Home / North Carolina / New Hanover County
New Hanover County
Zone 8b, 241 frost-free days, farmland at $22,831 an acre. Top hazard: hurricane.
4.0 out of 10 overall, #97 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
- 0.3Land cost
- 9.9Rain
- 9.8Sun
- 5.6Growing
- 4.3Rules
- 0.4Clean
- 0.3Hazards
- 0.8Farm country
- 4.3Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $22,831 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $353,700 source |
| Median rent | $1,343/mo source |
| People | 231,214 source |
| Farms (2022) | 60 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8b source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Mar 20 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Nov 15 source |
| Frost-free days | 241 source |
| Rain, April–September | 34.7 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 58 in source |
| Prime farmland | 10% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 89.6°F / 34.7°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Wilmington 7 Se weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. New Hanover County's Unified Development Ordinance (updated 07-13-2026) zones all unincorporated land (RA, AR, R-20S, R-20, R-15 and other districts); the county is largely suburban, with little land in the RA/AR rural districts. New Hanover County Unified Development Ordinance (Updated 07-13-2026), Table 4.2.1 Principal Use Table
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
Living in an RV or travel trailer is allowed only in an approved campground/RV park (min. 25 spaces), or as disaster Temporary Relocation Housing (up to 12 months from a disaster declaration). No construction-period exception was found.
“Use of recreation vehicles or travel trailers as dwelling units is only allowed in approved Campground/Recreational Vehicle (RV) Park uses.”
Sec. 4.4.4.H; Sec. 4.5.4.I, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with New Hanover County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsRestricted
Not separately defined. An 'RV or Travel Trailer Dwelling' is any dwelling unit meeting the RV/travel trailer definition, so a wheeled tiny house is limited to RV parks like any RV.
“A dwelling unit that meets the definition of a Recreational Vehicle (RV) or Travel Trailer”
Art. 2 Definitions (RV or Travel Trailer Dwelling); Sec. 4.4.4.H, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with New Hanover County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationAllowed
Single-family detached dwellings are permitted by right in RA, AR, R-20S, R-20, R-15 and most other residential districts; no minimum dwelling floor area was found in the UDO.
Table 4.2.1 (Dwelling, Single-Family Detached); Sec. 4.3.2, 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 New Hanover County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNot addressed
New Hanover's general agriculture use describes income-producing operations; whether backyard animals on a home lot count is not stated. Ask New Hanover County planning. Earlier reading: 'Agricultural and Forestry Uses, General', which includes animal husbandry, is permitted by right in every zoning district. The UDO has no separate backyard-poultry limit.
“including agronomy, animal husbandry, aquaculture, biotechnical agriculture”
Table 4.2.1; Art. 2 Definitions (Agricultural and Forestry Uses, General), 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 New Hanover County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNot addressed
New Hanover's general agriculture use describes income-producing operations; whether backyard animals on a home lot count is not stated. Ask New Hanover County planning. Earlier reading: Animal husbandry falls under 'Agricultural and Forestry Uses, General', permitted in every district. Stables are permitted in RA, and in AR, R-20S, R-20 and R-15 must be at least 100 ft from any property line with a buffer.
“No stable shall be erected closer than 100 feet to any property line.”
Table 4.2.1; Sec. 4.3.1.A.1, 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 New Hanover County before you buy land or build.
BeesNot addressed
New Hanover's general agriculture use describes income-producing operations; whether backyard animals on a home lot count is not stated. Ask New Hanover County planning. Earlier reading: Apiculture is named in 'Agricultural and Forestry Uses, General', permitted by right in every district.
“forestry, fisheries, apiculture, and similar uses”
Art. 2 Definitions; Table 4.2.1, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with New Hanover County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched the full UDO for compost, toilet and privy: toilets appear only in campground/park facility standards; 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 New Hanover County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- The UDO's agricultural use definition is written for income-producing activity; whether county staff treat a few backyard hens or goats as that use (and so allowed) was not confirmed. A separate county animal-control ordinance was not read.
- District columns in Table 4.2.1 were read from PDF text layout.
What breaks here
13 federal disaster declarations covered New Hanover County in the last 10 years: 7 hurricane, 3 tropical storm, 2 biological, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: hurricane (very high), lightning (very 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
- 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) | 1 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 1 source |
| County near a repeater | 43% 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 | 7.5 km source from the county centre |
Most of New Hanover 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. Check the county rules above before you bring animals home.
| Laying hens | 397 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 59 source |
| Cattle | withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing individual farms source |
| Hogs | not available |
| Bee colonies | 128 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 | 1: Horton Iron and Metal source |
|---|---|
| Toxics Release Inventory facilities | 33 source facilities registered with EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, active or open status |
| FEMA overall risk | Relatively High source |
| Sun, kWh per m² per day | 4.6 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 47 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Pender | 5.5 |
| Brunswick | 5.3 |
| Onslow | 5.1 |
| Duplin | 6.1 |
| Columbus | 6.0 |
| Bladen | 5.8 |