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11 <br />ORANGE COUNTY BUILDING INSPECTIONS <br />010cav <br />131 West Margaret Lane <br />(919) 245 -2600 Suite 101 <br />(919) 644 -3347 (FAX) Hillsborough, <br />www.co.orange.nc.us North Carolina, 27278 <br />Bona Fide Farms and Exemptions to the North Carolina Building Code <br />Overview: <br />The purpose of this memo is to provide information on the applicability of the North Carolina <br />Building Code to bona fide farm structures and activities. The Building Code is adopted by the <br />State and administered by local governments. Local governments do not have the authority to <br />amend the Building Code; amendments must be done at the State level. <br />North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS) 153A -340 and 143 -138 exempt bona fide farm <br />structures from portions of the North Carolina State Building Code requirements. Bona fide farm <br />purposes include the production and activities relating or incidental to the production of crops, <br />fruits, vegetables, ornamental and flowering plants, dairy, livestock, poultry, and all other forms <br />of agriculture as defined in G.S. 106 - 581.1. <br />Farm buildings exempt from building code requirements: <br />1. Farm buildings located outside building rules jurisdiction. <br />2. Farm buildings located inside building rules jurisdiction if farm buildings are: <br />a. Greenhouse <br />b. Primitive camp <br />c. Primitive farm building <br />3. Any structure used or associated with equine activities. Arenas, grandstands, bleachers <br />associated with equine events are subject only to an annual safety inspection. <br />4. Greenhouses. A greenhouse is a structure with glass or plastic roof, used to grow or <br />cultivate plants, built in accordance with National Greenhouse Manufacturers Association <br />Structural Design Manual, and not used for retail sales. <br />5. Any structure used for display and sale of produce, no more than 1,000 sq. ft. in size, <br />open to the public no more than 180 days per year, and certified by the Dept. of <br />Agriculture and Consumer Services as a Certified Roadside Farm Market. <br />6. Primitive Camps. A primitive camp includes any structure primarily used or associated <br />with outdoor camping activities, including structures used for educational, instructional, <br />