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

Town of Seven Devils’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Single-family residences inside Seven Devils town

  • The permit must be obtained by a licensed North Carolina building contractor or the lot owner; an owner obtaining it must act as general contractor and occupy the house for at least one year.
  • All applicable permits, including a zoning permit, must be obtained before issuance of a building permit.

  owner occupancy minimum: >= 1 year (When the lot owner obtains the building permit)

  “To comply with both the state building codes and this Unified Development Ordinance, building permits shall be obtained for a single-family residence by either a contractor who possesses a valid building contractor’s license from the State of North Carolina or an individual who owns the lot upon which a single-family residence is to be constructed.”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  A lot owner seeking a building permit for a single-family residence inside Seven Devils town

  • The owner must act as general contractor.
  • The owner must occupy the house for a minimum of one year.

  owner occupancy minimum: >= 1 year (When the lot owner obtains the building permit)

  “If the lot owner obtains the building permit, he or she must act in the capacity of general contractor and must occupy the house for a minimum of one (1) year.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Seven Devils town corporate limits

  • The UDO also applies in any extraterritorial jurisdiction, if modified from time to time.

  “The provisions of this Ordinance shall apply throughout the Town of Seven Devils corporate limits and any extraterritorial jurisdictions, as may be modified from time to time.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts and property zoning inside Seven Devils town

  • The official zoning map is the final and sole authority on a property's zoning status.

  districts listed in UDO tables: LDR, MDR, HDR, SC, RB, GB

  “Copies of the Zoning Map or portions thereof may be made. However, the Official Zoning Map is the final and sole authority as to the zoning status of land within the Town.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater (with conditions)

  New subdivisions inside Seven Devils town

  • The preliminary plat must include satisfactory evidence of the proposed sanitary-sewage collection and disposal method.
  • The Town Public Works Director must verify capacity; if inadequate, an agreement must provide additional capacity before final-plat recording.

  “All new subdivisions shall connect to the Town of Seven Devils water system. The Preliminary Plat must be accompanied by satisfactory evidence as to the proposed method and system of sanitary sewage collection and disposal.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Bona fide farms and related uses within Seven Devils town planning area

  • Non-farm use of the property is subject to the UDO regulations.

  “This Ordinance shall in no way regulate, restrict, prohibit, or otherwise deter any bona fide farm and its related uses within the planning area as defined in Article 3, Section 2 except that any use of such property for non-farm purposes shall be subject to such regulations.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town zoning, construction, conditional-use, sign, subdivision, and related applications

  • Fees are established in the Annual Operating Budget Ordinance or by Council resolution filed with the Town Clerk.

  “The Town Council shall determine the amount of such fees, which shall be as set forth in the Town’s Annual Operating Budget Ordinance or as established by resolution of the Council filed in the office of the Town Clerk.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Construction inside Seven Devils town

  • Plans must be approved and permits obtained before construction, except the Zoning Administrator may authorize portions of site construction for good cause.
  • Zoning permits expire if work does not start within six months or is discontinued for six months.
  • Exterior construction must be completed within 24 months and all buildings and structures within 30 months.

  zoning permit commencement period: <= 6 months (Work must commence after issuance) · zoning permit discontinuance period: <= 6 months (After construction starts)

  “Prior to commencing construction, all plans shall have been approved and all permits obtained from the Town of Seven Devils.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Seven Devils

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings inside Seven Devils town, under the statewide North Carolina State Building Code

  “Except as otherwise provided in this section, the North Carolina State Building Code shall apply throughout the State, from the time of its adoption.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Work done under a building permit inside Seven Devils town

  • Final inspection occurs at the conclusion of work under a building permit and is tied to compliance with applicable State and local laws and permit terms.

  “At the conclusion of all work done under a building permit, the appropriate inspector shall make a final inspection, and, if the completed work complies with all applicable State and local laws and with the terms of the permit, the inspector shall issue a certificate of compliance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New, enlarged, altered, or moved buildings inside Seven Devils town

  • A temporary certificate of occupancy may be issued for a stated period if the inspector finds safe occupancy before final completion and State Building Code conditions are met.

  “Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, no new building or part thereof may be occupied, no addition or enlargement of an existing building may be occupied, and no existing building that has been altered or moved may be occupied, until the inspection department has issued a certificate of compliance.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Homes constructed within Seven Devils town planning jurisdiction

  • The UDO describes these floor areas as recommended minimums.
  • The multifamily standard is per dwelling unit and above grade.

  single-family heated main-level area: >= 1300 square feet (Recommended minimum; above grade) · multifamily heated area: >= 1100 square feet (Recommended minimum per dwelling unit; above grade)

  “All homes constructed within the planning jurisdiction of Seven Devils shall have a recommended minimum square footage of one thousand three hundred (1,300) heated square feet on the main level above grade.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside Seven Devils town

  • Lots with average slopes greater than 40% increase 150%; 30%-39% increase 100%; 20%-29% increase 50%.
  • For lots with slopes greater than 19.99%, the Zoning Administrator may relax the increase by one-third upon an engineer-certified site and pre-construction plan addressing stated steep-slope concerns.

  minimum lot size: >= 43560 square feet (LDR; subject to steep-slope provisions) · minimum lot width: >= 100 feet (LDR)

  “The minimum lot size of lots with average slopes greater than 40% shall be increased by 150%; the minimum lot size of lots with average slopes between 30% and 39% shall be increased by 100%; the minimum lot size of lots with average slopes between 20% and 29% shall be increased by 50%.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside Seven Devils town

  • Front setback is measured from the road travel surface; no structure or component may protrude into the right-of-way.
  • Lots with dual road frontage must meet front-yard setback requirements on all road frontages.

  minimum front yard setback: >= 30 feet (LDR) · minimum side yard setback: >= 15 feet (LDR) · minimum rear yard setback: >= 15 feet (LDR)

  “The Front Yard Setback shall be thirty feet from the edge of the road travel surface, but in no case may any structure or component part of the structure protrude into the right-of-way. Lots with dual road frontage shall adhere to Front Yard setback requirements on all road frontages.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside Seven Devils town

  • Lot coverage includes impervious surface: buildings, decks, gravel or paved driveways, or walkways.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 25 percent (LDR)

  “Lot coverage is defined as the area of impervious surface (buildings, decks, gravel or paved driveways or walkways) as a percentage of the lot size.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside Seven Devils town

  • Height is measured from the sill plate on the foundation wall to the highest roof peak or roof attachment; chimneys are excluded but limited to three feet above the ridgeline.
  • Foundation-wall limits also apply under Table 7.1 footnote 5.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (LDR)

  “The height of a structure shall be defined as the vertical distance from the sill (sole) plate on the foundation wall to the highest point of the building.”

Still unanswered

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

• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles inside Seven Devils town
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Seven Devils town
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home residential occupancy inside Seven Devils town
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home residential occupancy inside Seven Devils town
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Seven Devils town

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.