About the Project
The goal of the Unified Development Code (UDC) project is to produce a document that encourages and enables development and redevelopment in identified centers while preserving the unique character of the County’s more rural areas, protects existing neighborhoods, conserves natural and historic resources, supports economic development, and provides opportunity for a variety of housing types.
The UDC will be set out in a way that easily organizes standards and regulations so that citizens, developers, and county staff and decision-makers know what is expected of any development proposal. Completing this rewrite with guidance from the Comprehensive Plan Update will help ensure that—moving forward—the County’s policies and regulations work hand in hand.
Announcements
Upcoming Public Meetings
There are no public meetings currently scheduled. Public meetings on the first installment of the new UDC will be scheduled in the coming months.
In December, public meetings were held regarding the Cobb County UDC Code Assessment.
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Click here for the Code Assessment presentation.
Click here for a video of the meeting presentation.
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As of July 2024, the County's Unified Development Code (UDC) project is now in Phase 3: Draft UDC. The project team is currently preparing the draft of the first of three installments of the new UDC for public release. It is anticipated to be made available for public comment during late summer or early fall. The most significant part of the new UDC included in this installment is Article 2: Administration. This article establishes the procedures that apply to the review of all development applications, such as applications to rezone land, for special land use permits, for subdivision, and for zoning variances. You can learn more about the proposed procedures in the Code Assessment beginning on page II-11.
This installment will also include the following additional parts of the new UDC:
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Article 1: General Provisions. This section establishes the general rules that apply throughout the new UDC, such as the name of the document, the legal authority for the County to adopt the UDC, the general purposes of the new UDC, and the transition from the County's current Zoning Ordinance to the new UDC.
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Article 7: Nonconformities. This section includes the regulations that apply to existing development that was legal when it was built but that, due to changes in the zoning regulations, is no longer consistent with the rules in the new UDC.
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Article 9: Definitions, Rules of Construction and Interpretation, and Rules of Measurement. This installment will include the definitions of terms used in the first installment. Additional definitions and the remaining sections of the article will be added in later installments.
The website will be updated to include a link to the first installment of the UDC when it is released to the public. The website will also include information about opportunities to provide feedback about the first installment, including both online and in-person options. Please sign up below to stay informed.
Additional installments that include zone districts, use regulations, development standards, and other elements of the new UDC will be drafted later this year