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Robeson County
Zone 8b, 234 frost-free days, farmland at $3,897 an acre. Top hazard: strong wind.
5.9 out of 10 overall, #10 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
- 9.3Land cost
- 4.8Rain
- 9.3Sun
- 8.8Growing
- 8.1Rules
- 4.2Clean
- 1.6Hazards
- 4.8Farm country
- 2.2Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $3,897 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $88,600 source |
| Median rent | $784/mo source |
| People | 116,858 source |
| Farms (2022) | 732 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8b (8a–8b across the county) source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Mar 24 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Nov 11 source |
| Frost-free days | 234 source |
| Rain, April–September | 27.9 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 47.7 in source |
| Prime farmland | 56% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 91.2°F / 33.3°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Lumberton weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. Robeson County zones its unincorporated land under a zoning ordinance adopted 2020-11-16; ordinary rural land is Residential-Agricultural (R-A, 20,000 sq ft per dwelling), with an Agricultural District (A-D) for parcels of 160+ acres. Robeson County Zoning Ordinance (adopted 2020-11-16), linked from Community Development 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 landWith conditions
Camper trailers may not be used as living quarters on private property, except while the owner holds a building permit to build a single-family home; the text ties this to a certificate of occupancy within six months of the building permit.
“Camper Trailers may only be set up in designated camp grounds and may not be set up on private property as residential quarters.”
§ 5.12 B and C, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Robeson County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsWith conditions
Not defined; a tiny home on wheels would most likely be treated as a camper trailer (temporary dwelling for travel/recreation) - campgrounds only, except during construction of a permitted house.
“suitable for use as a temporary dwelling during the process of travel, recreational, and vocational quarters”
§ 5.12 A, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Robeson County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationAllowed
Single-family dwellings are permitted in R-A (20,000 sq ft lot and 110 ft width per dwelling; up to three dwellings on 5+ acres, one on a permanent foundation). No minimum dwelling floor area found.
“Twenty-thousand (20,000) square feet minimum required lot area per dwelling unit”
§ 3.6 A; § 4.3 Use Matrix, 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 Robeson County before you buy land or build.
ChickensAllowed
'Agricultural or Rural Farm Use' is permitted by right in R-A and 'All Agricultural Activities' in A-D; R-A also allows raising pets at a non-nuisance scale. No acreage minimum or poultry-specific setback found.
“Agricultural or Rural Farm Use P”
§ 4.3 Use Matrix, 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 Robeson County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockAllowed
Farm use is permitted by right in R-A and A-D (A-D is described as for 'farming and raising livestock'). Private stables must be 60 ft from front lot lines and 30 ft from other lot lines.
“No greenhouse heating plants or private stables shall be located within 60 feet of any front property lines or within 30 feet”
§ 4.3 Use Matrix; § 3.7, 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 Robeson County before you buy land or build.
BeesAllowed
Bees are not named; the ordinance allows any use by right unless it says otherwise, and farm use is permitted in R-A and A-D.
“All uses of property are allowed as a use by right except where this ordinance specifies otherwise or where this ordinance specifically prohibits the use.”
§ 4.2, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Robeson County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched the full zoning ordinance for composting toilet and privy; not mentioned. Mobile homes must use systems approved by the Robeson County Health Department.
Whole ordinance 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 Robeson County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- § 5.12 C is badly worded ('Except when the property owner has obtained a building permit ... and a Certificate of Occupancy for said dwelling is issued six (6) months from the issuance of the building permits'); I read it as RV living allowed during construction for about six months, but the exact time limit should be confirmed with Community Development.
- Bees and chickens rest on the use-by-right default (§ 4.2) and the farm-use rows; no county animal-control ordinance was checked for poultry or livestock nuisance rules.
- The ordinance PDF on the county site is dated June 2021; later text amendments, if any, were not checked.
What breaks here
12 federal disaster declarations covered Robeson County in the last 10 years: 6 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 severe storm, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: strong wind (very high), tornado (relatively high), hurricane (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
- 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
- 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) | 4 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 4 source |
| County near a repeater | 22% 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 | 11.3 km source from the county centre |
Most of Robeson 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 | 1,480 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 300 source |
| Cattle | 7,818 source |
| Hogs | 331,520 source |
| Bee colonies | 191 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 | 29 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 | 4.55 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 9 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Hoke | 5.5 |
| Scotland | 5.4 |
| Cumberland | 5.2 |
| Bladen | 5.8 |
| Columbus | 6.0 |
| Richmond | 4.4 |