Service name

Your current insurance agent can help you get flood insurance. Most companies can write a NFIP flood insurance policy for you. If you need more help, www.FloodSmart.gov can provide you with names of local agents that provide NFIP flood insurance. You may also call the toll free number (888) 379-9531 to ask for a flood insurance agent referral.

• North Carolina’s Flood Risk Information System (FRIS)
• North Carolina Flood Mapping System 
• For official floodplain determinations (mortgages, flood insurance rates, site development), contact the Town Manager by emailing dbarrick@rutherfordton.net. Please provide telephone number, your address, site inquiry address, and a complete description of your request.

Flood insurance is an important part of protecting your property. Property in a mapped floodplain is five times more likely to be damaged by a flood than by a fire. There is a 26% chance that such a property will be flooded during a 30 year mortgage.

In NFIP communities, the federal government requires flood insurance for buildings in a Special Flood Hazard Area that are financed through a federally backed mortgage or loan. (Lenders may require flood insurance for other types of loans as well.)

If you live outside a mapped floodplain your property may still be damaged by a flood. About 25% of all flood damage occurs outside mapped flood zones. Standard home insurance policies do not cover flooding due to rising waters.

Check out this North Carolina liquor page.

Parking tickets may be paid at Town Hall located at

129 N. Main St.

Rutherfordton, NC 28139

You may contact the Fire Department at 828-287-3520 ext. 2 to find out information on a test. Or you may purchase a carbon monoxide alarm from Lowes.

Please check out the Rutherford County Courthouse Jury Service page.

Please check out this Rutherford County Transit page.

Please check out this Rutherford County Transit page.

Please check out the NC State Board of Elections page.

You may find answers on the Isothermal Planning Development page.

You may find answers on the Isothermal Planning Development page.

Broad River Water Authority handles the water in Town. To test your water or see water test results please check out BRWA Customer Service page.

Property taxes are managed, billed, and collected by Rutherford County. For information on property taxes visit the County Revenue Department.

The Town does not have a street sweeper. We do use blowers to clean Main St. area and sidewalks.

The Town does not require a permit to park.

Please check out this hospital links.

https://www.myrutherfordregional.com/

https://www.saintlukeshospital.com/

https://atriumhealth.org/locations/detail/atrium-health-cleveland

https://missionhealth.org/member-hospitals/mission/

Isothermal Community College

Rutherford Campus
286 ICC Loop Road
P.O. Box 804
Spindale, NC 28160
828-286-3636

Polk Center
1255 West Mills St.
Columbus, NC 28722
828-894-3092

Rutherfordton Learning Center
134 Maple Street
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
828-286-2218

Check out this events page.

For non-emergencies please call 828-287-3520 ext. 1 for the Town of Rutherfordton or 828-286-2911 for the communication center. For emergencies always call 911!

Please call 828-287-3520 ext. 1.

You can sign up online at CivicRec.

Passports are issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You may find information on their website. The USPS also provides information and assistance with applying for passports. The Rutherford County Library serves as a passport acceptance facility.

Forest City Driver License Office

596 Withrow Road
Forest City, NC 28043

Phone: (828) 286-2973
Fax: (828) 286-8615

https://ncbrwa.com/online-bill-pay

You can get bid information by emailing dbarrick@rutherfordton.net.

The Town of Rutherfordton is a great place to work, offering an extensive benefits package including:

• Membership in the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System
• NC 401(k) & 457 Deferred Compensation Plans (Town contributes 4% to general employees and 5% to sworn law enforcement)
• Group Health Insurance that includes medical, vision and dental coverage
• Life Insurance benefits (including Accidental Death and Dismemberment)
• Employer paid annual leave
• Employer paid sick leave
• Employer paid holidays (12 Days Per Year)
• Employer paid civil leave
• Overtime pay, on call pay, and holiday premium pay
• Employer paid longevity bonus
• Employer paid career development educational assistance
• Acceptance of qualified transferred sick leave from other NC governmental entities
• Leave accrual rates based on approved aggregate years of NC government qualified service
• Employee Assistance Program
• Local Government Employees Federal Credit Union eligibility

If you are burning outside of the Town limits a burning permit from the NC Forest Service is required. These permits can be obtained from the North Carolina Forest Service website.  These permits are free, sent to you via email and are good for thirty days.  If you are burning it is also suggested that you call Rutherford County Communications Center at 828-286-2911 to let them know about your control burn.

