Mecklenburg County is updating its Zoning & Subdivision Ordinances, which are often grouped together and referred to as ‘Land Development Ordinances’. These Ordinances contain local laws and regulations about how land can be used, developed, and divided. The Land Development Ordinance updates are intended to help the County to implement its recently adopted Comprehensive Plan and to manage future growth and development. 

Mecklenburg County Ordinance Updates

What is a Zoning Ordinance?

  • A set of local laws regulating how property can be used and developed for the purpose of promoting orderly development.

  • Includes a Zoning Map that establishes Zoning Districts (such as residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, etc.) and sets permitted and prohibited uses for each district.

  • Includes regulations for each Zoning District for topics such as building height, lot size, setbacks, and more to ensure compatibility between uses.

  • Often includes special provisions such as conditional uses and variances that allow for flexibility and can account for special circumstances.

What is a Subdivision Ordinance?

  • The Subdivision Ordinance establishes regulations pertaining to the division of land, which often involves the creation of smaller lots for development purposes.

  • The purpose of the Subdivision Ordinance is to ensure that the proper improvements of infrastructure, including roads, utilities, and stormwater are present to support new development lots.

  • The Subdivision Ordinance sets design standards for lot layout and size, street connectivity, and public access as well as the procedural standards for dividing a lot or changing a lot's configuration.

  • The alignment of the Subdivision and Zoning Ordinances is essential, and their consolidation into unified development ordinances is a common practice.

What is the relationship between Land Development Ordinances and the Comprehensive Plan?

Why is the County updating its Ordinances?

The County first adopted zoning in 1990 and it has been mostly unchanged since then. However, in that time period, the County has seen significant changes in land development trends. This update will ensure that the Ordinances are addressing emerging needs and that new growth is in line with the County’s vision for the future.

Initial Project Goals include:

  • Make the Ordinanecs more user-friendly

  • Offer more flexibility and clear information

  • Align with State Code

  • Align with the County’s Comprehensive Plan

  • Modernize regulations to address current and emerging development trends 

  • Develop regulations tailored to the specific needs of Mecklenburg County

We will continue to engage with County residents and stakeholders to hear what other goals and priorities should be included.

  • Land Development Ordinances set laws and regulations about what can be done today on a property within the County.

  • The Comprehensive Plan sets a future vision for what uses and development patterns the community would like to see in the future, but it is a guidance document and it does not carry the force of law.

  • The Comprehensive Plan should be used to guide changes or updates to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, but it contains more high level recommendations and does not include as many details as a Zoning Ordinance.

  • The County recently updated its Comprehensive Plan (Feb 2025). The update to the County Ordinances is one of the first steps it is taking to implement the newly updated Comprehensive Plan.

What are Land Development Ordinances?

Mecklenburg County is updating its Zoning & Subdivision Ordinances, which are often grouped together and referred to as ‘Land Development Ordinances’. These Ordinances contain local laws and regulations about how land can be used, developed, and divided. The Land Development Ordinances are intended to help the County to manage growth and development and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens.

How is the County updating the Ordinances?

Mecklenburg County is updating its Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances to modernize land-use regulations, improve clarity, and better guide future development. Final approval of the Ordinances will be the responsibility of the County Board of Supervisors with a recommendation from the Planning Commission. However, community participation will be essential to ensure that the Ordinances reflect how the community will grow and to educate the public about the contents and impacts of the final product. The update process will include 3 phases of work, or “tasks”.

The graphic below summarizes the tasks, the topics we will cover within each, and the estimated timeline.

How to Get Involved

The Zoning & Subdivision Ordinance update process will give citizens the opportunity to participate in shaping the content of the Ordinances and will educate them about the impacts of the final product.

There will be both online and in person opportunities to lend your voice to this important process. Sign up for email updates below to learn about upcoming events, and receive project updates.

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