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Brunswick County
Zone 8b, 243 frost-free days, farmland at $4,930 an acre. Top hazard: hurricane.
5.3 out of 10 overall, #38 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
- 4.9Land cost
- 9.3Rain
- 9.0Sun
- 7.5Growing
- 6.4Rules
- 5.2Clean
- 0.1Hazards
- 2.8Farm country
- 2.4Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $4,930 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $314,700 source |
| Median rent | $1,267/mo source |
| People | 145,889 source |
| Farms (2022) | 238 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8b source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Mar 20 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Nov 17 source |
| Frost-free days | 243 source |
| Rain, April–September | 32.8 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 55.2 in source |
| Prime farmland | 36% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 89.5°F / 34.9°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Shallotte Ag weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. The UDO governs all land in the county outside the zoning jurisdiction of any town; the default rural district is RR (Rural Low Density Residential). Brunswick County Unified Development Ordinance (revision dated 10/29/2026), Section 1.3 Jurisdiction
These are rules for county land outside town limits. Towns have their own. Read on 2026-11-13.
Living in an RV on your landRestricted
RVs and travel trailers may not be used as a dwelling on residential property, and Section 5.5.6 also prohibits a camper as temporary housing while a house is being built; RV occupancy is only for campgrounds and RV parks/resorts.
“Use of a travel trailer or recreational vehicle (RV) as an accessory dwelling shall be prohibited within a Residential district”
§ 5.4.2.F; § 5.5.6, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Brunswick County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsRestricted
The UDO defines a tiny house on wheels as a travel trailer (an Outdoor Lodging Camping Unit), which it says is not intended as a permanent dwelling, so the RV prohibitions apply.
“Tiny House/Home on Wheels: See definition for Outdoor Lodging Camping Unit.”
Article 12 Definitions, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Brunswick County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationAllowed
A tiny house on a foundation is treated as a site-built single-family home, permitted in RR. No minimum dwelling floor area was found in the UDO text.
“Tiny House/Home on a Foundation: See definition for Site Built Home.”
Article 12 Definitions; § 5.2.3 Use Table, 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 Brunswick County before you buy land or build.
ChickensAllowed
All Agricultural uses, which include raising poultry, are permitted by right (P) in the RR district; they are not listed for the suburban R-7500, R-6000, SBR-6000 or MR-3200 districts.
“Animal raising including horses, hogs, cows, sheep, goats, and swine, poultry, rabbits, and other small animals, apiculture”
§ 5.1.1.A; § 5.2.3 Use Table, 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 Brunswick County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockAllowed
Animal raising including goats, cows, hogs and sheep falls under All Agricultural uses, permitted by right in RR; not listed in the suburban residential districts.
“Animal raising including horses, hogs, cows, sheep, goats, and swine, poultry, rabbits, and other small animals, apiculture”
§ 5.1.1.A; § 5.2.3 Use Table, 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 Brunswick County before you buy land or build.
BeesAllowed
Apiculture is listed under All Agricultural uses, permitted by right in RR; not listed in the suburban residential districts.
“Animal raising including horses, hogs, cows, sheep, goats, and swine, poultry, rabbits, and other small animals, apiculture”
§ 5.1.1.A; § 5.2.3 Use Table, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Brunswick County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched the full UDO text for composting toilet, toilet, privy and outhouse; composting appears only as a waste-related industrial use, not as a household toilet.
Full text search, 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 Brunswick County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- No acreage minimum or setback specific to backyard chickens or goats was found; the use table simply lists All Agricultural uses as P in RR. Whether a small RR lot in a subdivision has extra limits (private covenants) is outside the UDO.
- Did not check the zoning map to confirm what share of unincorporated land is RR versus the suburban R districts.
What breaks here
15 federal disaster declarations covered Brunswick County in the last 10 years: 8 hurricane, 3 tropical storm, 2 biological, 1 fire, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: hurricane (very high), winter weather (relatively high), lightning (relatively high). 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) | 8 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 8 source |
| County near a repeater | 24% 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 | 23.2 km source from the county centre |
Most of Brunswick 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 | 1,769 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 265 source |
| Cattle | 1,676 source |
| Hogs | 55,316 source |
| Bee colonies | 213 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 | 2: Potter's Septic Tank Service Pits; Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp - Navassa source |
|---|---|
| Toxics Release Inventory facilities | 14 source facilities registered with EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, active or open status |
| FEMA overall risk | Relatively High source |
| Sun, kWh per m² per day | 4.52 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 22 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| New Hanover | 4.0 |
| Columbus | 6.0 |
| Pender | 5.5 |
| Bladen | 5.8 |
| Duplin | 6.1 |
| Sampson | 5.7 |