Click this link to access our burning permit flyer:

You can apply for a Police Department job by filling out the Police Employment application.

We do provide fax service. The cost is $1.00 per sheet.

You may use your library card at all the libraries in Rutherford County except for Isothermal Community College Library. You may also use your card at any library in the state that participates in the NC Cardinal system.

The Rutherfordton Fire and Rescue Department has a current ISO rating for insurance classifications of a 4/9E.

All properties inside the city limits of Rutherfordton, Ruth, and properties within 5 road miles of the fire stations have an ISO Class 4 Classification. All properties within 6 road miles have a 9E classification.

Rutherfordton Fire & Rescue does not fill any commercial or residential swimming pools.

Rutherfordton Fire & Rescue has certified technicians that are available to properly educate and assist you in installing car seats in the safest manner. If you or anyone you know needs assistance in car seat installations, we will assist by appointment only. You can call the station at (828) 287-7367 to schedule an appointment.

There is no fence ordinance in the Town limits.  We do recommend staying five feet off adjoining property lines.

If you are a resident in the Rutherfordton Fire & Rescue’s fire district we do offer free smoke detectors.  These can be picked up at our station or installed by request.  Contact the fire station at 828-287-7367 X2 if you are in need of smoke detectors. “Working smoke detectors save lives”

If you are a resident of the Rutherfordton Fire & Rescue fire district (Town or rural) you can call the fire station at 828-287-7367 X2 to get an address sign. These are free to residents in the fire district.

We both send and receive faxes. The cost is $1.00 per sheet.

We do not have a notary public at this time.

We make copies for ten cents a sheet or twenty cents a sheet for color copies. If the copy is from library materials, it is five cents a sheet for black and white or twenty cents a sheet for color.

Copies off of the internet computers are twenty cents a sheet.

Items copied will be done within the restraints of the copyright laws.

We have public internet computers available for use. We also have wireless access if you bring your own device in with you. The wireless also picks up outside of the library.

Library patrons with a valid library card from the Foothills Consortium (formerly known as the CMC Consortium) are eligible to use the North Carolina Digital Library.

The North Carolina Digital Library is the library’s main resource for eBooks and eAudiobooks for adults. The NC Kids’ Digital Library provides access to materials appropriate for elementary school aged children and is available to all libraries throughout the state thanks to funding from the State Library of North Carolina. To access from either (or both) resources, you will need to download the Libby app from your device’s app store (Google Play or App Store).

Download and install Libby.

Open the app and click YES when asked if you have a library card.

Next select I’ll Search for a Libraryor you can use the Guess My Library Feature (this feature uses your location information to find the libraries closest to you).

Enter your zip code when prompted if you chose I’ll Search for a Library.

The result list will show both the NC Digital Library and the NC Kids’ Digital Library. Your library card and PIN will work with both resources. Begin by choosing NC Digital Library.

When asked to choose a location you will need to select Foothills Consortium. 

When asked for your library card number it is the 14-digit number under the barcode on your library card. You will enter it without any spaces. Your PIN will be the last 4 digits of that barcode number. If you had a different PIN beforewe migrated to NCCardinal, your PIN was changed to the last 4 digits of your card number.

In order to add the NC Kids’ Digital Library, you will select the Libby icon in the upper right-hand section of the screen. You will then need to choose to add a library. It will ask for your zip code. Then you will see a list that will show the NC Kids’ Digital Library and you may choose that one.You may then switch between libraries by selecting the Libby icon in the top right corner of the screen and picking the one that you want to use.

You are then ready to start “checking out materials”. You may search for a book or go exploring by genres, etc. There is also an option under explore to only look at available titles. If all copies of a title that you want is checked out, you may place a hold request on that item.

The North Carolina Digital Library is paid for and provided to the Foothills consortium by the Rutherford County Library System.

