Catawba County News

Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Update

Published: June 10, 2025

The County’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) regulates the use and development of land within the County-regulated areas. This update process will focus on amending the existing zoning regulations, zoning map, overlay map, subdivision regulations, development standards, and floodplain development standards. This update will also focus on streamlining and simplifying development procedures to create clear and efficient processes. The goal of the UDO update is to align with the goals of the 2024 Catawba County Comprehensive Plan, address current development challenges, and align with recent updates to North Carolina State Statutes.

Input will be collected throughout the process through community workshops, stakeholder interviews, an online survey, and work sessions with the Planning Board and County Board of Commissioners. The online survey and stakeholder interviews with frequent code users will be held during the early stages of the project. Community workshops will be held later in the project to discuss specific recommendations for text and mapping modifications. This approach allows for input early in the process before the amendments are drafted and later in the process once there are draft amendments available for review. For more information about the planning process and engagement opportunities, visit the Meetings and Engagement section on this page.

The consultant team will work closely with County Staff to prepare draft amendments to the UDO and present the draft amendments to the Planning Board and County Board of Commissioners for periodic review and feedback. The draft amendments will ultimately be presented to the Planning Board and County Board of Commissioners for final review and adoption consideration.

Learn more about the UDO Update HERE.