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North Carolina County and Code Starting Points

Wilson County Manufactured Home Starting Points

Wilson County allows a manufactured home by right in the AR, R-30 and R-20 districts, and its planning office says almost every residential lot qualifies — only R-10 does not. Every manufactured home in the county has to meet the same list: at least 900 square feet, a roof pitch of 3 in 12 with shingles, a porch at least 4 by 6 feet, and a permanent masonry foundation or curtain wall. A 14 by 60 single-wide is under 900 square feet.

Manufactured Home Land Check

Will this Wilson County land take a manufactured home? Find out before you commit to buying the land, or the home.

Buying land, already own it, or selling it — one report on what the county and the land will allow.

Check this land

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Common Questions

Mobile homes in Wilson County, answered from the county's own sources.

Can I put a mobile home on my land in Wilson County?

Wilson County allows a manufactured home by right in the AR, R-30 and R-20 districts, and its planning office says almost every residential lot qualifies — only R-10 does not. Every manufactured home in the county has to meet the same list: at least 900 square feet, a roof pitch of 3 in 12 with shingles, a porch at least 4 by 6 feet, and a permanent masonry foundation or curtain wall. A 14 by 60 single-wide is under 900 square feet. Source: Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance (adopted 2026-03-03), reviewed 2026-09-08.

Can I move an older mobile home onto land in Wilson County?

By right in AR, R-30 and R-20. Not in R-10. The county's planning office answered in writing on 2026-09-08: manufactured homes are allowed by right on almost all residential lots, every type is allowed, the ordinance does not favour one type over another, and only homes built in 1976 or later are allowed. Source: Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance (adopted 2026-03-03), reviewed 2026-09-08.

What setbacks and lot size does Wilson County require for a mobile home?

900 square feet, a 3-in-12 roof, and masonry or a curtain wall. Sec. 7.2.7 applies to every manufactured home in the unincorporated county, with no district or park exception. It reads the same in the 2024 and 2026 ordinances. Source: Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance (adopted 2026-03-03), reviewed 2026-09-08.

Does Wilson County set rules on the home itself — width, skirting or roof?

The county says every type is allowed. The 900-square-foot rule stops the smallest ones. There is no width rule, but the floor-area rule works like one. The two answers are both the county's; ask which one the permit desk applies to your home. Source: Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance (adopted 2026-03-03), reviewed 2026-09-08.

Which zoning districts in Wilson County allow a mobile home?

If your zoning ends in MH, the rules come from the 2024 ordinance. The 2026 ordinance retired six districts but left them on the zoning map. It says their permitted uses are in the previously adopted ordinance, and that where it is silent the old standards apply. Source: Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance (adopted 2026-03-03), reviewed 2026-09-08.

Manufactured Home Placement Questions

Start with what the sources actually support.

Do I need a permit for a mobile home in Wilson County?

Allowed by right in AR, R-30 and R-20; not in R-10

Homes built in 1976 or later only

At least 900 square feet of enclosed living area

A permanent masonry foundation or curtain wall around the whole perimeter

A roof pitch of at least 3 in 12 with shingles, and eaves of at least 6 inches

Front steps and a porch at least 4 by 6 feet

Lap siding of vinyl, aluminum, wood or hardboard

Older MH districts still on the map, governed by the 2024 ordinance

Two manufactured homes on one lot counted as a park

A home allowed in the floodway with elevation, anchoring and a no-rise showing

Wilson County Local Process Guide

Official-source-backed starting points and questions to verify.

These sections organize the public source links already reviewed for this page. Where a source does not answer a project-specific question, the item is framed as something to ask the county, AHJ, utility company, licensed professional, dealer, setup contractor, or responsible provider.

Where a home is allowed

By right in AR, R-30 and R-20. Not in R-10.

The county's planning office answered in writing on 2026-09-08: manufactured homes are allowed by right on almost all residential lots, every type is allowed, the ordinance does not favour one type over another, and only homes built in 1976 or later are allowed.

  • The 2026 ordinance allows a manufactured home by right in AR, R-30 and R-20.
  • R-10 is the one residential district that does not allow one. The county says it has very little R-10 land.
  • The ordinance has no Class A or Class B and no minimum width.
  • The county treats a manufactured home like any other house. The inspections are what differ.

The standard every home has to meet

900 square feet, a 3-in-12 roof, and masonry or a curtain wall.

Sec. 7.2.7 applies to every manufactured home in the unincorporated county, with no district or park exception. It reads the same in the 2024 and 2026 ordinances.

