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Burke County adopts zoning overhaul to ease accessory structures and permit tiny homes and community master plans
Summary
The board unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-02 to modernize zoning: larger accessory-structure allowances tied to lot size, permanent-foundation tiny-home provisions per Appendix Q, clarified manufactured-home-park rules, new cluster development and community master-plan pathways, and updated solar decommissioning language in line with state requirements.
Burke County commissioners voted 5-0 to adopt a broad zoning-text amendment (Ordinance 2026-02) that county planners said will reduce regulatory burden, expand residential options and introduce flexible master-planned development tools.
Patrick Dickinson, presenting the amendment, said the changes will raise accessory-structure size allowances based on parcel acreage (e.g., 1,500 sq. ft. under one acre, 2,400 sq. ft. for 1'3 acres, 4,000+ sq. ft. for parcels larger than three acres) and create an exemption for existing structures that predate the rule. Dickinson said those adjustments will reduce repetitive board-of-adjustment cases that previously arose when owners sought relief for common accessory uses.
The ordinance adds a pathway for permanent-foundation tiny homes following Appendix Q of the North Carolina building code, clarifies lots and tax-payment rules in manufactured-home parks, streamlines design standards and allows conditional community master plans (a modern alternative to planned-unit developments) for mixed-use projects of two acres or greater. It also adds DEQ-mandated decommissioning language for utility-scale solar farms and moves toward digital site-plan submissions to speed permitting.
Why it matters: Commissioners framed the changes as a balance between enabling flexible housing choices and protecting neighborhood character. The zoning update aims to make moderate-sized accessory buildings and alternative housing types easier to permit while preserving review authority through conditional master plans for larger projects.
