston County Environmental Health permits septic systems3
RV living
RV campgrounds only in B-2H as a special use; private-lot RV living unconfirmed6
Manufactured homes
Allowed in designated districts under Section 601 conditions7
Minimum home size (TND)
1,200 square feet of heated space8

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Four Oaks (Town Hall)

Town zoning administration and the town's own building permits; start here for any lot inside Four Oaks town limits

(919) 963-3112

304 N Main St, Four Oaks, NC 27524

Septic permits

Johnston County Environmental Health Department

Septic-system and private-well permitting, site evaluation and inspections for Johnston County

(919) 989-5180

[email protected]

309 E. Market Street, Smithfield, NC 27577

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 14, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Four Oaks means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Four Oaks, NC have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, lot size and setbacks?

Yes. Four Oaks adopted its own zoning ordinance, and no building or structure may be erected, enlarged, structurally altered or moved until the zoning administrator issues a zoning permit1. The ordinance defines districts including RA, R6, R6MH, R-40MH, TND, B-1C, B-2H, MC, I-1L and I-2H9.

Lot size depends on the district: single-family lots in RA need 20,000 square feet, and most business and industrial districts list 20,000 square feet as well10. Maximum lot coverage in the residential districts is 30 percent11. Setbacks vary by district and street, so ask the zoning administrator for the figures that apply to a specific lot12.

For RVs, the ordinance addresses campgrounds in the B-2H district, which need campsites of at least 1500 square feet6. We could not confirm a rule for living in an RV on a private lot, so ask Town Hall before you park one. Tiny homes are not addressed in the ordinance text we reviewed; confirm with the town.

Do you need a building permit in Four Oaks, and who issues it?

Inside Four Oaks town limits, the town itself issues building permits and handles construction inspections, rather than Johnston County Building Inspections2. Clayton is the only other Johnston County municipality that does the same13.

North Carolina law requires building permits for construction, alteration, repair and demolition statewide, with a narrow exemption for certain small projects costing $40,000 or less14. A new home is not covered by that exemption.

The town's ordinance also requires a certificate of occupancy or compliance from the zoning administrator before new or altered buildings are used5. Alterations to manufactured homes require a permit from the local building official15. We could not confirm the town's building permit fees; ask Town Hall.

How do septic permits work in Four Oaks, NC?

Septic permits in Johnston County come from the Johnston County Environmental Health Department, which issues or denies a permit based on the lot evaluation316. The Four Oaks zoning ordinance states that applicable health department requirements must be met on lots10.

The application asks for a zoning document, site plan, property evaluation and fees, and the permit may be released once the proper zoning permit is in hand3. Plan the order accordingly: zoning permit first, then septic, then the building permit16.

USDA rates about 38 percent of Johnston County soils as not limited for a conventional drain field, so many lots need a site evaluation and some need an engineered system17. We could not confirm whether the town sewer serves a given lot; ask Four Oaks Town Hall about town water and sewer availability.

Building a home in Four Oaks: the steps, in order

  1. Call Four Oaks Town Hall to confirm the lot's zoning district, setbacks and any conditional-use needs918.
  2. Obtain a zoning permit from the zoning administrator, with a plot or site plan drawn to scale19.
  3. If the lot is not on town sewer, apply to Johnston County Environmental Health for a septic permit and any well permit34.
  4. Apply for the building permit with the town's building official2.
  5. Pass the required inspections, then obtain the certificate of occupancy from the zoning administrator5.

What stays with Johnston County, and what to check before you buy?

Septic and well permits stay with Johnston County Environmental Health34. Land outside Four Oaks town limits follows Johnston County's rules instead; see the Johnston County page for unincorporated land.

Before buying, confirm the lot's district, whether it floods, and whether town water and sewer reach it. Johnston County's effective property tax rate is 0.7 percent20, and the median property tax bill is about $1,840 a year21. The town's own fees and any town-level property tax are worth asking about at Town Hall.

Watch-outs

  • The town's zoning ordinance PDF is dated March 2023 and realigned December 2023, and the town's online code may differ, so confirm current district rules with the zoning administrator9.
  • We could not confirm town rules for private-lot RV living, tiny homes, driveway access, floodplain development or short-term rentals inside Four Oaks; ask Four Oaks Town Hall18.
  • A rule from the county page applies to unincorporated Johnston County, not to land inside Four Oaks town limits2.