  • Built to the HUD code in effect when the home was made.
  • At least 900 square feet of enclosed living area.
  • Siding that is mostly horizontal lap vinyl or aluminum (no shinier than gloss white paint), wood, or hardboard.
  • Set up to NC Department of Insurance standards, with FHA tie-downs.
  • Front entrance steps and a porch at least 4 feet by 6 feet, built to the NC State Building Code.
  • The hitch, wheels, axles and transport lights removed.
  • A roof pitch of at least 3 in 12, finished with composition shingles, and roof eaves and gable overhangs of at least 6 inches. Rain gutters may count toward the overhang.
  • A permanent masonry foundation or curtain wall around the whole perimeter, unpierced except for vents and access.

Smaller single-wides

The county says every type is allowed. The 900-square-foot rule stops the smallest ones.

There is no width rule, but the floor-area rule works like one. The two answers are both the county's; ask which one the permit desk applies to your home.

  • A 14 by 60 home is 840 square feet — under the minimum.
  • Any 12-foot-wide home of ordinary length is under the minimum.
  • A 14 by 70 (980 square feet) or a 16 by 60 (960 square feet) meets it.
  • Get the home's enclosed living area in writing from the seller before you commit to it.

Older districts still on the map

If your zoning ends in MH, the rules come from the 2024 ordinance.

The 2026 ordinance retired six districts but left them on the zoning map. It says their permitted uses are in the previously adopted ordinance, and that where it is silent the old standards apply.

  • The three manufactured home districts retired this way are R-30MH, R-20MH and R-15MH. The others are R-15, OI and B-1.
  • R-30MH and R-20MH use the same lot size and setbacks as today's R-30 and R-20.
  • R-15MH is 15,000 square feet and 75 feet wide, with 40 feet front, 12 side, 20 corner side and 30 rear — a standard no current district has.
  • Under the 2024 ordinance a manufactured home park was allowed by right in all three MH districts.
  • The 2024 ordinance is still on the county's website, under the same title as the 2026 one. Check the adoption date on the cover.
  • Some labels on the county zoning map — M1, M2, B2 and R15S — are named in neither ordinance. If your parcel carries one, ask the Planning Division what applies.

Lot size and setbacks

AR is 40,000 square feet, 100 feet wide, and 40 feet from the front.

Table 8-1 gives one set of numbers for a house and a manufactured home on its own lot. The rear setback is a minimum that two footnotes raise.

  • AR: 40,000 sq ft, 100 ft wide. Front 40 ft, side 12 ft, corner side 20 ft, rear 30 ft, height 35 ft.
  • R-30: 30,000 sq ft, 100 ft wide, same setbacks as AR.
  • R-20: 20,000 sq ft, 100 ft wide, same setbacks as AR.
  • A lot that needs a Type E buffer yard adds 25 feet to the rear setback.
  • A subdivision lot that backs onto a major collector or arterial road adds 20 feet to the rear setback.
  • In AR, the 30-foot rear setback can become as much as 75 feet — most often on a lot beside a highway.

More than one home on the land

Two manufactured homes on one lot is a park under the ordinance.

The ordinance defines a manufactured home park as two or more manufactured homes on a single lot. It does not matter whether anyone pays rent.

  • The ordinance also allows a manufactured home as an accessory dwelling where a manufactured home is allowed — AR, R-30 and R-20.
  • If the main home is also a manufactured home, the two rules point different ways. Get the Planning Division's answer in writing before buying a second home for the land.
  • An accessory dwelling may not be more than half the main home's floor area, and every manufactured home must be at least 900 square feet — so the main home would need at least 1,800 square feet.
  • A park needs a conditional rezoning by the Board of Commissioners, is possible only in R-30 and R-20, and needs at least 10 acres with public water and public sewer at every space.
  • On a bona fide farm, the ordinance does not apply except to the parts of the farm used for non-farm purposes.

Flood

A manufactured home may be allowed in the floodway, with conditions.

Most North Carolina counties bar a manufactured home from the floodway. Wilson County's 2026 ordinance allows one if two conditions are met.

  • The home meets the anchoring and elevation standards of Sec. 14.6.2(3).
  • The home meets the no-encroachment standard of Sec. 14.6.5(1) — the placement cannot raise flood levels.
  • Inside a flood zone, flexible skirting is not an enclosure and needs no flood openings. Masonry or wood underpinning is an enclosure and needs flood openings.
  • Because every home in the county needs masonry or a curtain wall, plan for flood openings on any home in a flood zone.

What the county charges

$300 for a single-wide permit, $400 for a double-wide, all trades included.

These are the amounts on the county's Development Services Fee Schedule published 2024-07-02. Fees change; confirm before budgeting.

  • Mobile home permit, all trades included: single-wide $300, double-wide $400, triple-wide $450.
  • Zoning verification letter: $30 per parcel.
  • Residential rezoning petition: $500 plus $25 per acre.
  • Variance: $500.

Local Prerequisites To Verify

Environmental health, utilities, zoning, and access may shape the sequence.

