Dare County

What Dare County does

Dare County is a county government entity and political subdivision of North Carolina, established in 1870 and headquartered in Manteo. It serves a geographically dispersed population of full-time and part-time residents across more than a dozen towns and villages on the Outer Banks, including Manteo, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Duck, Southern Shores, Hatteras Village, Rodanthe, and others, as well as the millions of annual visitors to the region. The county operates over 30 departments covering public safety (Sheriff's Office, EMS, Emergency Management, Fire Marshal), health and human services, tax administration, elections, planning and inspections, parks and recreation, libraries, public works, and an airport.

The county's most notable physical infrastructure is the Cape Hatteras Water Treatment Plant on Hatteras Island, which uses reverse osmosis for water purification. A $14.46 million five-year Water Capital Improvement Plan (FY2027-2031) includes a $2.5 million third reverse osmosis unit and a $1.83 million new well. The county also maintains a GIS department for mapping and spatial data services supporting planning and operations. In 2025, the county launched a new Online Water Billing and Account Management System to digitize customer interactions, and the library system is transitioning to the NC Cardinal statewide platform, expanding patron access to over 8.1 million items.

Dare County does not generate revenue in a commercial sense; it is funded primarily through local property taxes, sales and use taxes, tourism-related occupancy and food and beverage taxes, state and federal grants, and fees for specific services such as building permits, water connections, dog licenses, marriage licenses, and passport applications. The Dare County Tourism Board administers a Tourism Impact Grant program that has distributed $21.31 million across 233 awards to 49 local nonprofits and municipalities since 1993, including $1.77 million to 12 organizations in November 2025. The county is governed by an elected Board of Commissioners and managed by a County Manager.

Name

Dare County

Legal name

Dare County, NC

Website

https://darenc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dare County is a North Carolina county government headquartered in Manteo that delivers public services—including public safety, water utilities, health and human services, tax administration, and libraries—to residents, businesses, and visitors across the Outer Banks region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration / County Government Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Utilities (Advanced Treatment & Blending) (EUANAGAC)

Keywords

• County government services
• Public utility services
• Water treatment services
• Public safety services
• Emergency medical services

Headquarters

HQ city

Manteo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dare County is a county government entity that provides public administration and services to residents, businesses, and visitors of the Outer Banks region in North Carolina. Its core offerings include water and wastewater services through the Cape Hatteras Water Treatment Plant (reverse osmosis), public safety (Sheriff's Office, Emergency Medical Services), parks and recreation, libraries, tax administration, planning and permitting, and a Tourism Board grant program that has distributed approximately $21.31 million since 1993.

Product overview

Dare County operates as a county government providing public services to residents and visitors of the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. The county's primary service offerings include water treatment and distribution infrastructure (notably the Cape Hatteras Water Treatment Plant with reverse osmosis capability), online water billing and account management systems, and approximately 30+ departments covering public safety, health services, tax collection, planning, parks and recreation, libraries, and general government administration. The Water Department services represent the core utility infrastructure, while the Online Water Billing System provides customer-facing digital access to account management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Department Services
• Cape Hatteras Water Treatment Plant
• Online Water Billing and Account Management System
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• Sheriff's Office (Law Enforcement) County law enforcement services led by Sheriff Doug Doughtie, providing public safety, patrol, and investigation across Dare County.
• Parks & Recreation Services Public parks, recreational facilities, and community programs operated by Dare County for residents and visitors.
• Dare County Libraries Public library services providing books, media, and community resources to Dare County residents.
• Tax Department Services Property tax administration, billing, and collection services for Dare County property owners.
• Planning and Permitting Services Building permits, zoning, planning, and regulatory services for residents, businesses, and contractors in Dare County.
• Tourism Board Grant Program Grant program administered by the Dare County Tourism Board that has distributed approximately $21.31 million to support tourism and events since 1993.
• Current TV Local government television channel providing public information, meeting coverage, and county updates to Dare County residents.

Quantifiable outcome

• $21.31 million distributed through 233 Tourism Impact Grants to 49 nonprofits and municipalities since 1993

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NC Cardinal Library SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Dare County Library is transitioning to the NC Cardinal library system, enabling patrons to access over 8.1 million items at no cost. This statewide partnership enhances library services by connecting to a broader network of physical resources.
• Dare County Tourism Board RecipientscoreOthers · 20 November 2025The Dare County Tourism Board finalized $1.77 million in Tourism Impact Grant Awards for 12 local nonprofit organizations and Dare County governmental entities on November 20, 2025. The grants support programs and services addressing tourism impact, including multi-use paths, beach accesses, environmental sustainability initiatives, and capital projects at cultural and historical attractions. Since 1993, the Tourism Board's restricted fund grants have supported 233 awards totaling $21.31 million to 49 local nonprofits and municipalities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Beaufort County, NC: NC coastal county with similar population scale and a mix of agricultural, tourism, and second-home tax base; comparable on rural coastal governance and infrastructure deployment.
• Town of Duck, NC: Small Dare County municipality providing comparable narrow-corridor coastal town services, including public safety, beach access management, and tourism-season operations.
• Brunswick County, NC: NC coastal county slightly larger than Dare with a comparable coastal-tourism and second-home economy, providing similar countywide services including water and emergency management.
• Carteret County, NC: Mid-sized NC coastal county with a strong tourism economy and similar mix of water utility operations, beach management, and countywide public safety responsibilities.
• Currituck County, NC: Adjacent Outer Banks county of comparable size serving the northern OBX corridor. Comparable on coastal-tax-base funding model, beach-nourishment obligations, tourism-driven revenue, and small-population rural service delivery.
• Hyde County, NC: OBX-adjacent coastal county with similar small population, tourism exposure, and water/infrastructure challenges. Comparable on rural government service delivery and Outer Banks geographic profile.
• Town of Kill Devil Hills, NC: Municipal government within Dare County providing overlapping services (public safety, planning, sanitation) to a tourism-driven population; useful as a same-jurisdiction comparable for service-mix analysis.
• Town of Nags Head, NC: Dare County municipality with comparable beach-town service obligations, tourism tax base, and small-town government operations including water services and beach accesses.

Others

• Outer Banks Visitors Bureau: Regional tourism promotion authority closely tied to Dare County via occupancy tax revenue and joint tourism impact programs; adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• New Hanover County, NC: Larger NC coastal county with broader service portfolio and bigger water/sewer utility. Comparable on coastal geography and tourism exposure; useful as a scaled-up benchmark for governance and infrastructure spending.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/darecountygovt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/darecounty
• Facebookfacebook.com/DareCountyGovt
• Instagraminstagram.com/darecountygovt/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dare-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dare County