Home / North Carolina / Haywood County
Haywood County
Zone 7a, 167 frost-free days, farmland at $8,046 an acre. Top hazard: landslide.
5.4 out of 10 overall, #29 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
- 2.1Land cost
- 7.0Rain
- 4.2Sun
- 0.3Growing
- 9.3Rules
- 5.3Clean
- 5.7Hazards
- 7.2Farm country
- 7.1Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $8,046 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $254,900 source |
| Median rent | $1,052/mo source |
| People | 62,432 source |
| Farms (2022) | 567 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 7a source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Apr 30 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Oct 14 source |
| Frost-free days | 167 source |
| Rain, April–September | 29.9 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 58.4 in source |
| Prime farmland | not available |
| July average high / January average low | 77.2°F / 24°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Waynesville 1 E weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: We found no county zoning ordinance. Haywood County has no county zoning ordinance; its land-use code for unincorporated areas is limited to subdivision/pre-development, mountain ridge, watershed, flood, junkyard, sign, tower and manufactured-home-park chapters. Haywood County Ordinances & Regulations page (chapters revised 7-20-2026); UNC SOG County Zoning 2016 map (no county zoning)
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 this land. Note: Chapter 157 counts 'park model RVs' as manufactured homes, and two or more rented homes on one tract is a manufactured home park needing a county permit (family occupying free of charge is excluded).
“The term also includes park trailers, park model RVs, and other transportable structures placed on a site and intended to be improved property.”
Ch. 157 § 157.02 Definitions, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Haywood County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsNo county zoning
No county zoning. No county chapter listed on the Ordinances page defines tiny houses.
County ordinance, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Haywood County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationNo county zoning
No county zoning, so no zoning minimum dwelling size. Development still falls under the Pre-Development and Subdivision Control Ordinance (Ch. 152A) and, on high ridges, the Mountain Ridge Protection chapter.
Ch. 152A, 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 Haywood County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNo county zoning
No county zoning regulates poultry on unincorporated land.
County ordinance, 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 Haywood County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNo county zoning
No county zoning regulates livestock on unincorporated land.
County ordinance, 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 Haywood County before you buy land or build.
BeesNo county zoning
No county zoning regulates beekeeping on unincorporated land.
County ordinance, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Haywood County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched Chapters 152A, 157 and 114 for toilet and privy; none addresses composting toilets. Left to state rules and Haywood County Environmental Health.
Ch. 152A, 157, 114 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 Haywood County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- The 'no zoning' finding rests on the county's ordinance list (no zoning chapter) and the UNC SOG 2016 map; no single county page stating 'no zoning' in those words was found.
- Chapters 153 (Mountain Ridge), 151 (Watershed) and 155 (Flood) were not read in full; they limit where/how you build, not whether you can live in an RV.
What breaks here
10 federal disaster declarations covered Haywood County in the last 10 years: 5 hurricane, 2 tropical storm, 2 biological, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: landslide (relatively high), cold wave (relatively high), inland flooding (relatively moderate). source
Gear that answers it
- NOAA weather radio (hand-crank)Alerts when cell service and power are outSee price on Amazon
- Stackable water storage (7-gallon)One gallon per person per day for drinking and cookingSee price on Amazon
- 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
We may earn from these links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Mesh radio coverage
| MeshCore radios heard (30 days) | 13 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 12 source |
| County near a repeater | 71% 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 | 6.8 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.
| Laying hens | 2,378 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 803 source |
| Cattle | 10,934 source |
| Hogs | 136 source |
| Bee colonies | 233 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: Benfield Industries, Inc.; Barber Orchard source |
|---|---|
| Toxics Release Inventory facilities | 7 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 | 4.39 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 16 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Jackson | 5.3 |
| Transylvania | 5.7 |
| Madison | 5.3 |
| Buncombe | 4.4 |
| Swain | 4.8 |
| Henderson | 5.0 |