Home / North Carolina / Beaufort County
Beaufort County
Zone 8b, 272 frost-free days, farmland at $4,329 an acre. Top hazard: hurricane.
5.3 out of 10 overall, #37 of 100 NC counties with every factor weighted equally. Re-rank with your own weights
Scores out of 10, compared with the other 99 NC counties
- 7.0Land cost
- 8.7Rain
- 4.8Sun
- 8.0Growing
- 10.0Rules
- 6.7Clean
- 1.2Hazards
- 1.0Farm country
- 0.0Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $4,329 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $181,200 source |
| Median rent | $859/mo source |
| People | 44,597 source |
| Farms (2022) | 259 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8b (8a–8b across the county) source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Mar 8 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Dec 5 source |
| Frost-free days | 272 source |
| Rain, April–September | 31.1 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 53.1 in source |
| Prime farmland | 39% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 89.3°F / 33.9°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Aurora 6 N weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: Zoning covers only part of the county. The county zoning ordinance governs only land in a Planned Unit Development district and properties added at the landowner's request; other unincorporated land is unzoned. Beaufort County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 154 Zoning, § 154.03 Jurisdiction (American Legal)
These are rules for county land outside town limits. Towns have their own. Read on 2026-11-13.
Living in an RV on your landNo county zoning
Beaufort County's zoning chapter covers only Planned Unit Developments and land whose owner asks to be zoned, so ordinary rural land has no zoning restricting this. A separate countywide Manufactured Housing and Travel Trailer Park Ordinance applies once a tract has two or more spaces occupied by mobile homes or travel trailers for dwelling; that is a park needing a county construction permit. A single RV on your own land is not a park under that definition.
“Any tract upon which two or more spaces are developed for mobile homes or travel trailers”
Ch. 154 § 154.03; Ch. 150 § 150.004 Definitions, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Beaufort County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsNo county zoning
Beaufort County's zoning chapter covers only Planned Unit Developments and land whose owner asks to be zoned, so ordinary rural land has no zoning restricting this. Chapter 150 defines a travel trailer (including campers) as a wheeled temporary dwelling no wider than 8 feet; two or more on one tract would trigger the park rules.
Ch. 150 § 150.004 Definitions (Travel Trailer), read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Beaufort County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationNo county zoning
Beaufort County's zoning chapter covers only Planned Unit Developments and land whose owner asks to be zoned, so ordinary rural land has no zoning restricting this.
§ 154.03, read 2026-11-13
State law: farm buildings outside town limits skip the building code (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-138(b4)).
State law: homes on 10+ acres in farm districts (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(b)).
State law: building permits (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-1110).
Confirm with Beaufort County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNo county zoning
Beaufort County's zoning chapter covers only Planned Unit Developments and land whose owner asks to be zoned, so ordinary rural land has no zoning restricting this.
§ 154.03, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
State law: right to farm (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-701(a)).
Confirm with Beaufort County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNo county zoning
Beaufort County's zoning chapter covers only Planned Unit Developments and land whose owner asks to be zoned, so ordinary rural land has no zoning restricting this.
§ 154.03, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
State law: right to farm (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-701(a)).
Confirm with Beaufort County before you buy land or build.
BeesNo county zoning
Beaufort County's zoning chapter covers only Planned Unit Developments and land whose owner asks to be zoned, so ordinary rural land has no zoning restricting this.
§ 154.03, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Beaufort County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNo county zoning
Beaufort County's zoning chapter covers only Planned Unit Developments and land whose owner asks to be zoned, so ordinary rural land has no zoning restricting this.
§ 154.03, read 2026-11-13
State law: composting toilets are allowed, but you still need a septic permit (15A NCAC 18E .1001 (eff. Oct. 1, 2021)).
Confirm with Beaufort County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- Which parcels (if any) are inside a PUD or were opted into zoning was not checked; no zoning map was opened.
- The American Legal code may lag the county's latest amendments; the county planning site itself was not opened.
What breaks here
13 federal disaster declarations covered Beaufort County in the last 10 years: 7 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 severe storm, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: hurricane (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high), coastal flooding (relatively moderate). source
Gear that answers it
- Portable power station with solar panelRuns a freezer, fridge or medical device for a day or more when the grid is down, without fumesSee price on Amazon
- Stackable water storage (7-gallon)One gallon per person per day for drinking and cookingSee price on Amazon
- NOAA weather radio (hand-crank)Alerts when cell service and power are outSee price on Amazon
- Pocket mesh radioPairs with your phone to send texts over the meshFrom RAKwireless
We may earn from these links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Mesh radio coverage
| MeshCore radios heard (30 days) | 0 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 0 source |
| County near a repeater | 0% source share of the county within 10 km of an active repeater — a rough line-of-sight guess, not a measured signal |
| Nearest repeater to the county centre | 38.4 km source from the county centre |
Most of Beaufort County is out of range. A solar repeater on high ground near the red X would cover the biggest gap. Solar repeater kits
Data: MeshCore map. Coverage assumes about 10 km per repeater; real range depends on height and terrain. State gap map
Animals nearby
Livestock already in the county is a fair sign of feed stores, vets and neighbours who know how.
| Laying hens | 1,035 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 60 source |
| Cattle | 637 source |
| Hogs | 21,214 source |
| Bee colonies | 145 source |
- Chicken coop for 4–6 hensWhere chickens are allowed
- Beginner beehive kitBees help every garden
- Seed starting kit with heat matStart tomatoes and peppers indoors before your last frost
Clean ground, sun and power
| Active Superfund sites | 1: FCX, Inc. (Washington Plant) source |
|---|---|
| Toxics Release Inventory facilities | 9 source facilities registered with EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, active or open status |
| FEMA overall risk | Relatively Moderate source |
| Sun, kWh per m² per day | 4.41 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 3 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Pamlico | 6.2 |
| Craven | 6.2 |
| Martin | 6.6 |
| Washington | 5.7 |
| Pitt | 5.9 |
| Bertie | 5.6 |