Overview

Buncombe County is a local government serving residents and businesses in western North Carolina. Its departments provide public health and social services, emergency response, libraries, parks, solid waste services, and planning and building inspections. An elected Board of Commissioners sets policy and adopts the budget, while an appointed county manager oversees daily administration and coordinates county agencies. Property and sales taxes, intergovernmental funding, service charges and permit fees support these public responsibilities. Created by the legislature in 1791, with its first local government formed in 1792, the county has its administrative seat in Asheville, North Carolina.