The purpose of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of the City of Durham and Durham County. With numerous individuals from varying disciplines reviewing and drafting the ordinance, we aspire to have every aspect of the ordinance well defined and simplified for the public. On rare occasion, uncertainty between review staff and applicants does exists. When this occurs, applicants under the review process can make a formal request to the director if there is uncertainty that limits their development. It is then the director of the appropriate department, or designee, role to authorize an interpretation(s) concerning the content of the UDO.
In making these interpretations, all provisions shall be:
- Considered as minimum requirements;
- Liberally construed in favor of the governing body;
- Deemed neither to limit nor repeal any powers granted under State statutes; and
- Require application of the more stringent provisions wherever the provisions of this ordinance appear to impose conflicting provisions that cannot otherwise be reconciled
Additional information about a Formal Letter of Interpretation can be found in the Durham Unified Development Ordinance - Sec. 3.1.
Request for Letter of Interpretation
To submit a request for interpretation by the director, or appointed designee, a formal letter, in PDF format, of the request must be submitted to the Development Services Center via the application portal listed below.
Service request:
Click or call 919-560-1200