Septic approval or existing-system review

County sources often require septic approval, construction authorization, or existing-system authorization before or alongside manufactured-home permitting.

Septic

Well or water availability

County sources may require well, public water, or water-sewer tap documentation before a permit can move forward.

WellPlumbing

Water/sewer availability

Some county sources ask for sewer approval, tap receipts, or public water documentation when applicable.

PlumbingSepticWell

Utility service availability

Some county sources connect power release or final readiness to completed trade inspections or utility-provider steps.

ElectricalHVACPropane / Gas

Zoning or land-use review

County sources may require zoning, municipal zoning, watershed, floodplain, or land-use review before manufactured-home placement.

Engineering

Inspection-Related Scopes

Limited to source-backed manufactured-home scopes.

Grading and Site Preparation

Use only where source-backed county or state guidance ties grading to pad, drainage, foundation readiness, access, footers, or setup readiness.

Several county sources reference site grading, drainage, footings, setup readiness, or documents needed before power or final signoff.

Transport and Setup

Core manufactured-home installation scope for delivery, setup, pier/blocking, anchoring, tie-downs, setup contractor information, and inspection readiness.

The NC Installation Manual is the primary statewide installation source; county manufactured-home process pages may add local setup contractor, permit, and inspection steps.

Electrical

Electrical service, site-installed electrical work, utility handoffs, and inspection readiness when source-backed.

County sources commonly separate electrical permits or inspections for mobile/manufactured-home setup.

Plumbing

Plumbing connections, water and waste lines, pressure or water tests, and final readiness where source-backed.

County sources commonly separate plumbing permits or inspections for mobile/manufactured-home setup.

HVAC

Mechanical systems, heat pump or air-conditioning work, ducting, and final readiness where source-backed.

County sources commonly reference mechanical permits or inspections for mobile/manufactured-home setup.

Propane / Gas

Use only when official guidance mentions gas service, gas appliance connections, LP systems, fuel-gas inspection, pressure testing, shutoffs, or installation-manual requirements.

Onslow County explicitly groups gas fuel work with prescriptive code and NC manufactured-home regulations for manufactured-home permits.

Decks / Stairs / Landings / Handicap Ramps

Egress, steps, landings, handrails, ramps, deck thresholds, and final access readiness where source-backed.

County manufactured-home guides may reference stoops, steps, landings, handrails, and deck-size thresholds.

Masonry / Block / Foundation

Footings, piers, blocking, masonry skirting/foundation presentation, soil bearing, anchorage, and foundation readiness where source-backed.

County sources reference footings, piers, blocking, anchorage, soil bearing, tie-downs, or foundation-related items in inspection processes.

Vinyl Skirting

Skirting or underpinning only where source-backed guidance connects it to inspection timing, access, ventilation, appearance, or placement requirements.

County manufactured-home inspection documents may reference skirting timing, access panels, or underpinning requirements.

Trim-Out / Carpentry

Use only where official guidance touches final trim-out, marriage line completion, close-up, access panels, finish details, weatherproofing, or readiness for final inspection.

Onslow County references marriage wall inspection for multi-wide homes and close-up type items within manufactured-home setup inspections.

Questions To Ask The County

Bring better questions to the right local office.

What district is the parcel zoned? A manufactured home is allowed by right in AR, R-30 and R-20, and not in R-10.

Is the zoning R-30MH, R-20MH or R-15MH? Those districts are still on the map, and their rules come from the 2024 ordinance, not the 2026 one.

How many square feet is the home? Every manufactured home in the county needs at least 900, so a 14 by 60 falls short.

What will go around the base of the home? The county requires masonry or a permanent curtain wall — ask whether it accepts anything other than masonry.

Is a manufactured home already on the lot? Two on one lot meets the county's definition of a manufactured home park.

Does the lot back onto a major road, or need a Type E buffer? Either one adds to the 30-foot rear setback.

Is the parcel inside a town or its ETJ? The county ordinance covers the unincorporated county, and all nine towns have an ETJ.

Dealer Quote Responsibility Questions

Ask who owns each step before the project depends on it.

What is the home's enclosed living area in square feet, in writing?

Is a masonry foundation or curtain wall in the price, and who builds it?

Does the home have a 3-in-12 roof with shingles and 6-inch eaves as delivered?

Who builds the front steps and the 4-by-6-foot porch?

Who removes the hitch, wheels, axles and lights, and installs the FHA tie-downs?

Who pulls the permit, and is the parcel's zoning district confirmed first?

What To Gather

Better details make county and provider questions clearer.

Property address, parcel identification number and zoning district, including whether it ends in MH.

Whether the parcel is inside a town's limits or its ETJ.

The home's length, width, square footage and year of manufacture.

