Home / North Carolina / Forsyth County
Forsyth County
Zone 7b, 204 frost-free days, farmland at $9,658 an acre. Top hazard: ice storm.
3.3 out of 10 overall, #100 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
- 1.6Land cost
- 0.9Rain
- 0.9Sun
- 3.8Growing
- 4.3Rules
- 0.5Clean
- 2.9Hazards
- 7.3Farm country
- 7.9Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $9,658 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $227,800 source |
| Median rent | $1,046/mo source |
| People | 386,740 source |
| Farms (2022) | 482 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 7b (7b–8a across the county) source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Apr 9 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Oct 31 source |
| Frost-free days | 204 source |
| Rain, April–September | 24.7 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 45 in source |
| Prime farmland | 29% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 87.9°F / 28.6°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Pfafftown weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. The joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Unified Development Ordinances (last updated 10.1.26) apply to all unincorporated Forsyth County; rural land is mainly AG (Agricultural), YR (Yadkin River) and RS-40/RS-30 residential. Text marked (W) applies only in Winston-Salem, (F) only in the county. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County UDO (ClearCode, last updated 10.1.26), § 2.3.1 Jurisdiction; linked from cityofws.org/1730
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
An RV must stay unoccupied unless it is in a recreational vehicle park or has a valid temporary permit. The only temporary dwelling permit during home construction is for a manufactured home (AG, YR and RS districts, 6 months plus 6), not an RV. Campers and RVs are also barred as accessory dwelling units.
“which is unoccupied unless situated in a Recreational Vehicle Park or having a valid temporary permit”
§ 11.2 Definitions: Recreational Vehicle; § 5.4.2H; § 5.3.4 ADU Permanence, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Forsyth County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsRestricted
Tiny houses are not defined. A towable unit designed as temporary accommodation is an RV and must be unoccupied outside an RV park; RVs and trailers may not serve as accessory dwelling units.
“The use of campers, recreational vehicles (RV), or trailers as an accessory dwelling unit is prohibited.”
§ 5.3.4 Accessory Dwelling Unit (Permanence); § 11.2 Recreational Vehicle, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Forsyth County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationAllowed
'Residential Building, Single Family' needs only a zoning officer permit (Z) in YR, AG and the RS districts. No zoning minimum dwelling floor area found.
“Z = Permit from Zoning Officer”
Table 5.1.1 Principal Use Table: Residential Building, Single Family, 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 Forsyth County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNot addressed
Searched for chickens, hens, poultry and fowl. In the county, 'Agricultural Production, Livestock (F)' is defined as commercial production on a bona fide farm. Backyard poultry is not named; customary accessory uses are allowed if the Planning Director finds them incidental to the home.
“the accessory use is customarily incidental to the principal use”
§ 5.3.1A; § 11.2 Agricultural Production, Livestock (F), 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 Forsyth County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNot addressed
The 50-ft setback rule for keeping horses, goats, sheep or cattle (§ 5.3.3F) is marked (W), Winston-Salem only. For unincorporated land the UDO only lists commercial livestock production on a bona fide farm (F) and animal feeding operations (3+ acres, 100-ft setbacks); non-farm hobby livestock is not addressed.
“KEEPING OF HORSES, MULES, DONKEYS, GOATS, SHEEP, OR CATTLE (W)”
§ 5.3.3F; § 5.2.8; § 11.2, 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 Forsyth County before you buy land or build.
BeesNot addressed
Bees appear only in the erosion-control exemption for agricultural activities and in landscaping plant notes; no zoning rule for keeping bees.
§ 8.4.3A (erosion control); full text searched, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Forsyth County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched for toilet and privy; toilets appear only in RV-park standards. Nothing addresses composting toilets.
Full text searched, 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 Forsyth County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- The city notes recent amendments may not yet be in the ClearCode PDF (e.g. UDO-CC39 pending).
- Use-table column alignment in the PDF text was read from extracted text; the exact district columns for some rows were not checked visually.
- How the Planning Director treats backyard chickens, goats or bees as accessory uses in the county.
What breaks here
11 federal disaster declarations covered Forsyth County in the last 10 years: 5 hurricane, 3 tropical storm, 2 biological, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: ice storm (very high), inland flooding (relatively high), winter weather (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
- 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
We may earn from these links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Mesh radio coverage
| MeshCore radios heard (30 days) | 6 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 5 source |
| County near a repeater | 79% 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 | 10.2 km source from the county centre |
Most of the county is within reach of a repeater. A pocket radio paired with your phone gets you on it. Pocket mesh radios
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. Check the county rules above before you bring animals home.
| Laying hens | 2,707 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 655 source |
| Cattle | 2,364 source |
| Hogs | 96 source |
| Bee colonies | 1,335 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 | 74 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 | 4.3 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 38 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Stokes | 5.4 |
| Davidson | 4.5 |
| Davie | 5.0 |
| Yadkin | 4.2 |
| Guilford | 3.9 |
| Surry | 4.8 |