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

Town of Williamston’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Outdoor-storage screening for nonresidential development adjoining a Special Highway inside Williamston's zoning jurisdiction.

  • The rule concerns screening for outdoor storage, not a general certificate-of-occupancy rule.
  • The Zoning Administrator may partially waive screening where topography makes it impossible or unusually and unreasonably burdensome, or where it serves no screening or buffering purpose, provided the section's spirit and intent are met.

  “the screening shall be in place and shall effectively screen said outdoor storage prior to the certificate of occupancy being issued. The Zoning Administrator may partially waive the requirements for such screening in cases where he determines that due to topography such screening would be impossible to install would be unusually and unreasonably burdensome upon the developer, or would serve no screening or buffering purpose; provided however, that in making such waiver the spirit and intent of this Section are met.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Williamston town limits and its extraterritorial area.

  • The map is amended from time to time and is the final authority for current zoning status.
  • Territory in the zoning jurisdiction not previously zoned otherwise is R-15.

  default district for territory not previously zoned otherwise: R-15 (within the zoning jurisdiction)

  “Williamston, North Carolina, is divided into districts as shown on the Official Zoning Map. This map is adopted and declared to be a part of this Ordinance. The Official Zoning Map, as amended from time to time, shall be the final authority for current zoning and status of land and buildings in the Town and extraterritorial area. All territory included within the zoning jurisdiction not previously zoned otherwise shall be zoned R-15.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Mobile-home parks inside Williamston's zoning jurisdiction where public sewer is unavailable.

  • A septic system must comply with state regulations and be approved in writing by the County Health Office, Town of Williamston, and/or the appropriate state agency.
  • This is a mobile-home-park rule, not a general household off-grid-sanitation determination.

  “Every mobile home park shall be provided with an adequate sewage disposal system, either by connection to a public sewerage system or by connection to a septic tank system constructed in compliance with state regulations and approved in writing by the County Health Office, Town of Williamston, and/or appropriate state agency.”

• Permit processPartial

  Special-use applications under the Town zoning ordinance.

  • The Board of Adjustment must find all stated special-use criteria, including sufficient lot size and compliance with applicable setback and locational requirements.
  • This is not a complete process for every building or development permit.

  “Permission may be granted for the establishment of uses listed as special uses if the Board of Adjustment finds from the evidence produced after a study of the complete records that: 7-1.1 the proposed use does not affect adversely the general plans for the physical development of the town as embodied in these regulations or in any plan or portion thereof adopted by the Planning Board; 7-1.2 the proposed use will not be contrary to the purposes stated in these regulations; 7-1.3 the proposed use will not affect adversely the health and safety of residents and workers in the town; 7-1.4 the proposed use will not be detrimental to the use or development of adjacent properties or other neighborhood uses; 7-1.5 the proposed use will not be affected adversely by the existing uses; 7-1.6 the proposed use will be placed on a lot of sufficient size to satisfy the space requirements of said use; 7-1.7 the proposed use will not contribute a nuisance or hazard because of the number of persons who will attend or use such facility, vehicular movement, noise or fume or type of physical activity; 7-1.8 the proposed use shall be subject to the minimum area, setback, and other locational requirements of the zoning district in which it will be located, and to the other appropriate regulations in this ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Williamston

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Conversion of a residential structure to add a dwelling unit in the R-15 Residential District inside Williamston's zoning jurisdiction.

  • Each dwelling unit must also have adequate sanitary facilities.
  • The cited limit applies to conversions adding a unit, not every new R-15 single-family dwelling.

  minimum usable floor area per dwelling unit: >= 450 square feet (conversion of a residential structure to provide one additional unit)

  “The conversion of any residential structure in order to provide one additional unit will be permitted only if each dwelling unit has a minimum 450 square feet of useable floor area and adequate sanitary facilities.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the R-15 Residential District inside Williamston's zoning jurisdiction.

  • Church spires, flagpoles, antennas, chimneys, and similar accessories are excepted.
  • For structures above one story or 30 feet, the original side-yard requirement increases by two feet for each additional foot of building height.

  height threshold triggering increased side yard: > 30 feet (structures other than listed accessories) · side-yard increase per additional height: per 2 feet (per foot of building height above threshold)

  “All structures, except for church spires, flagpoles, antennas, chimneys, or similar accessories to structures more than one story in height or 30 feet from the foundation measured at the center of the structure be required to have an increase in the original side yard requirements by two feet for every additional foot of building height.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Lots in Williamston's R-15 district that are not served by public water and/or sewer systems.

  • The ordinance directs such lots to comply with Martin County Health Department requirements.

  “Minimum size lot required shall be 20,000 square feet with a single-minimum lot width of 80 feet. Any lot which is not served by public water and/or sewer systems shall comply with the requirements of the Martin County Health Department.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway access for development governed by the Special Highway provisions of Williamston's zoning ordinance.

  • More than two ingress/egress points per road frontage may be allowed only where the lot is at least five acres and the development is reviewed under the Special Use Permit process.
  • Where 200-foot separation from an intersection centerline is impossible because of lot dimensions, the driveway must be located as far from the intersection as possible.

  maximum normal ingress/egress points per lot per road frontage: <= 2 points (additional points may be allowed under stated five-acre special-use conditions) · driveway width: 24-36 feet

  “No more than two (2) separate points of ingress and egress per lot shall be allowed per road front except under the following conditions: (a) The lot is five (5) acres or greater in area; and (b) The development is reviewed under the Special Use Permit process. Under said conditions, more than two points of ingress and egress per road front per lot may be allowed. Wherever possible, no portion of any point of ingress and egress shall be located closer than two hundred (200) feet from the centerline intersection of any two roads. Whenever this distance is not possible due to the lot dimensions, the drive shall be located as far as possible from the intersection. Each driveway access shall be at least twenty-four (24) feet in width but not greater than thirty-six (36) feet in width.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building construction inside Williamston town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Williamston town limits.
• Inspections — Residential building inspections inside Williamston town limits.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Williamston town limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Williamston 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.