Whether a manufactured home is already on the lot.

The FEMA flood zone for the parcel, and whether any part of it is in a floodway.

Whether the lot backs onto a major road or needs a buffer yard.

Related provider types

Transport and SetupGrading and Site PreparationSepticWellElectricalPlumbingHVAC

Related project stages

Preparing Your LandPermits, Septic, and UtilitiesSetup and InstallationPurchasing or Acquiring Land

Source notes

The district rules, the manufactured home standards, lot sizes, setbacks, park rules and the floodway rule are read from the Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance adopted 2026-03-03, retrieved 2026-09-08. The retired districts' rules are read from the previous ordinance, last amended 2024-02-05.

The statements that almost every residential lot allows a manufactured home, that only R-10 does not, that all types are allowed and that only homes built in 1976 or later are allowed come from the county Planning and Zoning office's written answer, received 2026-09-08.

THE COUNTY'S ANSWER AND ITS ORDINANCE DIFFER ON ONE POINT. The answer says all types are allowed; the ordinance requires at least 900 square feet for every manufactured home. Both are shown. Ask which the permit desk applies.

The ordinance applies to the unincorporated county and says nothing about town ETJs. Town ordinances were not read.

The fees are those printed on the fee schedule as retrieved. Fees change; confirm before budgeting.

This page carries the offices, not staff names.

No zoning determination, permit outcome, flood determination, septic approval, or inspection result is implied.

Helpful Next Steps

Move from Wilson County questions into the right My Manufactured Home Guide path.

Use these pages to organize the next question by stage, responsibility, utility path, setup readiness, or private project summary. They do not replace county, utility, AHJ, or professional confirmation.

Land readiness checklist

Organize the land, access, utility, septic, and site questions before a home is chosen.

Manufactured-home permit order

Separate land-use, Environmental Health, permit, setup, trade, and utility-release lanes.

Source Hierarchy

State installation guidance first, then local process.

The NC Installation Manual sets how a home is installed statewide. Wilson County's own offices set the permit steps, zoning, septic and inspections.

NC installation guidance

primary statewide installation source

Primary statewide installation source: NC Installation Manual

Primary statewide installation source for North Carolina manufactured-home installation requirements, published as the State of North Carolina Regulations for Manufactured Homes.

state program authority

State program authority: NC OSFM Manufactured Homes

Official state manufactured-homes program landing page and document hub; use the NC Installation Manual for installation-specific requirement details.

state program authority

State program authority: NC OSFM Manufactured Building

Official NC OSFM manufactured building division page for manufactured and modular housing resources.

local process source

Wilson County local process sources

County and local AHJ sources explain local process layers; they do not replace statewide installation guidance or project-specific authority.

County Links and Source Notes

Official source links reviewed for this page.

We organize Wilson County's own sources. Rules change — confirm them with the county before you rely on them.

local process source

Local process source: Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance (adopted 2026-03-03)

348 pages, adopted 3/3/2026, published 2026-03-11. The use table, the manufactured home standards (Sec. 7.2.7), the lot and setback table (Table 8-1), the park standards (Sec. 7.2.14), the accessory dwelling rule (Sec. 7.3.3) and the floodway rule (Sec. 14.6.5) are in it. Retrieved 2026-09-08. The county's site refuses some automated requests; a browser opens it.

Responsible authority / official host
wilsoncountync.gov
Purpose and coverage
local process source
Last verified
2026-09-08
Link health
Verified when reviewed; reconfirm the current page or form before relying on it.
Fallback status
Direct local-process starting point

local process source

Local process source: the previous Unified Development Ordinance (2024)

268 pages, last amended 2024-02-05, published 2024-02-10, still posted on the county's transparency page under the same title. The 2026 ordinance sends the reader here for the R-30MH, R-20MH and R-15MH districts, which are still on the zoning map. Retrieved 2026-09-08.

Responsible authority / official host
wilsoncountync.gov
Purpose and coverage
local process source
Last verified
2026-09-08
Link health
Verified when reviewed; reconfirm the current page or form before relying on it.
Fallback status
Direct local-process starting point

local process source

Local process source: Development Services Fee Schedule

Two pages, published 2024-07-02. It prices mobile home permits, including all trades, at $300 for a single-wide, $400 for a double-wide and $450 for a triple-wide. Retrieved 2026-09-08.

Responsible authority / official host
wilsoncountync.gov
Purpose and coverage
local process source
Last verified
2026-09-08
Link health
Verified when reviewed; reconfirm the current page or form before relying on it.
Fallback status
Direct local-process starting point

Manufactured Home Land Check

Will this Wilson County land take a manufactured home? Find out before you commit to buying the land, or the home.

Buying land, already own it, or selling it — one report on what the county and the land will allow.

Check this land