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Home / North Carolina / Camden County

36.341° N, 76.160° W240 sq mi of landChecked 2026-11-13

Camden County

Zone 8a, 238 frost-free days, farmland at $4,007 an acre. Top hazard: hurricane.

5.1 out of 10 overall, #49 of 100 NC counties with every factor weighted equally. Re-rank with your own weights

Gold suns: MeshCore repeaters heard in the last 30 days. Ruby X: the spot farthest from any repeater (44 km).

Scores out of 10, compared with the other 99 NC counties

  • 6.3Land cost
  • 4.8Rain
  • 2.7Sun
  • 7.0Growing
  • 5.6Rules
  • 9.8Clean
  • 8.8Hazards
  • 1.3Farm country
  • 0.0Mesh

Land and living costs

Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022)$4,007 source
Median home value$289,800 source
Median rent$1,220/mo source
People10,743 source
Farms (2022)76 source

Growing food

Hardiness zone8a (8a–8b across the county) source
Last spring frost (typical)Mar 27 source
First fall frost (typical)Nov 17 source
Frost-free days238 source
Rain, April–September27.9 in source
April–September
Rain, whole year49.3 in source
Prime farmland32% of soils source
includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected'
July average high / January average low88°F / 31.7°F source

Frost dates and season length come from the Elizabeth City weather station, 5 km from the county centre: the 50% chance date for 32°F.

County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals

Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. Camden's Unified Development Ordinance (Code Ch. 151, revised 2026-03-03) applies to all land in the county's planning jurisdiction as shown on the Official Zoning Map. Camden County UDO, Ch. 151 (PDF revised March 3, 2026), Sec. 1.5.1 Where Applied

These are rules for county land outside town limits. Towns have their own. Read on 2026-11-13.

Living in an RV on your landWith conditions

Using a travel trailer as a permanent residence is prohibited countywide, and a parked camper may not be used as a dwelling. The exception: the owner may live in a camper/RV/travel trailer on site while building, repairing or renovating their home, with a permit valid 9 months (one renewal up to 3 months).

“Permits for temporary residences to be occupied by persons intending to live in a permanent residence pending the construction, repair or renovation”

Sec. 4.3.7.B.5-6 (prohibited uses); Sec. 4.6.4.C.2 (temporary residences); Sec. 4.4 K.2.c (campers), read 2026-11-13

Confirm with Camden County before you buy land or build.

Tiny house on wheelsRestricted

Tiny houses are not defined; a wheeled unit falls under camper/RV/travel trailer rules: no use as a dwelling outside camper lots/campgrounds, except the owner's temporary residence during home construction.

“provided the camper shall not be used for overnight occupancy or as a dwelling unit.”

Sec. 4.4 K.2.c.1, read 2026-11-13

Confirm with Camden County before you buy land or build.

Small house on a foundationAllowed

Single-family detached homes (including modular) are permitted in WL, RR, SR, NR, VR and MX districts; no minimum dwelling floor area found in the UDO. The definition excludes RVs and other temporary or portable housing.

“For regulatory purposes, this term does not include manufactured dwellings, recreational vehicles, or other forms of temporary or portable housing.”

Table 4.3.10 Principal Use Table (Single-Family Detached); Sec. 4.4.2.H, 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 Camden County before you buy land or build.

ChickensWith conditions

'Housing for Poultry' is a permitted accessory use in WL, RR, SR and NR (also CC, HC). Outside the WL (Working Lands) district: max 8 birds per lot, no roosters, no on-site slaughter, covered coop 25 ft from any home or lot line, fenced at all times.

“No more than eight birds may be housed per lot;”

Table 4.5.4; Sec. 4.5.5.N, 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 Camden County before you buy land or build.

Goats and livestockWith conditions

Animal husbandry (goats, cattle, pigs, horses etc.) is a permitted principal use only in the WL (Working Lands) district (plus LI/HI; special use in MC), on at least 40,000 sq ft with 9,000 sq ft per hoofed animal and pens 100 ft from lot lines. Horse stables are a permitted accessory use in WL, RR, SR, NR.

“Uses maintaining hoofed animals shall maintain 9,000 square feet per animal kept on site.”

Table 4.3.10 (Animal Husbandry); Sec. 4.4.1.B, 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 Camden County before you buy land or build.

BeesWith conditions

'Commercial apiaries' fall in the Animal Husbandry use category (WL district, 40,000 sq ft minimum lot, 1,500 sq ft per non-hoofed animal). The UDO does not address hobby beekeeping separately.

“Animal husbandry also includes commercial apiaries, aquaculture, and fisheries.”

Table 4.3.10 (Animal Husbandry use category), read 2026-11-13

State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).

Confirm with Camden County before you buy land or build.

Composting toiletNot addressed

Searched the full UDO text for compost, toilet and privy: only waste composting facilities and garden supplies appear; nothing on composting toilets.

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 Camden County before you buy land or build.

What we couldn't confirm
  • District columns were read from the PDF text layout; a misalignment would change which districts allow poultry housing.
  • How the per-animal area rule (1,500 sq ft per non-hoofed animal) applies to bee hives was not confirmed with staff.
  • Page footers in the PDF still read 'Last Updated: February 4, 2019' although the county says the file was revised 2026-03-03.

What breaks here

10 federal disaster declarations covered Camden County in the last 10 years: 5 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 winter storm. source

FEMA's biggest risks for the county: hurricane (relatively low), coastal flooding (relatively low), winter weather (relatively low). source

Gear that answers it

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Mesh radio coverage

MeshCore radios heard (30 days)0 source
Repeaters0 source
County near a repeater0% 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 centre34.6 km source
from the county centre

Most of Camden 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 hens296 source
Goats79 source
Cattle184 source
Hogsnot available
Bee colonies11 source

Clean ground, sun and power

Active Superfund sitesNone source
Toxics Release Inventory facilities0 source
facilities registered with EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, active or open status
FEMA overall riskVery Low source
Sun, kWh per m² per day4.35 source
Public EV charging stations0 source

Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.

Nearby counties

CountyOverallZoneFarmland $/acre
Pasquotank4.98a$4,382
Currituck4.58b$5,294
Perquimans5.68a$3,918
Tyrrell6.08b$3,836
Chowan5.28a$3,973
Gates5.48a$4,274