Buying Land in Brunswick County, North Carolina

A fast-growing county, with a real inland/rural side

Brunswick County occupies North Carolina's far southeastern corner, bordering South Carolina and sitting just south of the Wilmington metro area, with Bolivia as its county seat. It is consistently cited among the fastest-growing counties in North Carolina, driven substantially by coastal and near-coastal development -- but that is not the focus of this page. Brunswick still has genuinely inland, rural, and agricultural land, particularly toward the county's interior and western portions, away from the coastal corridor and Wilmington-adjacent growth. If you're evaluating land for farming, homesteading, or a rural homesite rather than a coastal or waterfront purchase, that inland character -- and the zoning district built specifically around it -- is the relevant picture.

Regardless of location within the county, growth pressure countywide has meant more active rezoning requests and development review than a typical stable rural county sees, so even inland parcels should be checked for nearby pending development or infrastructure projects that could affect long-term rural character.

Zoning: a UDO currently being rewritten

Brunswick County regulates land use through a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), most recently formally amended August 19, 2024, adopted under the authority of North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 160D. The UDO includes a Rural Low Density Residential district specifically designed to accommodate nonresidential agricultural uses and low-density residential development, along with uses supportive of the county's traditional agricultural orientation -- farming, silviculture operations, and related activities. This is generally the district most relevant to a buyer interested in inland acreage rather than higher-density coastal or suburban development.

Importantly, the county is in the middle of a formal 'UDO Modernization Project': planning consultants presented draft updates to the Board of Commissioners in October 2025, with a new proposed UDO still being developed to align with the county's Blueprint Brunswick land-use plan. That means the ordinance you're reading today may not reflect what's in force by the time you close on a parcel -- confirm the current, in-force version and ask specifically whether any pending amendment could affect your parcel's district or permitted uses.

Septic and well permitting through Brunswick County Environmental Health

Brunswick County Environmental Health Services, based in Bolivia, is the county's own department (not a shared multi-county district), handling septic system and well permitting directly. The process follows North Carolina's standard sequence: a Registered Environmental Health Specialist conducts a site evaluation covering landscape position, soil characteristics, wetness, depth, and available space, then issues an Improvement Permit, followed by a Construction Authorization once you're ready to install, and finally an Operation Permit after inspection.

As with the rest of North Carolina, the technical standards are set at the state level, with the county handling evaluation, permitting, and inspection -- see the statewide framework this page builds on. Confirm current fees, application forms (traditional wastewater, online wastewater system application, and well applications are all available separately), and appointment lead times directly with the county, especially given the pace of growth and building activity here.

MOTSU: a federal easement that a zoning map alone will not show you

One more critical fact for land near Southport, Boiling Spring Lakes, or Leland: Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU), the U.S. Army's ammunition-shipping terminal, holds recorded, perpetual easements over roughly 4,919 acres of privately held Brunswick County land that bar any vertical construction, in addition to more than 8,636 acres it owns outright and an explosive safety buffer zone that reaches further still. This restriction runs with the land through a recorded easement or through active Army land-use planning recommendations -- it is independent of, and won't necessarily be visible on, the county's own zoning map. See our dedicated easements page for what to check on a title before buying near this area.

What to verify before you buy

Confirm with Brunswick County's Planning department whether your inland parcel falls in the Rural Low Density Residential district or another classification, and specifically ask whether the ongoing UDO Modernization Project could change that classification before you close. Pair that with an early site evaluation from Environmental Health for septic suitability, and if your land is anywhere near a growth corridor, ask about any pending rezoning applications or planned infrastructure nearby that could affect the area's long-term rural character. If your parcel is anywhere near Southport, Boiling Spring Lakes, or Leland, have your title search specifically flag any recorded MOTSU easement.