Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
—
Conventional Euclidean code under NCGS Ch. 160D framework. Jacksonville hosts MCB Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River — both major USMC installations whose AICUZ (Air Installation Compatible Use Zones) overlap with city zoning at the AODICUZ overlay. The AICUZ overlay is the single defining feature of Jacksonville's zoning; APZ-I (Accident Potential Zone I) and APZ-II densities and use restrictions materially constrain residential development across substantial swaths of the city. | sub_flags_raw=[military-base-adjacent, aicuz-overlay, coastal-influence, dillons-rule-state]
Worth knowing
- {"quirk": "AICUZ-dominant zoning \u2014 Jacksonville's defining zoning feature is the AODICUZ overlay tracking MCB Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River AICUZ studies. APZ-I limits residential to \u22641 du/acre, high-DNL zones require sound attenuation, and avigation easements are required as plat conditions. This single overlay drives more development restriction than any base district.", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "Military-rotational housing demand \u2014 Jacksonville's housing market is dominated by short-tenure USMC personnel rotation. R-6 / R-4 multi-family supply is heavy; STR demand for short-rotation training cycles creates \u00a7160D-1207(c) preemption exposure.", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "\u00a7160D-702 design-element preemption \u2014 Jacksonville's R-15, R-10, R-6 SF detached design standards are preempted outside NFIP SFHA. AODICUZ is NOT a \u00a7160D-702(c) carveout (it is a military-compatibility overlay, not a historic district). Jacksonville has no locally-designated HDO identified that could preserve design-element regulation.", "status": "confirmed"}
+ 4 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_sf 2res_mf 2com 2ind 2mu 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-15 | Residential-15 (very-low-density single-family) | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-10 | Residential-10 (low-density single-family) | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-6 | Residential-6 (higher-density single-family / duplex-permitting) | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-4 | Residential-4 (multi-family) | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CB | Central Business | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| HB | Highway Business | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-Light | Industrial Light | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-General | Industrial General | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MU | Mixed Use | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
AODICUZ
Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) Overlay
SPECParcels within USMC AICUZ-mapped Accident Potential Zones (APZ-I, APZ-II) and Noise Zones (65, 70, 75 DNL) around MCAS New River, MCB Camp Lejeune airfields, and OLF Camp Davis. Coverage extends across substantial portions of Jacksonville's southern, western, and northeastern fabric — particularly the corridors aligned with MCAS New River's primary runway and the helicopter approach/departure paths.
FHOFD
Flood Hazard Overlay / Floodplain Damage Prevention
SPECParcels within FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) per Onslow County FIRM panels — primarily along the New River and tributary creeks bisecting Jacksonville. Coverage approximately 15-25% of city land area.
State preemptions
NCGS §160D-702 — Building Design Element Preemption (1-2 family detached)applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide hard preemption on design-element standards for 1- and 2-family detached homes. Jacksonville's R-15, R-10, R-6, and R-4 districts permit detached SF; the AODICUZ (AICUZ) overlay is NOT a §160D-702(c) carveout (it is a military-compatibility overlay, not a historic district or NFIP overlay). Floodplain (FHOFD)-mapped parcels DO retain enforceability via the §160D-702(c)(1) NFIP carveout.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §NCGS §160D-702.
Effect
Jacksonville may not enforce exterior-material, roof-pitch, porch-requirement, window-style, garage-door-location, or color standards on 1- or 2-family detached homes outside NFIP SFHA, locally-designated historic districts (none identified in Jacksonville), or voluntarily-agreed conditional zoning. AODICUZ does not preserve design-element regulation under §160D-702.
S.L. 2023-108 (HB 409) — Statewide ADU mandateapplies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: cities permitting SF detached in any zoning district must permit at least one ADU per lot by right, with no owner-occupancy, no discretionary approval, no extra parking, no separate-utility, and no greater minimum lot size. Jacksonville's R-15, R-10, R-6 permit SF detached and are in scope. Within AODICUZ APZ-I, ADU permission may still defer to the AICUZ density cap (residential 1-2 du/acre maximum) — a federal/state-supported military-compatibility constraint that operates as a use limitation, not a design preemption.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §S.L. 2023-108.
Effect
In R-15, R-10, R-6 outside AODICUZ APZ-I: Jacksonville must permit one ADU by right with administrative-only approval, no owner-occupancy mandate, no added parking, no separate utility requirement. Within AODICUZ APZ-I, AICUZ density caps may constrain ADU stacking on already-built lots.
NCGS §160D-1207(c) — STR partial preemption (Schroeder doctrine)applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: cities may not require STR-only permits/registration, ban STRs in residential districts, or set minimum-rental-duration above Schroeder framework. Jacksonville's substantial military-rotational housing demand creates a meaningful STR market for short-rotation USMC personnel; §160D-1207(c) applies regardless.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §NCGS §160D-1207(c).
Effect
Jacksonville may apply general nuisance, occupancy, and safety standards to STRs but may not impose STR-only zoning bans or registration regimes in residential districts.