No open burning inside the Town limits is allowed.  You are allowed to have a recreational fire inside a fire pit.  If you are burning outside of the Town limits a burning permit from the NC Forest Service is required. These permits can be obtained from the North Carolina Forest Service website.  These permits are free, sent to you via email and are good for thirty days.  If you are burning it is also suggested that you call Rutherford County Communications Center at 828-286-2911 to let them know about your control burn.

The Town of Rutherfordton launched Recycle Coach™, a mobile and web app that contains trash and recycling schedules tailored to individual addresses. On the free mobile app, residents can view/export schedules and set up automatic reminders right on their smartphones.

Check out this page for more information!

The Town of Rutherfordton launched Recycle Coach™, a mobile and web app that contains trash and recycling schedules tailored to individual addresses. On the free mobile app, residents can view/export schedules and set up automatic reminders right on their smartphones.

Check out this page for more information!

A Knox box is a tamper proof emergency key box that is placed outside of the building.  Once installed we lock the keys to your building inside and they are only accessed if an emergency arises at the location.  The Town has an ordinance that states that any new business in Town or any business that changes occupancy or ownership must have a Knox Box installed.

You can request a new trash or recycling can by calling Public Works! By giving us your address, we’ll bring it out to you. Please note that extra trash cans cost $65, plus an additional monthly fee.

Cans should be on the road by 7:30 am on the day of pickup.

A: No skateboarding or roller skating is allowed on Town sidewalks, streets, or any private property within the area of the north side of Sixth Street to a line running westerly from the south end of South Cleghorn Street to the south end of Mitchell Street and from the east side of Cleghorn Street (including South Cleghorn Street) to the west side of Mitchell Street. In addition, no bicycles, skateboards, skates, scooters, or similar apparatus may be operated on the sidewalk on the north side of Charlotte Road between U.S. Highway 221 to the U.S. Highway 74 Bypass. Violators will have skateboards and roller skates confiscated and will be subject to fines.

A: If any criminal incident or vehicle crash occurs inside the Town limits of Rutherfordton, the Rutherfordton Police Department will investigate and complete any reports. We have reports here only for incidents that occur inside the Town limits. If a criminal incident occurs outside the Town limits, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department will typically investigate and complete any reports. North Carolina Highway Patrol will typically investigate and complete any reports for any vehicle crash that occurs outside of any municipal boundaries.

It is possible to put a mobile home in the R-2 zoning district, however, this does require a Conditional Use Permit which must be approved by the Planning Board and Town Council.  All mobile homes must meet the current building code standard.

If you need to apply for a septic tank permit you must call the Rutherford County Health Department at 828-287-6100.

Please place your cans within 10 feet of the road. Please do not place it on a hill, in front of a mailbox or power lines, or let it be blocked by a car or other trash.

The Town of Rutherfordton does have a high grass ordinance.  Any grass over 12 inches high is in violation.  Weekly checks through town and complaints called in are how violations are found.

There are many reasons why we might’ve not picked up your trash or recycling. A few reasons could be that the can was too far from the road, it was being blocked by something, or it was too close to a mailbox or power lines. To ensure that we pick it up, please make sure that its within 10 feet of the road and far from mailboxes. Make sure that it’s put out by 7:30 am on the day of pickup!

Review our schedule here too!

A.  A party involved in an incident that results in a written report may request a copy of the report by coming by Town Hall during normal business hours (8-5, Monday – Friday) and a copy will be provided without charge. There is a fee that must be paid in advance if an involved party to the incident would like a copy mailed. If a person not named as a party to the incident, or a company requests a copy of a report, there is a fee for in-person pickup or mailing. The fee will be waived for a company if they are named on the report as a victim, owner, etc. The Police Department does not fax copies of reports.

We understand that not everyone within our town limits are able-bodied individuals, and we want to provide everyone with the best possible service! If you are unable to physically transport your can close to the road for pickup, please bring a doctor’s note to Public Works and we will grab your can for you!

If you have bulky items or extra trash that needs to be picked up, please call the Public Works Department. We’ll come inspect what you need to be picked up, and tell you how much it will be to pick it up. After Public Works gives you a price, please pay at Town Hall. After payment confirmation, we will come pick it up for you!

Check out this page for guidance on what’s recyclable!

