Chatham County, NC

Recode Chatham

Recode Chatham is the ongoing project to rewrite Chatham County's land-use regulations that include zoning and subdivision regulations based on the policy direction in the Plan Chatham Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2017. The project will result in a new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that serves as the primary regulatory document guiding all development and land use within the county. For more information, please read more at recodechathamnc.org

What is the UDO?

The Chatham County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is a singular document designed to provide an outline to structure Chatham County's revised zoning and land development ordinances. The new UDO will combine 13 existing ordinances, providing a more user-friendly structure than the existing ordinances and making key information easier to find and understand.

The Chatham County UDO will consolidate the following 13 ordinances into a single document:

Zoning Ordinance (ZO)
Subdivision Regulations (SR)
Compact Communities Ordinance (CCO)
Fire Prevention & Protection Ordinance (FPPO)
Hazardous Waste Management Ordinance (HWMO)
Junk Yard Control Ordinance (JYCO)
Moratorium Ordinance (MO)
Off-Premise Signs Ordinance (OPSO)
Soil Erosion & Sedimentation Control Ordinance (SESCO)
Stormwater Ordinance (SO)
Watershed Protection Ordinance (WPO)
Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Ordinance (WTFO)

UDO Latest News

The draft UDO is now available for review on the code hosting site, Konveio. The public is encouraged to review the document and provide feedback through Konveio, which will be considered by the Board of Commissioners and Planning Board. For those requiring translation, Konveio offers the option to view the code in multiple languages. Meetings for the Board of Commissioners to consider adoption of the UDO are tentatively scheduled for October and November, with details to follow on the Recode Chatham web page.

For more information, individuals may visit Recode Chatham or Chatham Planning. Those with questions may contact recodechathamUDO@chathamcountync.gov or 919-542-8204. 

UDO Review

 As part of Recode Chatham, the Planning Board UDO Subcommittee will meet periodically to review and provide feedback on drafts of the UDO. While their meetings are open to the public, the UDO Subcommittee typically will not directly receive public input. The consultant team will conduct workshops at several points during the drafting stage to receive input from the community. Meeting agendas and minutes are available online at the Planning Board UDO Subcommittee webpage. If you're a member of a County Advisory Committee and you're interested in joining this group, please contact Chance Mullis at chance.mullis@chathamcountync.gov. 

Recode Chatham is scheduled to take two years. Seen below is a timeline of the expected planning process involved before the new UDO's adoption.

Contacts

If you have any questions/concerns/ideas regarding the Chatham County Unified Development Ordinance, please feel free to contact the Assistant Planning Director, Chance Mullis, at the project email below:

Email: recodechathamudo@chathamcountync.gov