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Davie County
Zone 7b, 192 frost-free days, farmland at $5,867 an acre. Top hazard: ice storm.
5.0 out of 10 overall, #58 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
- 4.2Land cost
- 0.3Rain
- 7.8Sun
- 5.5Growing
- 6.0Rules
- 3.9Clean
- 6.7Hazards
- 7.2Farm country
- 3.2Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $5,867 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $235,300 source |
| Median rent | $889/mo source |
| People | 43,526 source |
| Farms (2022) | 594 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 7b source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Apr 15 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Oct 25 source |
| Frost-free days | 192 source |
| Rain, April–September | 24 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 44.4 in source |
| Prime farmland | 56% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 88.3°F / 28.1°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Mocksville 5Se weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. Davie County's Zoning Code (Chapter 155) applies to all land outside Mocksville's corporate limits and planning jurisdiction; the main rural district is R-A Residential-Agricultural (40,000 sq ft minimum lot). Davie County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 155 Zoning Code, § 155.005 Territorial Jurisdiction (linked from the county's Zoning - Davie County Ordinances page)
These are rules for county land outside town limits. Towns have their own. Read on 2026-11-13.
Living in an RV on your landNot addressed
Read all of Chapter 155: no RV, camper or travel-trailer dwelling use and no campground appears in the Table of Use Districts. Land may be used only for listed uses (§ 155.123), so unlisted uses go to the Zoning Enforcement Officer to decide (§ 155.124). The only temporary dwelling the code allows is a manufactured home during construction or hardship.
“shall only be erected which are intended or designed to be used for uses listed in the Table of Permitted Uses in § 155.125.”
§ 155.123; § 155.124; § 155.125, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Davie County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsNot addressed
Chapter 155 does not mention tiny houses. It defines self-contained travel trailers but lists no use letting anyone live in one; unlisted uses go to the Zoning Enforcement Officer (§ 155.124).
“The Zoning Enforcement Officer, in cases of questioned use, shall make a determination whether or not the particular use is permitted in that district.”
§ 155.124; § 155.002 Definitions, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Davie County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationAllowed
Single-family dwellings are permitted by right (X) in R-A, R-20, R-12, R-8 and R-M. No minimum floor area for a principal dwelling was found; the only size floor is 600 sq ft for an accessory dwelling unit. R-A needs a 40,000 sq ft lot per dwelling.
“Forty thousand square feet shall be the minimum lot area per dwelling unit”
§ 155.125 Table of Use Districts; § 155.140(B)(1), 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 Davie County before you buy land or build.
ChickensWith conditions
Agricultural uses not on a bona fide farm are P/C (permit from the Zoning Administrator plus conditions) in R-A, R-20, R-12, R-8 and R-M; the condition is that agricultural buildings sit at least 100 feet from every property line. Agriculture is defined as raising livestock; poultry is not named in that definition.
“All agricultural buildings (private stables, cattle barns, and the like) shall be located at least 100 feet from any property line.”
§ 155.125; § 155.130(A), 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 Davie County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockWith conditions
Agricultural uses (defined to include raising livestock) not on a bona fide farm are P/C in R-A, R-20, R-12, R-8 and R-M; barns and similar buildings must be at least 100 feet from every property line.
“All agricultural buildings (private stables, cattle barns, and the like) shall be located at least 100 feet from any property line.”
§ 155.125; § 155.130(A), 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 Davie County before you buy land or build.
BeesNot addressed
Searched all of Chapter 155 for bees, beekeeping and apiary: nothing. The agriculture definition covers crops and livestock only.
Full chapter search, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Davie County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched all of Chapter 155 for composting toilet, privy and toilet; the only toilet mention is in the definition of a self-contained travel trailer.
Full chapter 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 Davie County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- Whether Davie zoning staff treat backyard chickens as livestock under the agriculture definition; the ordinance does not say poultry.
- How the Zoning Enforcement Officer rules on living in an RV or tiny house on wheels (§ 155.124); no written determination found.
- The amlegal copy may lag recent amendments; amlegal's own disclaimer says it may not be current. The latest ordinance date seen in the use table history was 2022.
What breaks here
11 federal disaster declarations covered Davie County in the last 10 years: 5 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 severe storm, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: ice storm (relatively high), hurricane (relatively low), inland flooding (relatively low). 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
- Dual-fuel generatorLonger outages; run it outside, well away from windowsSee price on Amazon
- Stackable water storage (7-gallon)One gallon per person per day for drinking and cookingSee 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 | 32% 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 | 15.2 km source from the county centre |
Most of Davie 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 | 259 source |
| Cattle | 8,671 source |
| Hogs | 71 source |
| Bee colonies | 321 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 | 9 source facilities registered with EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, active or open status |
| FEMA overall risk | Very Low source |
| Sun, kWh per m² per day | 4.47 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 2 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Yadkin | 4.2 |
| Rowan | 5.0 |
| Iredell | 4.1 |
| Forsyth | 3.3 |
| Davidson | 4.5 |
| Surry | 4.8 |