Do I need a zoning permit?

The Alexander County Planning Department has been working for the last year to improve the level of service it provides to County residents and business owners. From developing a new comprehensive plan and land development code to simplifying rules and procedures to more common-sense approaches to land use regulation, it is the goal of our department to be as fair and user-friendly as possible. In a series of upcoming articles, we will be exploring topics that come up frequently in our day-to-day conversations.

The first topic we’d like to discuss is zoning permits. When are they required, and more importantly, why?

Zoning permits are required anytime a building, sign, or other structure is constructed, moved, extended or enlarged, or structurally altered. A zoning permit is also necessary for any change in the use of an existing structure. In plain English, if you’re doing something new on your property, there’s a good chance that a zoning permit is required. This includes a new business moving into an already existing building, adding an accessory structure to your home (like a shed or swimming pool), and even moving structures around.

A fair question to ask in light of these rules is “Why.” Zoning has a century-long history in the United States. Admittedly, not all of that history has been positive as there are plenty of cases here in North Carolina where planning and zoning rules tend to get a bit overwhelming (such as larger urban areas). There are some important benefits to zoning, however. First, zoning is the best tool to make sure that a toxic waste plant doesn’t get built next to a daycare or your home. Giving different land uses their place in a community helps ensure harmony between our industrial, commercial, and residential areas.

Another important aspect of zoning is to ensure that the unique qualities of a particular land use make sense in a certain area. This is the reason for requiring a zoning permit even when a new business is moving into a structure that held a different business before. For example, a thrift shop and a restaurant may both be commercial, yet they have very different impacts on traffic, water and sewer usage, lighting requirements, and even the smells they emit. Zoning can’t predict every possible impact a certain use may have on neighboring properties, of course, but it does try to account for the obvious ones and place those uses in areas that make sense.

Finally, zoning helps a community protect its identity and character. Requiring certain architectural elements to be included in areas like Main Street, or even larger neighborhoods, helps make sure that the things that make those places unique remain intact as new development takes place.

There are many other reasons why zoning can be a tool for good, and the County is working on developing policies that emphasize the positive uses of zoning while remaining as simple and unintrusive as possible. In fact, that is the very topic of our next article – a brand new Land Development Code!

For more information, send an email to planning@alexandercountync.gov.