Sources

  1. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  2. Where to Get Building Permits by Town, quoted and re-checked
  3. On-Site Wastewater (Septic Systems), quoted and re-checked
  4. Building Permit Requirements, quoted and re-checked
  5. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  6. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  7. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  8. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  9. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  10. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  11. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  12. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  13. Building Codes, quoted and re-checked
  14. G.S. 160D-1110. Building permits. (North Carolina statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  16. Johnston County Environmental Health Department (johnstonnc.gov)
  17. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  18. Town of Four Oaks (Town Hall) (fouroaks-nc.com)
  19. Town of Four Oaks Zoning Ordinance (March 2023, realigned Dec 2023) (Town of Four Oaks), quoted and re-checked
  20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 14, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Four Oaks

Town of Four Oaks’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Alteration, expansion, extension or conversion of manufactured homes inside Four Oaks town

    • Permit comes from the local building official
    • General building permit rules for new construction not located in the pages opened
    “such alteration, expansion, extension, or conversions shall only occur with permit obtained from the local building official.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Use or occupancy of land and new, altered or changed-use buildings inside Four Oaks town

    • Issued by the zoning administrator
    • Parking requirements must be fully met before issuance
    “no land shall be used or occupied, and no building or structure erected or altered, or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy/compliance has been issued by the zoning administrator”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Four Oaks town limits

    • Zoning permit fee per the town fee schedule
    “no building or structure or any part thereof shall be erected, extended enlarged, or structurally altered or moved until a zoning permit has been issued by the zoning administrator(s) or his authorized representative”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Four Oaks town (RA, R8.5S, R8.5M, R12, R10, TND, R6, R6MH, R-40MH, B-1C, B-2H, MC, I-1L, I-2H)

    • Town website PDF dated March 2023, realigned Dec 2023; the amlegal code may differ
    “r-40mh- manufactured home residential district the purpose of this district is to provide an area for a single wide manufactured homes”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Single-family homes in the TND (traditional neighborhood development) district inside Four Oaks town

    • Other districts not located in opened text

    minimum heated space: >= 1200 square feet

    “single family homes shall have a minimum of 1200 square feet of heated space.”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Residential and business districts inside Four Oaks town; the Section 307.2 table lists a minimum lot area per district (e.g., 20,000 sq ft for single-family in RA)

    • All applicable health department requirements must be met
    • Business districts: B-1C none; B-2H 20,000; MC 5 acres; I-1L 20,000; I-2H 20,000 sq ft
    • Table column order is garbled in the PDF text; district-by-district values need verification
    “b-1c b-2h mc i1l i-2h minimum lot area in sq. ft. none 20,000 5 acres 20,000 20,000”
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Districts inside Four Oaks town per Section 307.2 table

    • Front yard averaging rule for existing dwellings within 100 feet on each side
    • Table values per district need verification
    “minimum yard requirements in ft.* (from edge of right of way) -front -side (each side) rear”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Residential districts inside Four Oaks town per Section 307.2

    • Last column n/a

    maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent (n/a in one column of the table)

    “maximum lot coverage in percent 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 n/a”
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Business and industrial districts inside Four Oaks town; residential heights listed in the Section 307.2 table

    • Buildings over 50 feet must be set back one foot per two feet of rise above 50 feet
    “maximum height in feet none; however, every building erected or structurally altered to exceed fifty (50) feet in height, be set back from the front lot line on the ratio of one (1) foot per two (2) foot rise above fifty (50) feet.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Recreational vehicle campgrounds inside Four Oaks town (B-2H district); private-lot RV living not addressed in opened text

    • Special use conditions: campsite at least 1500 square feet
    • 50 foot perimeter buffer with type D screening
    • Water, wastewater and solid waste services required

    minimum campsite size: >= 1500 square feet

    “adequate campsite size of at least 1500 square feet”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured homes on individual lots inside Four Oaks town

    • Pre-June 15, 1976 mobile homes cannot be newly set up as residences unless they meet ordinance specifications
    • Must comply with Section 601 requirements
    • Replacement manufactured homes are conditional uses in RA and R6
    “all manufactured homes (mobile) shall be a permitted in the r6mh districts and shall comply with the following requirements:”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Accessory apartments in the RA district (conditional use) and TND district inside Four Oaks town

    • No second front entrance
    • Area not to exceed 25 percent of heated area of the residence
    • RA requires conditional use permit

    maximum accessory apartment area: <= 25 percent of heated area

    “use - accessory apartment zone – ra conditionsno second front entrance area of accessory apartment shall not exceed 25 percent of the total heated area of the entire residence”
  • Permit processPartial

    Zoning permits inside Four Oaks town

    • Permit invalid if work not commenced within 6 months or suspended over 1 year
    • Fee per town fee schedule
    “all applications for permits shall be in the form prescribed by the zoning administrator and shall include a plot or site plan drawn to scale”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Four Oaks town
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Four Oaks town
  • Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Four Oaks town
  • Who permits septic — Septic regulation inside Four Oaks town
  • Septic permit — Septic permits inside Four Oaks town
10 more unanswered
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Four Oaks publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Johnston County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Johnston County: county rules, score and offices