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Bertie County
Zone 8a, 223 frost-free days, farmland at $4,072 an acre. Top hazard: hurricane.
5.6 out of 10 overall, #18 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
- 8.9Land cost
- 6.2Rain
- 2.7Sun
- 6.9Growing
- 10.0Rules
- 8.8Clean
- 5.4Hazards
- 1.8Farm country
- 0.0Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $4,072 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $95,800 source |
| Median rent | $824/mo source |
| People | 17,482 source |
| Farms (2022) | 288 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8a source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Mar 29 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Nov 7 source |
| Frost-free days | 223 source |
| Rain, April–September | 29.2 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 50.6 in source |
| Prime farmland | 47% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 89.1°F / 31.2°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Lewiston weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: We found no county zoning ordinance. Bertie County has no county zoning; its certified 2016 CAMA Land Use Plan says the county has not enacted zoning (only its towns have), and the UNC School of Government 2016 map shows Bertie with no county zoning. Bertie County CAMA Land Use Plan Update (CRC-certified 2016-02-10), Part j. Zoning Ordinances; UNC SOG County Zoning map, Aug. 2016
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
No county zoning reaches unincorporated land. The county does have a subdivision ordinance (2005, amended for 160D) and a flood damage prevention ordinance, neither of which I read for RV rules.
“Bertie County has not enacted zoning regulations.”
CAMA Land Use Plan 2016, Part j. Zoning Ordinances, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Bertie County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsNo county zoning
No county zoning; no county definition of a tiny home on wheels found.
“Bertie County has not enacted zoning regulations.”
CAMA Land Use Plan 2016, Part j. Zoning Ordinances, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Bertie County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationNo county zoning
No county zoning, so no zoning minimum dwelling size. Building permits still go through Bertie County Planning and Inspections (state building code).
“Bertie County has not enacted zoning regulations.”
CAMA Land Use Plan 2016, Part j. Zoning Ordinances, 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 Bertie County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNo county zoning
No county zoning reaches unincorporated land.
“Bertie County has not enacted zoning regulations.”
CAMA Land Use Plan 2016, Part j. Zoning Ordinances, 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 Bertie County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNo county zoning
No county zoning reaches unincorporated land.
“Bertie County has not enacted zoning regulations.”
CAMA Land Use Plan 2016, Part j. Zoning Ordinances, 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 Bertie County before you buy land or build.
BeesNo county zoning
No county zoning reaches unincorporated land.
“Bertie County has not enacted zoning regulations.”
CAMA Land Use Plan 2016, Part j. Zoning Ordinances, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Bertie County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNo county zoning
No county zoning; nothing county-level found on composting toilets. Left to state rules and the health department.
“Bertie County has not enacted zoning regulations.”
CAMA Land Use Plan 2016, Part j. Zoning Ordinances, 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 Bertie County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- The 2016 Land Use Plan also says the county was 'currently developing an initial zoning ordinance'. The 2018 and 2022 CAMA implementation status reports I opened do not mention zoning, but I could not reach the county website (co.bertie.nc.us timed out; the browser refused it) to confirm no zoning was adopted after 2016.
- Did not read the Bertie subdivision ordinance, flood damage prevention ordinance, junkyard ordinance or any animal-control ordinance; any of these could touch RVs or animals.
- A Roanoke River watershed protection ordinance covers a small area of the county and was not read.
What breaks here
11 federal disaster declarations covered Bertie County in the last 10 years: 6 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: hurricane (relatively high), drought (relatively moderate), winter weather (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 | 44.8 km source from the county centre |
Most of Bertie 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 | withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing individual farms source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 100 source |
| Cattle | 239 source |
| Hogs | withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing individual farms source |
| Bee colonies | 38 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 | None source |
|---|---|
| Toxics Release Inventory facilities | 3 source facilities registered with EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, active or open status |
| FEMA overall risk | Relatively Low source |
| Sun, kWh per m² per day | 4.35 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 |
|---|---|
| Martin | 6.6 |
| Hertford | 4.5 |
| Chowan | 5.2 |
| Washington | 5.7 |
| Gates | 5.4 |
| Northampton | 5.2 |