Environmental Guide to Purchasing a Home or Property
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
If you’re thinking about buying a home or purchasing property on which to build a home, these tips may help you:
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS
- Check the property deed to see if there are any notices or restrictions on the property that relate to contamination.
- Try to determine how the property was previously used. If the property was farmland, there may be pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, etc., in the soil. Find out if the property, or neighboring properties, contained a business that might lead you to believe there could be contamination at the site. Such businesses might include old service stations, paint and body shops, junkyards, or industrial operations where chemicals and wastes may have been spilled or mishandled. A private laboratory service can help you determine the status of the soil and water on the property. If there were previous businesses on the property, particularly if they required environmental permits or contamination was found, then the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources may have records on the property. For the department’s File Access Procedures, check the following Web site: http://www.enr.state.nc.us/html/faq_details2.html#fileaccess
- Check the zoning for the property. Zoning is a local government issue, and some counties/municipalities have it while others do not. Zoning determines what kinds of activities are allowed on the property as well as neighboring properties. Homeowner associations may also determine what you can and cannot do on a piece of property. Remember, too, that the current “view” from the property that you like so well may change tomorrow, particularly if the area is not zoned.
PROPERTY HISTORY
- The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources does not require environmental assessments on property, but many lending institutions do. The lending institutions can provide more information about these assessments and may suggest the names of companies that offer such services in your area. Companies that conduct environmental assessments can also be found in the Yellow Pages of your telephone directory under the heading “Environmental Consultants.”
WATER AND SEWER SERVICE
- Properties inside city limits are typically served by municipal water and wastewater services. Some counties provide this service, too. There are also subdivisions and multi-family dwellings (depends on number of residents served) where water and/or sewer services are provided by private companies. Both public and privately-owned providers are regulated by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Public water supplies are regulated by the Division of Environmental Health, and wastewater is regulated, for the most part, by the Division of Water Quality. For compliance information about these systems, contact the regional office that serves your county: http://www.enr.state.nc.us/html/regionaloffices.html
SEPTIC TANKS
- If you need a septic tank for the property, contact the county health department. For a county-by-county listing, check the following Web Site: http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/ehs/images/ehsdir2000.PDF and ask staff to determine if the property is suitable for a septic tank. To locate a list of contract operators certified to install septic tanks, check the following Web site: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/tacu/conted.html. See "Subsurface System Operators"
WELLS
- If the property has a drinking water well and you want to have it checked for bacteria, contact the county health department. For a county-by-county listing, check this Web site: http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/ehs/images/ehsdir2000.PDF If you need to have a drinking water well drilled on the property, you can find information at the following Web site: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/agw.html Be sure to check out the link, “Private Well Information and Brochures,” under the heading Well Information.
HOME HEATING OIL TANKS (underground)
- Home heating oil tanks are not regulated by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. However, the department has information available at the following Web site that may help you if there is a home heating oil tank on the property: http://www.wastenotnc.org/ust/FaqHHO.html
WETLANDS
- If there are wetlands on the property that you are interested in purchasing, you may want to know ahead of time what you can and can’t do with such areas. For information, go to the following Web site: http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/wetlands.html Be sure to read the Wetlands Primer, as well as the information at Non-point Source Management – Wetlands and Riparian Areas.
DOCKS/BOAT MOORINGS
- If you want to put in a dock/boat mooring and the property is in a coastal county, contact the N.C. Division of Coastal Management at 1-888-472-6278 or check the following Web site for information: http://dcm2.enr.state.nc.us/Permits/permits.htm
- If you want to put in a dock/boat mooring and the property is in an inland county, you will need to contact the DENR regional office that serves your county: http://www.enr.state.nc.us/html/regionaloffices.html and ask for staff in the Surface Water Section of the Division of Water Quality. You will also need to contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at 910-251-4511.
POISONOUS PLANTS, SNAKES, AND SPIDERS
- If you are a newcomer to North Carolina and purchasing property here, you may want to be able to identify poisonous plants, snakes and spiders that are native to the state. Our N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences has posters and information that will help you. Call 919-733-7450 or toll free 877-4NATSCI (in state only).
PONDS
- Ponds are beautiful to look at, but they can be a headache and expensive if not maintained properly. Many ponds are man-made and have dams that require maintenance and repair. Some dams fall under the jurisdiction of the state’s Dam Safety Program (http://www.dlr.enr.state.nc.us/pages/damsafetyprogram.html ). Ponds can also become choked with aquatic weeds that affect plant and animal life. For information about ponds, check the following Web site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/wild/fisheries/index.html Before purchasing property with a pond, find out the status of the pond from the owner. The Dam Safety staff in the DENR regional office that serves your area may be able to provide you with information about any dams that are regulated by the state. The county Cooperative Extension Service may be able to help you with information and guidance if you’re thinking about buying land with a pond or want to build a pond on the property. A county-by-county listing of local Cooperative Extension Service offices is available through the following Web site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=countycenters