City-County Planning Department

New Durham Comprehensive Plan

After three and a half years of staff working with the Durham community, a full draft of the new Comprehensive Plan is available for review and the public hearing and adoption process begins February of 2023. The Comprehensive Plan is Durham's statement of how we want to grow and develop. The plan guides where and how private development should occur. It guides how the City and County should provide public facilities and services to support future growth. The plan is long range in scope, focusing on the ultimate needs of the community rather than the pressing concerns of today.

• For information on the process to develop the new Comprehensive Plan, visit https://engagedurham.com/27/Comprehensive-Plan.
• For information on the public hearing and adoption process, visit https://engagedurham.com/201/Adoption-Process.  
• For current engagement opportunities on the plan, visit https://durham.mysocialpinpoint.com/comprehensiveplan.

Growth Management Engagement Initiative

The Durham City-County Planning Department wants to hear from you about how we should improve the way land use cases are processed. Land use cases include zoning map changes, annexation petitions, and future land use map changes. We have heard from our community that the current processes need to be changed to better serve both community members and applicants.  

The purpose of this engagement initiative is to:

• Learn from Durham community members and applicants, prioritizing historically marginalized and underrepresented voices 
• Educate our community on how land use decisions are made and how community members can influence new development being proposed today 
• Incorporate community voices and experiences into the development process

There are several steps on the path forward to making the land use engagement initiative successful, and we’d like to invite you to be a part of this collaborative journey. 

Engage on Proposed Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendments

A Text Amendment is a proposed change or revision to existing rules or regulations. In Durham, the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is a tool that regulates  development looks, feels, and sounds like in the City and County. The purpose of the UDO is to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of all Durham City and County residents. The UDO was adopted in 2006, and since then, has needed some periodic updates or improvements, called Text Amendments.  

Text amendments to the UDO can be initiated by a resident or other entities through an application to the Planning Department. Text amendments can also be initiated by the Planning Department, City or County Managers, the Planning Commission, the Board of Adjustment, or one or both of the governing bodies.

Public Records Request

As required by state law, Development Services Center staff will help customers obtain public records related to land development, building inspections, and zoning enforcement. In addition, interested parties can also browse recent development activity, sign up for DSC announcements, and receive notifications when development activity is occurring.

1. Land Development Office (LDO)
   Used to check the status of submitted applications for project managers.  
2. Durham Maps
   Browse development activity and records information by map. 
3. Environmental records
   Information about how to contain records related to hazardous materials and sites.
   
4. Minimum housing code enforcement is managed by Neighborhood Improvement Services (NIS)—requests for these records should be submitted to NIS through the City's Public Records Request Portal.
5. City of Durham Records Requests portal
   Use for all other requests not listed above.

Boards and Commissions

The Planning Department provides staff liaisons to nine boards and commissions. Members of these boards and commissions are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners and the Durham City Council.

• Board of Adjustment
• City County Appearance Commission
• Durham Open Space and Trails Commission
• Historic Preservation Commission
• Joint City-County Planning Committee
• Planning Commission
• Planning Public Notification Service
• Public Hearings and Notices

Learn More

The Durham City-County Planning Department has gathered additional resources to aid in the development of our community. Click on a topic below to learn more about our department and supplemental planning information:

• Expanding Housing Choices 
• Demographics
• Planning Academy
• Overview of Planning
• Planning Public Notification Service

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Durham Historic Preservation has been proactively dedicated to the protection and preservation of its historic resources since the 1970s by inventorying historically significant structures in the City and County, designating local historic districts and landmarks, establishing and supporting the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), and nominating properties and districts for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Learn more about:

• Certificates of Appropriateness
• Demolition by Neglect
• Determining Local Historic Properties
• Historic Preservation Commission (HPC)
• Local Historic Districts
• Local Historic Landmarks
• National Register of Historic Places
• Historic Properties Local Review Criteria

Unified Development Ordinance

Adopted in 2006, the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) lays out the rules for the physical development of property. The UDO designates zoning of properties in Durham, and is crafted to result in a built environment that meets the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. The UDO superseded the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances.

Please click on the following link to access a searchable and navigable version of the UDO, which indicates the most recent “amended date” and includes a list of adopted text amendments.

• Searchable Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)