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

Town of Richfield’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Richfield town's zoning jurisdiction, including land inside its municipal limits.

  • The ordinance applies within the town's zoning jurisdiction; overlay-district standards prevail where they conflict with underlying-district standards.

  “All areas within the zoning jurisdiction of the Town of Richfield are hereby divided into zoning districts within which the use of land and water areas; the location, height, bulk, appearance and use of structures; the provision of parking and loading areas; and the provision of buffers and screening areas are regulated as herein provided.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Richfield's zoning jurisdiction, including municipal land inside town limits.

  • The Town's planning page says twelve zoning districts exist and seven are in use.
  • The official Article III schedule lists general, conditional, and overlay districts; actual district placement is determined by the official zoning map.

  “The Town of Richfield has twelve (12) zoning districts with seven of the twelve zoning districts are in use.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Campgrounds, tents, and RVs in Richfield's RA residential-agricultural district.

  • The table identifies campground, tent, and RV use as requiring a special-use permit in RA; the table's legend defines S as an S.U.P. from the board of adjustment.
  • Other zoning districts in the table show the use as not permitted.

  “S = S.U.P. from board of adjustment [...] Campground,tents and RVs S - - - - - - - - -”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary dwelling use, including a camper or other mobile unit, inside Richfield town limits.

  • A temporary zoning-compliance certificate may run for one year only in the stated hardship circumstances.
  • Extensions require Board of Adjustment administrative review establishing continued hardship; financial hardship alone cannot support an extension; extensions are one-year increments and no more than two are permitted.
  • A builder's camper or other mobile unit used as an office may receive two consecutive six-month certificates while construction is diligently carried on.

  temporary certificate period: 1 year (Subject to specific use and district requirements and the stated hardship circumstances.)

  “A temporary certificate zoning compliance may be issued for a period of one year, according to specific use and other requirements of the zoning district in which the unit is to be located [...] No temporary unit shall be used as temporary living quarters unless approved as provided by section 9-3.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Class A manufactured homes inside Richfield town limits.

  • The use table permits Class A manufactured homes with conditions in RA and RMH districts; the table identifies the use as not permitted in the other listed districts.
  • Manufactured homes must meet underlying-district residential design standards unless the zoning administrator determines a standard impracticable and grants an exemption.
  • The ordinance requires permanent masonry foundations and towing-tongue removal upon final placement.

  “In addition to the standards listed below, all manufactured homes shall meet the design standards for residential structures in the underlying district in which they are located except that the zoning administrator may exempt a home from one or more standards if such standard is determined to be impracticable.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in Richfield residential districts.

  • Accessory dwellings are permitted with conditions in RA, R-20, R-10, and R-8 districts and are not permitted in the other listed districts.
  • The principal lot use and structure must be residential; only one accessory dwelling is allowed per lot; it must have common ownership with the principal dwelling; and its owner must live on the parcel.
  • A separate driveway is prohibited unless the accessory dwelling uses a rear alley and the principal dwelling uses a street.

  accessory dwellings per lot: <= 1 dwelling (Must be in conjunction with the principal dwelling unit.)

  “No more than one accessory dwelling shall be permitted on a single lot of record in conjunction with the principal dwelling unit. [...] The owner of the accessory dwelling shall live on the parcel containing the accessory dwelling.”

• Permit processPartial

  Richfield zoning-compliance certificates for buildings, structures, and land uses.

  • A zoning certificate of compliance is required before occupancy or use of a newly erected, altered, or changed building and before a change of building or land use.
  • No building or excavation/filling for building construction may commence until the zoning enforcement officer or designated agent issues a zoning-compliance certificate.
  • The claim concerns zoning compliance, not an independently established building-permit process.

  certificate issuance period after completed conforming work: <= 10 days (Certificate applied for coincident with zoning-clearance application.)

  “A certificate of compliance, issued by the zoning enforcement officer, is required in advance of: (1) Occupancy or use of a building hereafter erected, altered, or changed. (2) A change of use of any building or land.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Richfield

Town of Richfield 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 sizeSpecified

  Single-family development in Richfield's R-20 single-family residential district.

  • Each permitted use must conform to the dimensional requirements of its district.
  • Corner lots require an additional ten feet along the side street line.

  minimum lot size: 20000 square feet per dwelling unit (R-20 single-family.)

  “R-20 Single-family 20,000 90 40 12(a) 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family development in Richfield's RA residential-agricultural district.

    “RA Single-family 40,000 Two-family 30,000 100 50 15(a) 40 35”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family development in Richfield's R-20 single-family residential district.

  • Corner lots require an additional ten feet along the side street line.
  • Accessory buildings in the rear must comply with all setback requirements.

  front-yard setback: 40 feet (R-20 single-family.) · side-yard setback: 12 feet (R-20 single-family.) · rear-yard setback: 35 feet (R-20 single-family.)

  “R-20 Single-family 20,000 90 40 12(a) 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family development in Richfield's RA residential-agricultural district.

    “RA Single-family 40,000 Two-family 30,000 100 50 15(a) 40 35”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-family development in Richfield's R-20 single-family residential district.

  • Each permitted use must conform to the dimensional requirements of the district in which it is located.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (R-20 single-family.)

  “R-20 Single-family 20,000 90 40 12(a) 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family development in Richfield's RA residential-agricultural district.

    “RA Single-family 40,000 Two-family 30,000 100 50 15(a) 40 35”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential building construction inside Richfield town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Richfield town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption and enforcement for land inside Richfield town limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Richfield town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Richfield 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.