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Surry County
Zone 7b, 186 frost-free days, farmland at $6,529 an acre. Top hazard: cold wave.
4.8 out of 10 overall, #67 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
- 4.9Land cost
- 5.1Rain
- 0.9Sun
- 2.0Growing
- 6.9Rules
- 3.3Clean
- 4.7Hazards
- 9.0Farm country
- 6.2Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $6,529 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $166,400 source |
| Median rent | $741/mo source |
| People | 71,407 source |
| Farms (2022) | 933 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 7b (7a–7b across the county) source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Apr 19 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Oct 23 source |
| Frost-free days | 186 source |
| Rain, April–September | 28 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 50.4 in source |
| Prime farmland | 18% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 86.8°F / 27.2°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Mt Airy 2 W weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. The Surry County Development Ordinance zoning covers all of the county except town zoning areas and their ETJs; rural land is mostly RA (Rural Agricultural, 1-acre minimum lots). Surry County Code Ch. 154 / Appendix A Development Ordinance, § 154.002-03 Jurisdiction
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
RVs are prohibited as a dwelling. Temporary RV living is allowed only (a) during construction of a new stick-built or modular home in low/medium-density residential districts: $500 permit after the building permit, 18 months, plus up to two 3-month renewals; or (b) recreational use on an RA parcel of 10+ acres with no dwelling: $500 permit, one 3-month period per calendar year, many site conditions.
“Recreational vehicles are prohibited to be used as a dwelling on any lot, lot of record or zoning lot.”
§ 154.006-10; § 154.007-02(E) and (F), read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Surry County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsWith conditions
Not named. A wheeled tiny home would fit the RV definition (temporary living quarters mounted on or towed by a vehicle), so the RV prohibition and its construction-period/recreational exceptions apply.
“A vehicular type unit primarily designed as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, or travel use”
§ 154.003-02 definition 'Recreational Vehicle', read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Surry County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationAllowed
Site-built single-family dwellings and modular homes are permitted (P) in RA and the residential districts. No minimum dwelling floor area in the dimensional table; RA minimum lot is 1 acre.
“Single-family dwelling site built | P”
§ 154.007-01 Table of Permitted Uses; § 154.006-15, 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 Surry County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNot addressed
Poultry on a homesite is not listed. The table lists crop production, bee keeping and stables; 'Livestock, non-farm' (Special Use in RA) gives horses, swine and goats as examples but does not name poultry. Poultry hatcheries are industrial (MI) only.
§ 154.007-01 table; § 154.003-02 'Livestock, non-farm', 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 Surry County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockWith conditions
Keeping livestock on a residential lot for pleasure ('Livestock, non-farm') needs a Special Use Permit in RA and CP (permitted in RB and HB), with 75-ft setbacks from residential/agricultural property, 5-ft security fencing and 80% of vegetation kept where animals are kept. Stables are permitted in RA.
“Possession of livestock on a residential lot for non-agricultural purposes, such as recreation and/or pleasure (i.e., horses, swine, goats, and the like).”
§ 154.008(C)(42); § 154.007-01 table; § 154.003-02, 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 Surry County before you buy land or build.
BeesAllowed
'Bee keeping' is a permitted use (P) in RA and all residential districts (Special Use in the Village of Rockford district). No hive limits found.
“Bee keeping | P | P | P | P | P”
§ 154.007-01 Table of Permitted Uses (NAICS 11291), read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Surry County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
No composting toilet provision found; the RV permit rules require septic hookup, professional pump-out or a holding tank approved by Environmental Health. Searched § 154.007-02, § 154.008 and definitions.
§ 154.007-02(E)(11), (F)(6), 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 Surry County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- Whether a few backyard chickens on a non-farm homesite are treated as 'Livestock, non-farm' (Special Use) or as an accessory use is not stated.
- The quote for tiny_home_foundation and bees is a row of the use table rendered as text, not a sentence.
- The construction-period RV permit (§ 154.007-02(F)) applies in 'all low and medium density residential zoning districts'; the ordinance lists RA as an agricultural district, so whether RA land qualifies is not stated.
What breaks here
11 federal disaster declarations covered Surry County in the last 10 years: 5 hurricane, 3 tropical storm, 2 biological, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: cold wave (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), ice storm (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) | 4 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 4 source |
| County near a repeater | 62% 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 | 2.7 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 | 767,749 source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 869 source |
| Cattle | 17,892 source |
| Hogs | 21,437 source |
| Bee colonies | 540 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 | 22 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 | 4.3 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 18 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Yadkin | 4.2 |
| Alleghany | 5.6 |
| Stokes | 5.4 |
| Davie | 5.0 |
| Forsyth | 3.3 |
| Wilkes | 4.8 |