NCGS §160D-907 — Family Care Home preemptionapplies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: family care homes (≤6 unrelated residents with disabilities + staff) must be treated as residential use wherever SF detached is permitted. Jacksonville's R-15, R-10, R-6, R-4 are in scope.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §NCGS §160D-907.
Effect
Family care homes are a permitted residential use in R-15, R-10, R-6, R-4; Jacksonville may not require special-use permits or impose density/spacing restrictions beyond the state statute's 0.5-mile minimum spacing.
NCGS §160D-910 — Manufactured housing field preemptionapplies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: cities may zone manufactured homes by district and impose appearance/compatibility standards but may not impose construction/installation standards differing from HUD Code. Jacksonville's R-15 / R-10 districts and any manufactured-home subdivision districts must accept HUD-Code-compliant homes.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §NCGS §160D-910.
Effect
Jacksonville may regulate location and appearance of manufactured homes but may not impose HUD-Code-divergent construction standards.
NCGS §160D-914 — Solar access preemptionapplies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: cities may not adopt ordinances prohibiting installation of solar collectors on detached residential structures, with narrow historic-district / view-corridor exceptions. Jacksonville has no locally-designated historic district overlay identified in the v1 roster, so the carveout does not apply.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §NCGS §160D-914.
Effect
Jacksonville may not prohibit rooftop solar on detached residences.
Qualifying condition
Statewide: any city-initiated downzoning requires written consent from all affected property owners. Jacksonville's AODICUZ overlay is the most likely future-amendment vector (e.g., Camp Lejeune AICUZ update); SB 382 will require unanimous owner consent for any density-reducing amendment.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §SB 382.
Effect
Jacksonville cannot adopt density/use-reducing zoning amendments without unanimous consent of affected parcel owners; AICUZ-driven downzonings face the consent requirement even when they trace to federal/military recommendations.
HB 488 — Energy code freezeapplies
Qualifying condition
Statewide energy-code freeze (NC IECC 2015 baseline). Jacksonville inherits state codes (NC IBC 2015, NC IRC 2015, NC IECC 2015, NC NEC 2020) and cannot adopt stricter local energy standards.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §HB 488; zoning/_generator/building-codes/codes-by-state.json (north-carolina).
Effect
Jacksonville building code is the state code; no local energy-stretch-code authority.
NCGS §160D-921 — Tree protection enabling actapplies
Qualifying condition
Tree-protection ordinances require specific local-act authority. Onslow County (and Jacksonville within it) does not appear in the limited list of NC localities with full tree-ordinance authority granted by local act. Jacksonville may protect trees on public property but not impose broad private-property tree-protection mandates.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §NCGS §160D-921.
Effect
Jacksonville may regulate tree protection on city property and may require buffer planting in development review but lacks general private-property tree-protection authority.
NCGS §160D-903 — Bona fide farm exemptionapplies
Qualifying condition
Bona fide farms are exempt from county zoning and from substantial portions of municipal zoning. Jacksonville's annexation/ETJ has historically pulled in agriculture-adjacent parcels along its periphery; bona fide farms are exempt within the ETJ.
Source
zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md §NCGS §160D-903.
Effect
Bona fide farms in Jacksonville ETJ are exempt from zoning; municipal-limit parcels with active ag use may invoke partial farm exemption.
Adopted building codes
Statewide
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Amendment history
| Date | Kind | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | supplement effective | note: Most recent Municode supplement of the Jacksonville code. Specific UDO/zoning chapter supplement timing pending DOM-capable retrieval (Municode SPA blocker). | source: https://library.municode.com/nc/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances |
| 2021-07-01 | amendment effective | note: Effective date for NCGS Ch. 160D; Jacksonville's zoning chapter post-2021 conforms to the consolidated 160D planning statute. | kind_raw=ordinance_adoption |
Quirks & notes
- {"quirk": "AICUZ-dominant zoning \u2014 Jacksonville's defining zoning feature is the AODICUZ overlay tracking MCB Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River AICUZ studies. APZ-I limits residential to \u22641 du/acre, high-DNL zones require sound attenuation, and avigation easements are required as plat conditions. This single overlay drives more development restriction than any base district.", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "Military-rotational housing demand \u2014 Jacksonville's housing market is dominated by short-tenure USMC personnel rotation. R-6 / R-4 multi-family supply is heavy; STR demand for short-rotation training cycles creates \u00a7160D-1207(c) preemption exposure.", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "\u00a7160D-702 design-element preemption \u2014 Jacksonville's R-15, R-10, R-6 SF detached design standards are preempted outside NFIP SFHA. AODICUZ is NOT a \u00a7160D-702(c) carveout (it is a military-compatibility overlay, not a historic district). Jacksonville has no locally-designated HDO identified that could preserve design-element regulation.", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "S.L. 2023-108 ADU mandate now binding \u2014 Jacksonville must permit one ADU by right in R-15, R-10, R-6. Within AODICUZ APZ-I, AICUZ density caps may constrain ADU stacking (\u22641 du/acre cap may exclude ADUs on lots already at the cap).", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "SB 382 downzoning consent \u2014 any future AICUZ-driven downzoning (which historically tracks USMC AICUZ update cycles) requires written consent from all affected owners. This creates real friction with federal AICUZ compliance recommendations.", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "HB 488 energy code freeze \u2014 Jacksonville inherits NC IBC/IRC/IECC 2015 baselines (NC NEC 2020); no local stretch-code authority. Limits energy-efficiency leverage on military-rotational housing stock.", "status": "confirmed"}
- {"quirk": "Municode SPA blocker \u2014 Jacksonville's only public code-hosting platform is the Municode Library, which is a JS SPA returning empty text on static HTTP fetch. Dimensional values inside Chapter 18 (Zoning) tables cannot be extracted without DOM-capable retrieval or a PDF mirror from City Hall.", "status": "confirmed"}
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Grade to highest point of principal structure per Chapter 18 district tables. Specific values pending DOM-capable retrieval.
