Procedures & Steps to Apply for Zoning Map
Change or Conditional Use Permit:

Conditional Zoning District, Conditional Use Permits &
Zoning Amendments

1. Contact the Planning Department for the initial consultation with staff. You can download the documents on this site that make up the application packet including; the Chatham County Design Guidelines, the Submission Materials Checklist, Calendar of meeting dates and submittal deadlines, Fee Schedule, and Adjacent Landowners' Document.
2. In preparing the application you may need to contact one or all of the following county or state offices:
   
   

   Land Use Administrator-Zoning Administrator Angela Birchett	919-542-8285  Zoning
   Central Permitting Director Jenny Williams	919-542-8226 Building Permits
   Building Inspection Supervisor David Brooks	919-542-8231 NC Building Codes
   Fire Marshall Tom Bender	919-542-8259 NC Fire Codes
   Environmental Health Office	919-542-8208 Well and Septic
   Environmental Quality Department Dan LaMontagne, PE	919-545-8531 Floodplain, Watershed, Stormwater
   Sedimentation & Erosion Control Rachael Thorn	919-545-8343 Erosion Control
   Utilities Director Larry Bridges	919-542-8270 County Water
   Public Works Director Dan LaMontagne	919-545-8531 Engineering
   Economic Development	919-542-8274 Economic Development
   Waste Management Director Dan LaMontagne, PE	919-545-8531 Solid Waste Issues
   Tax Office	919-542-8250 Tax Administration
   Tax Mapping	919-545-8356 Tax Mapping
   Chatham County Sheriff Richard Webster	919-542-2811 Law Enforcement
   Emergency Operations-E911 Addressing  Lesa Chavis	919-545-8161 911 Addresses & Road Names
   NCDOT District Engineer	336-318-4000 Road Plan Approval/Commercial Driveway Permits
   County Appearance Commission Ginny Gregory, Chair	919-619-0401 Landscape/Buffering
   Chatham County Historical Association Chatham County Historical Association Brochure	919-542-3603 Historical Structures
   NCDENR Division of Water Quality	919-791-4200 Waste Water & Community Water
   US Army Corps of Engineers,	919-876-8441 Creek Crossings/Wetlands

   
   
3. Contact Ginny Gregory, Appearance Commission Chairperson, 919-619-0401or beyondthecrate@gmail.com, or staff support Angela Birchett, Zoning Administrator at 919-542-8285 or angela.birchett@chathamnc.org to schedule a review of the proposed project’s landscape/ buffering, lighting, parking and signage.  Application materials shall be submitted to Angela Birchett, Zoning Administrator at angela.birchett@chathamnc.org  one (1) week prior to the Appearance Commission meeting.  The Appearance Commission normally meets the fourth (4th) Wednesday night of the month beginning at 6:30 p.m.  Meetings are generally held in the Dunlap Building classroom.  Should the location change you will be notified prior to the meeting date.
4. Hold a community meeting if required and provide a report as indiciated in the application packet. 
5. Once #3 and #4 have been completed, you may submit a completed application with its supporting documentation and 16 complete sets of the application, text, supporting documentation, site plan, and one (1) electronic copy of the complete submittal to the Planning Department along with any associated fees. Digital document submittal requirements can be found here: Digital Document Submission Guidelines. Depending on the size of the digital files you may e-mail the electronic copy to Angela Birchett or provide the information on a CD or flash drive. If you wish to have staff review the application information prior to the submittal date, it is recommended that you provide one paper copy at least two (2) weeks prior to the specified deadline.
6. If the application packet is found to be complete, the request will be scheduled for the upcoming joint County Commissioners / Planning Board public hearing held during the regularly scheduled County Commissioners meeting, usually the second Monday of the month. The County Commissioners meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. and are normally held in the Historic Court House, 2nd floor in Pittsboro.  Prior to the meeting there will be a speaker sign-up sheet for each item scheduled for public hearing near the entrance. The public hearing is for information gathering only. No decision will be made during the hearing. You may also sign up electronically through the County Manager's office prior to 5pm.
7. By direction of the Commissioners, staff will prepare Planning Board Agenda Notes on the issue to be distributed to the Planning Board members at their next scheduled meeting; usually the first Tuesday of the following month.
8. The Planning Board meetings normally are held on the first (1st) Tuesday night of each month beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Agricultural Auditorium of the Cooperative Extension Building. The Planning Board will review the issue and make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. The Planning Board has up to three (3) regular meetings to forward a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.
9. After the Planning Board has made a recommendation, the issue is forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for review and a decision. The Commissioners may decide on an approval as submitted, approval with changes or denial. There is no time limit for the Commissioners to make a decision.
10. All of Chatham County's ordinances, (i.e. zoning, subdivision, watershed, mobile home, etc.) can be located here.  County Plans and Guidelines can be located here.   

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