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Jones County
Zone 8b, 214 frost-free days, farmland at $3,602 an acre. Top hazard: hurricane.
6.6 out of 10 overall, #1 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
- 9.1Land cost
- 9.5Rain
- 7.8Sun
- 6.4Growing
- 9.3Rules
- 9.5Clean
- 4.2Hazards
- 0.4Farm country
- 2.8Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $3,602 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $122,600 source |
| Median rent | $725/mo source |
| People | 9,245 source |
| Farms (2022) | 126 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8b (8a–8b across the county) source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Apr 5 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Nov 4 source |
| Frost-free days | 214 source |
| Rain, April–September | 33.2 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 55.3 in source |
| Prime farmland | 52% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 89.5°F / 32.9°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Richlands weather station, 18 km from the county centre: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: We found no county zoning ordinance. Jones County's compiled ordinances (linked from the county's Ordinances page) contain no zoning ordinance, and its 2021 Subdivision Ordinance refers to zoning only as something the county might adopt in future. Jones County Ordinances (compiled PDF), Subdivision Ordinance Art. IV lot standards
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 rural land; the county's separate ordinances regulate manufactured home parks (and, per planning board notices, RV parks/campgrounds), not a single RV on your own lot.
“Additional frontage or width may be required in the event that Jones County adopts a zoning ordinance.”
Subdivision Ordinance (eff. July 1, 2021), lot requirements A, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Jones County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsNo county zoning
No zoning. The county's building regulations ordinance has a Tiny Houses article, but it covers building-code construction standards (dwellings of 400 sq ft or less), not zoning.
“Tiny house. A dwelling that is 400 square feet (37m2) or less in floor area excluding lofts.”
Building regulations ordinance, Art. VI Tiny Houses, Sec. 6.2(c), read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Jones County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationNo county zoning
No zoning, so no zoning minimum dwelling size. The county building ordinance's Tiny Houses article requires tiny houses to meet the NC Building Code.
“This article shall be applicable to tiny houses used as single dwelling units.”
Building regulations ordinance, Art. VI Sec. 6.1, 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 Jones County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNo county zoning
No zoning ordinance regulates poultry on rural land; the text-searchable county ordinances contain no poultry rule.
compiled ordinances searched, 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 Jones County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNo county zoning
No zoning ordinance regulates livestock on rural land; the county also has a Voluntary Agricultural Districts ordinance (farmland protection, not a restriction).
compiled ordinances searched, 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 Jones County before you buy land or build.
BeesNo county zoning
No zoning ordinance; beekeeping is not mentioned in the text-searchable county ordinances.
compiled ordinances searched, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Jones County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched the text pages of the compiled county ordinances for composting, toilet and privy; nothing found (septic is left to the health department / state rules).
compiled ordinances 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 Jones County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- 143 of the 244 pages in the compiled ordinance PDF are scanned images; I OCR-checked the first page of each scanned block (planning board, flood, substance abuse facility, shooting range, solar, road naming, voluntary ag districts) but did not read every scanned page.
- The RV park and campground ordinances mentioned in planning board notices were not found in the compilation and were not read.
- Did not find a county statement in plain words that it has no zoning; 'none' rests on the ordinance compilation and the subdivision ordinance wording.
What breaks here
12 federal disaster declarations covered Jones County in the last 10 years: 7 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: hurricane (relatively high), winter weather (relatively moderate), drought (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
- 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) | 2 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 1 source |
| County near a repeater | 28% 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 | 4.7 km source from the county centre |
Most of Jones 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 | 137 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 43 source |
| Cattle | 524 source |
| Hogs | 219,878 source |
| Bee colonies | 6 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 | 1 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 | 4.47 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 0 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Craven | 6.2 |
| Onslow | 5.1 |
| Lenoir | 5.7 |
| Greene | 6.5 |
| Pitt | 5.9 |
| Duplin | 6.1 |