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint / lot area; controlled per district per Chapter 18.
- far
- Not codified as a separate FAR table per prior research; intensity governed via setback / height / coverage.
- du_ac
- Implicit via min lot area per dwelling unit in residential districts; AODICUZ APZ-I caps may further limit residential density.
- setback_front
- Front yard per Chapter 18 district table.
- setback_side
- Interior side per Chapter 18 district table.
- setback_rear
- Rear yard per Chapter 18 district table.
- parking
- Off-street parking per Chapter 18 parking standards.
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage (per district table)- max_units_residential_per_lot
min(lot_area_sf / min_land_area_per_du, AODICUZ APZ density cap)- max_building_height_ft_per_district
Per Chapter 18; specific values pending retrieval
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
——
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Retrieval failure: municode_js_spa_no_static_text
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | evidence=source.primary_url = https://library.municode.com/nc/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances — Jacksonville's contracted Municode portal hosting Chapter 18 (Zoning). Confirmed accessible (HTTP 200) and consistent with the Planning & Zoning page reference. |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | evidence=No Zoneomics / Steadily / SitePlanGuide / Justia-as-primary citations. Primary source is library.municode.com/nc/jacksonville — this is Jacksonville's own contracted code-hosting platform (CivicPlus/Municode is the official publisher). Secondary sources: www.jacksonvillenc.gov/departments/planning_and_zoning (city Planning page), zoning/us/north-carolina/preemptions.md (state preemption record), FEMA Onslow County FIRM (federal floodplain mapping), DoD Instruction 4165.57 (federal AICUZ Program), MCAS New River / MCB Camp Lejeune AICUZ Studies (federal military). |
| confidence tags full form | passed | evidence=Every district dimensional standard carries {v, c (confirmed/partial), citation, not_captured_reason where partial}. Overlay parameters carry {name, value, status, citation}. Preemption entries cite NCGS section, qualifying_condition_checked with Jacksonville-specific applicability (R-15/R-10/R-6/R-4 district roster for §160D-702, military-rotational STR market for §160D-1207(c), AICUZ APZ-I cap interaction with §160D-108 ADU mandate, Onslow County tree-authority absence). |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | evidence=2/2 overlays (AODICUZ, FHOFD) have parameters[] arrays with name/value/status/citation per parameter, geographic_trigger string referencing MCAS New River / MCB Camp Lejeune AICUZ Studies / New River corridor / Onslow FIRM, status, citation, and ordinance_ref. overlays_absence_documented lists 4 absent overlay categories (historic-district, watershed-protection, TOD, form-based-code) with search_performed evidence. |
| preempt section city specific | passed | evidence=10 NC statutes with qualifying_condition_checked containing Jacksonville-specific applicability: §160D-702 (R-15/R-10/R-6/R-4 design preemption, AICUZ NOT a carveout), S.L. 2023-108 (ADU mandate with AICUZ APZ-I interaction), §160D-1207(c) (military-rotational STR market), §160D-907 (family care home), §160D-910 (manufactured housing), §160D-914 (solar — no HDO carveout available), SB 382 (downzoning consent friction with AICUZ updates), HB 488 (NC IBC/IRC 2015 freeze affecting military housing), §160D-921 (Onslow no tree-ordinance authority), §160D-903 (ETJ bona fide farm exemption). |
Data quality
30%completeness14 confirmed35 partial
Documented gaps
- Chapter 18 dimensional tables for R-15, R-10, R-6, R-4, CB, HB, I-Light, I-General, MU not extractable from Municode SPA — all per-district dimensional values are partial pending retrieval.
- AODICUZ overlay parameter values (specific APZ-I/II density caps, DNL sound-attenuation specifications, mapped APZ boundaries on Official Zoning Map) pending Chapter 18 retrieval and AICUZ Study cross-reference.
- FHOFD overlay freeboard value not directly confirmed (2 ft NC default assumed); coverage adjustment (−10%) and setback addition (+15 ft) from v1 record need section-cited verification.
- Confirmation that no locally-designated HDO exists (or identification if one does).
- Chapter 18 ADU codification status vs. S.L. 2023-108 default not confirmed.
- Specific Chapter 18 ordinance amendment numbers and dates not captured.
Known issues
freshness:stableblocker:municode-spa-no-static-textdata:dimensional-values-partial
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