TITLE
Title
TEXT AMENDMENT CASE #26-03-PLBD-00016 TO AMEND SUBSECTION 10.06 (CIVIL PENALTIES - ASSESSMENT AND PROCEDURES) OF THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE (UDO) TO ESTABLISH SPECIFIC CIVIL PENALTY AMOUNTS FOR VIOLATIONS OF UDO REGULATIONS
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
J. Leslie Bell
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BACKGROUND
Background
Proposed Text Amendment Case #26-03-PLBD-00016 (attached) seeks to update UDO Subsection 10.06: Civil Penalties - Assessment and Procedures, to establish specific civil penalties (monetary) for violations of the UDO that do not currently have a specified civil penalty amount and that currently only references NCGS 160D-404(c), which enables counties to enforce development regulations by assessing civil penalties for ordinance violations by any of the remedies provided in NCGS 153A-123.
The UDO establishes specific civil penalties (monetary) for some violations, including parts of Subsection 9.1: Stormwater Management and Watershed Protection Districts (see Subsection 9.1.F.5(d)(iv)(5)), Subsection 9.2: Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (see Subsection 10.07), and Subsection 9.4: Illicit and Illegal Discharges (see Subsection 9-4.12). This text amendment would apply specific civil penalties (monetary) for all other violations of the UDO including, but not limited to, all zoning and subdivision violations.
As such, this text amendment proposes the following civil penalties:
1st Offense - $50.00;
2nd Offense - $100.00;
3rd Offense - $200.00; and
4th and Succeeding Offense - $500.00.
NOTE: UDO Subsection 10.03.C specifies that “every calendar day an offense is not remedied after being served a Notice of Violation shall be considered a separate offense.” If approved, this text amendment would become effective July 1, 2026 and following adoption of the approved Fee Schedule as part of the Guilford County FY 2026-27 budget.
Staff conducted a review of the civil penalty amounts assessed by neighboring jurisdictions of comparable size (table attached). Th...
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