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

Town of Warrenton’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land use, buildings, structures, and changes of use inside Warrenton town limits.

  • The certificate must state compliance with Chapter 151; it is also required for changing an existing use and maintaining, reviewing, changing, or extending a nonconforming use.
  • It is applied for with the zoning-permit application and issued within ten working days after compliant completion of erection or alteration.

  “No land shall be used or complied, 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 stating that the building and/or the proposed use complies with the provisions of this chapter.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Warrenton town limits.

  • The code applies to all property within the town corporate limits; bona-fide farms and related uses are not regulated except for non-farm uses.

  “The regulations presented in this chapter shall apply to all property within the corporate limits of the town”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts published for Warrenton zoning jurisdiction, including town limits.

  • R-20 is described as outside town corporate limits; district location for a parcel is determined by the official zoning map.

  “For the purpose of this chapter, the zoning jurisdiction of the town is hereby divided into the following districts:”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the R-12 Residential Single-Family District inside Warrenton town limits.

  • Where there is no public water and/or sewer, lots must also meet County Health Department requirements; stream buffers are required under §151.031.

  minimum lot area: 12000 square feet (Single-family dwelling in R-12.)

  “Minimum lot area in square feet 1, 2 R-20 R-12 R-8 Single-family dwelling 20,000 12,000 8,000”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the R-12 Residential Single-Family District inside Warrenton town limits.

  front yard: 30 feet (R-12.) · side yard each side: 10 feet (R-12.) · corner-lot yard: 15 feet (R-12.) · rear yard: 25 feet (R-12.)

  “Minimum required yard in feet R-20 R-12 R-8 Front 30 30 30 Side (each side) 10 10 10 Corner lot 20 15 15 Rear 25 25 25”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential uses in the R-12 Residential Single-Family District inside Warrenton town limits.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 40 percent (R-12.)

  “Maximum height in feet 35 35 35 Maximum lot coverage in percent 40 40 40”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential uses in the R-12 Residential Single-Family District inside Warrenton town limits.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (R-12.)

  “Maximum height in feet 35 35 35 Maximum lot coverage in percent 40 40 40”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Developed property inside Warrenton town limits where public sewer is otherwise available.

  • An on-site wastewater system may support the statutory sewer-connection exception where the Town has inadequate wastewater-treatment capacity, or where topography requires pumping or other measures that make connection cost greater than installing an on-site wastewater system under statutory professional standards.

  “Also, a property owner shall be exempt if the grade is such that a pump or other measures are required to move wastewater to the sanitary sewer line, making the connection cost greater than the costs of installing an on-site wastewater (septic) system, as determined by the professional standards set forth in the statute.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Developed property within Warrenton town corporate limits.

  • Connection is required where a water line or sewer collection line is installed and ready for use.
  • Sewer exceptions apply for inadequate treatment capacity or specified topography/cost circumstances; water exceptions include inadequate pressure requiring larger meter/piping or increased fee, and a qualifying functioning permitted well that complies with County Health Department requirements and is in use.

  connection application deadline after notice of new line: 30 days (Owners of abutting property after written notice.)

  “As provided in G.S. 160A-317, all owners of developed property within the corporate limits shall connect their premises to a water line or sewer collection line where such line is installed and ready for use.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Bona-fide farms and related uses inside Warrenton zoning jurisdiction, including town limits.

  • Non-farm use of the property remains subject to the zoning regulations.

  “This ordinance shall in no way regulate, restrict, or prohibit any Bona-Fide Farm and its related uses pursuant to G.S. §160D-903 , except that any such use of property for non-farm purposes shall be subject to these regulations.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Development requiring a Town zoning permit inside Warrenton town limits.

  • The site plan must show driveway location and dimensions; applicable 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 feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town zoning permits inside Warrenton town limits.

  zoning permit issuance fee: 50 USD (Each zoning permit.)

  “A fee of $50 shall be charged for the issuance of each zoning permit.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town zoning-permit applications for structures and uses inside Warrenton town limits.

  • Application must use the Zoning Administrator's form and include a scaled plot or site plan.
  • Applications involving more than one principal building or use on the same lot have additional submission requirements.

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

Rules another office applies inside Town of Warrenton

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-site wastewater systems for subdivisions in Warrenton town's planning jurisdiction, including land inside town limits.

  • Applies where lots are served by on-site wastewater systems.

  “All lots have been certified by the County Health Department as capable of accommodating the wastewater generated from the proposed use, in cases when the lot(s) are served by on-site wastewater systems;”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential building construction inside Warrenton town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Warrenton town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption applicable inside Warrenton town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Warrenton town limits.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Warrenton 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.