Gates County, NC: flood zone, zoning and property lines by address
Free, no account. Or open the North Carolina map and tap a lot.
Towns in Gates County: Gatesville.
Flood zone by address
ParcelSheet reads FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer at the lot: the zone, whether it is a high risk area where lenders ask for flood insurance, and the base flood elevation where FEMA lists one. FEMA's countywide study for Gates County has 59 FIRM panels, the newest effective December 2018; no coastal V zones are mapped in it.
The official panel and any Letter of Map Amendment are at FEMA's Map Service Center. An elevation certificate for a Gates house comes from a licensed surveyor and is often on file with the county or city building office.
Property lines
The parcel outline, parcel number and mapped size come from the NC OneMap statewide parcel layer (each county tax office's parcels, published by the NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis), so a Gates lot shows the same lines the tax office draws. Gates County covers about 217,992 acres of land and 3,285 acres of water.
Mapped lines are approximate. The Gates County tax office keeps the parcel record (Gates County website); every county's office is on the state's county assessors list; a licensed surveyor sets the true corners.
Zoning
Gates County zones its unincorporated land, and Gatesville zones the land inside its limits. ParcelSheet shows the use the tax office lists for the lot and links the county planning office for the district, the uses it allows and the lot size it needs.
ADU and guest houses
Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes lets local governments allow an accessory dwelling unit on a lot with a house. Whether a Gates lot can add one depends on its district; the county planning office has the rule. ParcelSheet shows the mapped lot size and the ground's slope, the first two things the question turns on.
Septic and soil
ParcelSheet reads the USDA soil survey at the lot: the soil's name, its septic absorption rating and whether it is prime farmland. Gates County is soil survey area NC073, Gates County, North Carolina, last updated September 2026, on Web Soil Survey.
A new or changed septic system in Gates County needs a permit from the Gates County health department, under the NC DHHS On-Site Water Protection Branch, which tests the soil on the lot itself.
Setbacks
Setbacks in Gates County come from the zoning district: the front, side and rear distances a house must keep. ParcelSheet does not draw setback lines; the county zoning office gives them for the lot's district, and Gatesville for land inside its limits.
Hazards that apply
- Wetlands and wildfire. ParcelSheet shows the National Wetlands Inventory near a Gates lot and the Forest Service wildfire hazard rating at it.
Questions
Is my house in a flood zone in Gates County?
Type the address in the box above and ParcelSheet reads FEMA's flood zone at the lot's center. FEMA's countywide flood map for Gates County has 59 panels, the newest effective December 2018. A lender or insurer uses the official FIRM panel; FEMA's Map Service Center has it.
How do I find property lines in Gates County?
Open the North Carolina map, type the address, and the parcel outline from the county tax office shows on the map with its parcel number and mapped size. Mapped lines are approximate; only a licensed surveyor sets the true corners.
What is my property zoned in Gates County?
Zoning in Gates County is set by the county for unincorporated land and by each city (such as Gatesville) inside its own limits. ParcelSheet shows the use code the tax office lists and links the office that sets the zoning; the planning office has the final word.
Can I build an ADU in Gates County?
Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes lets counties and cities allow an accessory dwelling unit, and each sets its own rules. In Gates County ask the zoning office for the lot's district first; ParcelSheet shows the lot size as mapped so you can see the room you have.
Do I need a septic permit in Gates County?
Yes. A new or changed septic system in Gates County needs a permit from the Gates County health department, under the NC DHHS On-Site Water Protection Branch. ParcelSheet shows the USDA soil survey's septic rating at the lot, from survey area NC073 (Gates County, North Carolina).
Next to Gates County: Camden County, Chowan County, Hertford County, Pasquotank County.
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