The Planning and Zoning Department is involved in the safety, convenience, order, and the general welfare of the County. The Department is responsible for preparing and maintaining the County's Comprehensive plan, which serves as a blueprint and policy guide for the growth of the community. The staff attempts to provide guidance to every citizen, resident or business on interpretation and administration of the adopted Ordinances, such as the Zoning Ordinance, Development Standards and Sign Ordinance.
Zoning Ordinance
The adopted Zoning Ordinance serves as a development guide to proper installation of permanent and temporary structures and associated uses within the County. This Ordinance works in unison with the other adopted codes of Douglas County including but not limited to the Standard Building Codes and housing code. The Tree Protection Ordinance and parking standards are also incorporated into the adopted Zoning Ordinance. The roles and responsibility of the Board of Commissioners, Planning Commission and the Zoning Administrator are clearly defined as they relate to the zoning and development process.
Sign Ordinance
The Purpose of this Ordinance is to regulate the signs within Douglas County. This Ordinance is intended to minimize the harmful effects of signs upon the health, safety, and well-being of every citizen. This Ordinance is intended to set a safe, reasonable, nondiscriminatory, and effective regulation on all signs. The regulations apply to all new and existing signs. Non-conforming signs will be eliminated.
Development Standards
Development Standards are basically regulations that meet the specified values of how things are to be developed in Douglas County. They are also an Ordinance for the people, to help the people and make Douglas County a more valued and respected community.
Planning and Zoning Director Amy Brumelow
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Watershed Protection
The Dog River Basin is the primary drinking water source in Douglas County, and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners has been diligent in trying to protect the land inside this drainage basin from overdevelopment so that the quality and quantity of the water in the Dog River Reservoir will not be diminished. Over the past few years, Georgia has been in a drought situation, but Douglas County, due to our development regulations in the Dog River Basin, has not had to mandate any self-imposed water restrictions. The Board of Commissioners is committed to continuing these protections, which include a 3-acre minimum lot size for newly developed residential properties, an impervious surface maximum limitation on commercial properties in the Basin, and no industrial zoning in the Basin.
Code Enforcement
Our Code Enforcement Division may be reached for code related problems you may need to resolve. Such problems may include junk vehicles, litter and garbage, excessive noise, high grass, illegal dumping, illegal home occupations, traffic sight hazards, zoning violations, sign complaints and commercial vehicles in residential areas. If you need assistance with any of these problems and other development-related violations, please contact the Code Enforcement Division at 770.920.7241.
Transportation Planning
Transportation planning functions were transferred from the Planning and Zoning Department to the newly created Douglas County Department of Transportation in early summer 2003. Please visit the Departmental web page of the Douglas County Department of Transportation.
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