A. Lost & Found Animals
Stray & Feral Animals are subject to seizure by the Town and our agent Rutherford County Animal Services. Animals that have been seized are subject to a 3 day (72 hour) holding period at the Rutherford County Animal Shelter ( 656 Laurel Hill Drive, Rutherfordton, NC 28139) The Shelter may be reached at 828-287-6025. An active posting of found or seized animals is available at Town Hall during normal business hours.

Leash Law
Animals shall be under sufficient physical restraint (leash, cage, fence, etc) at all times. An animal is exempt from being under physical restraint if a responsible adult (18 years old or older) is physically outdoors and directly adjacent to the animal on the land where the owner of the animal resides, and the animal is obedient to that person’s commands.
An animal is considered to be a public nuisance even if it is properly restrained if it has dangerous or destructive propensities; habitual barking or other noise making; or interferes with the use of public streets, sidewalks, or other public areas. (Section 8-2022).

Animals in heat shall be confined in an enclosure that will not allow the animal to come in contact with or attract other animals (Section 8-2015).

Animals over four months old shall be vaccinated against rabies and wear a collar with a vaccination tag and the owner’s name and address are displayed. $50 fine.

To report violations: Call the Rutherfordton Police Department at 287-5062 if any of the following conditions exist:

An animal is unrestrained and running at large and the owner is known.
An animal is destroying property or exhibiting dangerous behavior (such as injuring another animal).
An animal is interfering with the use of public streets, sidewalks, or other public areas or exhibits other nuisance type behavior such as habitual barking.
Cruelty to an animal is suspected or an animal has been abandoned.
An animal is injured, wounded, or diseased and suffering (after hours call 911).
An individual is bitten by an animal (after hours call 911).
Ordinances are applicable ONLY to domesticated animals. For problems involving a wild animal, please contact North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Enforcement Division at 919-707-0030.

You may look over the Powell Bill map to see if your street is in Town limits.

All-Bright     828-894-5009

Waste Management or Republic Services   828-245-1641

Books, audio-visuals, and even E-books can be located by searching the NC Cardinal website. The NC Cardinal website allows patrons to search for items at Norris Library, all the libraries in Rutherford County, and the other libraries that participate in NC Cardinal. You may also limit the search to specific locations.

Brush pickup is not a regular scheduled pick up. Normally, our brush truck will travel from one end of town to the other every few days. If there is a large pile of brush that needs to be picked up, please call us and we will schedule the pickup.

Check out this page for more information.

All debris, leaves, and brush should be piled close to the road and away from trees, mailboxes, or power lines.

Check out this page for some more information.

Library materials may be checked out to those people who live, work, attend any school, or own property in Rutherford County. A library card issued from any Foothills Member library is valid at any and all other Foothills Consortium Member libraries.

A person must be at least 5 years old to apply for a library card at all libraries. A parent or guardian signature is required for those patrons under the age of 16. The parent or guardian who signs as responsible party must have a library card issued from a Foothills Consortium member library and have an account in good standing.

New patrons must show identification (ID) when registering for a library card. Examples of valid photo identification include:

Driver’s License or other state-issued photo identification

Student identification card

Military identification card

Passport

VA Veteran’s card

• Broad River Water Authority                             (828)-286-0640
• Spindale Public Works                                        (828)-286-2206
• Forest City Public Works                                    (828)-245-0149
• Ruth City Hall                                                        (828)-287-7943
• Ellenboro Town Hall                                            (828)-453-8611
• Town Of Bostic                                                     (828)-245-5108
• Chimney Rock Village                                        (828)-625-4456
• NC DOT Spindale                                                 (828)-286-3433
• Rutherford County Solid Waste                       (828)-287-6125
• Rutherford County Maintenance                    (828)-288-4501

Please visit this page for more information about your sewer line.

When you find an item you wish to check out, you can place a hold by logging into your account on the NC Cardianl Website with your library card number and pin. The exception to this would be for new books. You may also call the library at 828-287-3520 to request the item be held for you. If it is available, it will pulled off the shelf and placed at the circulation desk for you to pick up. If the item you have requested is checked out, a hold can be placed on the title. When it arrives for you to pick up, you will receive an email to let you know it is available if you opted to provide your email address. You may also opt to be notified by text message or email.

