Home / North Carolina / Tyrrell County
Tyrrell County
Zone 8b, 231 frost-free days, farmland at $3,836 an acre. Top hazard: hurricane.
6.0 out of 10 overall, #8 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
- 8.7Land cost
- 6.5Rain
- 4.8Sun
- 5.8Growing
- 10.0Rules
- 9.4Clean
- 6.5Hazards
- 0.3Farm country
- 1.9Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $3,836 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $138,400 source |
| Median rent | $612/mo source |
| People | 3,376 source |
| Farms (2022) | 73 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8b (8a–8b across the county) source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Mar 29 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Nov 13 source |
| Frost-free days | 231 source |
| Rain, April–September | 29.5 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 51.9 in source |
| Prime farmland | 26% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 88.4°F / 33.9°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Columbia Ag Gum Neck weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: We found no county zoning ordinance. Tyrrell County never adopted a countywide zoning ordinance; unincorporated land is regulated only by the subdivision ordinance (status as of the May 2, 2022 state report). Tyrrell County 2010 CAMA Core Land Use Plan Implementation Status Report, May 2, 2022 (NC DEQ), action I.7; UNC SOG County Zoning map Aug. 2016 (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
Tyrrell County has no zoning in its unincorporated area (a draft was never adopted), so zoning does not restrict this. The county does have a separate Recreational Vehicle Campground Ordinance, which was not read; it may govern campgrounds rather than one RV on private land.
“A zoning ordinance was drafted and presented for adoption in Fiscal Year 2015-2016; however, due to public sentiment the ordinance was never adopted.”
Implementation Status Report, action I.7 commentary, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Tyrrell County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsNo county zoning
Tyrrell County has no zoning in its unincorporated area (a draft was never adopted), so zoning does not restrict this. Likely treated like an RV under any county campground rules; the county's RV Campground Ordinance was not read.
“A zoning ordinance was drafted and presented for adoption in Fiscal Year 2015-2016; however, due to public sentiment the ordinance was never adopted.”
Implementation Status Report, action I.7 commentary, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Tyrrell County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationNo county zoning
Tyrrell County has no zoning in its unincorporated area (a draft was never adopted), so zoning does not restrict this. State building code and septic rules still apply (handled separately).
“A zoning ordinance was drafted and presented for adoption in Fiscal Year 2015-2016; however, due to public sentiment the ordinance was never adopted.”
Implementation Status Report, action I.7 commentary, 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 Tyrrell County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNo county zoning
Tyrrell County has no zoning in its unincorporated area (a draft was never adopted), so zoning does not restrict this. The county Animal Control Ordinance was not read.
“A zoning ordinance was drafted and presented for adoption in Fiscal Year 2015-2016; however, due to public sentiment the ordinance was never adopted.”
Implementation Status Report, action I.7 commentary, 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 Tyrrell County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNo county zoning
Tyrrell County has no zoning in its unincorporated area (a draft was never adopted), so zoning does not restrict this. The county Animal Control Ordinance was not read.
“A zoning ordinance was drafted and presented for adoption in Fiscal Year 2015-2016; however, due to public sentiment the ordinance was never adopted.”
Implementation Status Report, action I.7 commentary, 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 Tyrrell County before you buy land or build.
BeesNo county zoning
Tyrrell County has no zoning in its unincorporated area (a draft was never adopted), so zoning does not restrict this.
“A zoning ordinance was drafted and presented for adoption in Fiscal Year 2015-2016; however, due to public sentiment the ordinance was never adopted.”
Implementation Status Report, action I.7 commentary, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Tyrrell County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNo county zoning
Tyrrell County has no zoning in its unincorporated area (a draft was never adopted), so zoning does not restrict this. No county ordinance on composting toilets was found; state rules apply (handled separately).
“A zoning ordinance was drafted and presented for adoption in Fiscal Year 2015-2016; however, due to public sentiment the ordinance was never adopted.”
Implementation Status Report, action I.7 commentary, 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 Tyrrell County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- The no-zoning finding rests on the May 2022 state report and the 2016 UNC SOG map; nothing found shows zoning adopted since, but the county's own website (tyrrellcounty.org) refused connections from both the fetch tool and the browser on 2026-11-13, so the county's current ordinance list was not seen.
- Tyrrell has a Recreational Vehicle Campground Ordinance and an Animal Control Ordinance (listed in the county's ordinance filing with the NC General Assembly, webservices.ncleg.gov/ViewDocSiteFile/23913); their text was not found or read, so any RV or animal limits in them are unknown.
What breaks here
11 federal disaster declarations covered Tyrrell County in the last 10 years: 6 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: hurricane (relatively moderate), coastal flooding (relatively moderate), winter weather (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) | 1 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 1 source |
| County near a repeater | 19% 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 | 11.2 km source from the county centre |
Most of Tyrrell 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 | withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing individual farms source |
|---|---|
| Goats | not available |
| Cattle | 142 source |
| Hogs | withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing individual farms source |
| Bee colonies | 12 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 | 4.41 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 |
|---|---|
| Perquimans | 5.6 |
| Washington | 5.7 |
| Pasquotank | 4.9 |
| Hyde | 5.6 |
| Camden | 5.1 |
| Chowan | 5.2 |