You may also request an item be sent to Norris Public Library from any of the libraries in the Foothills Consortium or NC Cardinal System. The same is true for requesting items owned by Norris Library to be sent to one of the other Foothills Consortium Libraries or NC Cardinal System. The exceptions to this would be new books and reference materials. You may do this by simply following the same steps that you would for placing a hold. You would need to mark the library you would like the item to be sent.

You may call 828-287-3520 ext. 6.

Before you throw away paint it must be dried out by:

• Leaving the lid off can for a couple days.
• Mixing it with dirt, sand, or litter.
• Pouring it over some cardboard.

NC DMV – Tax, Tag & Registration Office :

White Oaks Plaza

1639 U.S. 74 Alternate Bypass #140

Spindale, NC 28160

Please check out the NC State Board of Elections Polling page. Fill in the required fields and it will give you the addresses of where you can vote.

Please check out the NC State Board of Elections page.

To obtain a building permit you can call the Rutherford County Building Inspections Office at 828-287-6035

The picnic shelter may be reserved for a nominal fee. Please click here for current fee schedule (.pdf). Reservations may be made in person only at the Town Hall during normal business hours. Sorry phone reservations are not allowed. Please note the shelter or any other grounds at the park may not be used for personal gain (i.e. a flea market, sales demonstration, fundraisers; any selling of products, services, or materials).

No. There is no Public Pool in Rutherfordton.

Go to Rutherford County Schools Registration.

Copies of birth certificates may be obtained through the NC Vital Records Office. You may also obtain copies of birth certificates through the Register of Deeds Office at the Courthouse in which the birth occurred. If a child was adopted the birth certificate may only be obtained through the NC Vital Records Office.

The Register of Deeds office at the Rutherford County Courthouse issues
marriage licenses for weddings that will take place in Rutherford County,
NC.

You may find answers on the Isothermal Planning Development page.

Tax Rates and Collections: To minimize administrative expenses and foster efficiency, Town property taxes are collected by the Rutherford County Tax Department. The Tax Department can be reached at (828) 287-6180 or you can find more information at www.rutherfordcountync.gov.
In addition to the general property tax, the Town levies a “Municipal Service District Tax”, (MSD) or commonly referred to as “the Main Street Tax”, on parcels located in the central business district. This tax contributes to the revitalization program to enhance the quality of downtown Rutherfordton by improving the physical, environmental, and business conditions in the downtown area. The municipal service tax rate for fiscal year 2013-2014 is 13 cents per $100 of value.

13/14 Town Tax Rate: 56.7cents per $100 of value.
13/14 County Tax Rate: 60.7 cents per $100 of value.

Please check out our Business Page.

The Town of Rutherfordton does not require a business license.

https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/driver-licenses/new-drivers/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/registration/Pages/default.aspx

Property taxes are managed, billed, and collected by Rutherford County.  Property tax bills are sent out in July of each year, and due by January 1.  All property tax bills include both county and Town taxes, if you live within a municipality’s corporate limits.  For more information on property taxes visit the County Revenue Department.

Income taxes are collected by the  State of North Carolina.  You can find more information on state income taxes on this website: https://www.nc.gov/services/taxes

Broad River Water Authority (BRWA) provides water service to the Town of Rutherfordton. You can pay your BRWA bill online at https://ncbrwa.com/online-bill-pay.

Call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or report the complaint online.

For Help with Restaurant Food Problems:

Rutherford County Health Department
221 Callahan Koon Rd
Spindale, NC 28160
(828) 287-6100

Please check out the Zoning page.

Check out this page on animals in town.

You can access a copy of the municipal codes online at https://library.municode.com/nc/rutherfordton/codes/code_of_ordinances.

Please check out the Rutherford County Courthouse Traffic Violations page.

Please check out the Rutherford County Courthouse Traffic Violations page.

Sales tax in Rutherfordton, NC, USA

State Tax Rate: 4.750%
State-wide Local Rate Range: 6.750% – 7.500%
State Change Date: 7/1/2020
City Total Rate: 7.000%

You may pay on Rutherford County Website..

The Town accepts applications whenever there is a vacancy to be filled. Vacant positions will be posted on this page. If there is a position posted that you would like to apply for, you can download the employment application here.