Land Use Planning

The primary responsibility of the Surry County Planning and Development Department is to administer the land use policies established in county ordinances and in the Surry County Land Use Plan, which was updated in 2012. These policies are approved and enacted by the Board of County Commissioners in accordance with the General Statutes of North Carolina. They reflect many years’ acquired wisdom, and are designed to direct and assist officials of the County in guiding and ensuring responsible land development, thereby preserving land values and quality of life. Land use policies in North Carolina are enforced by the State’s designated police power as passed on to local governments. They represent values and practices deemed essential to the protection of  the public health, safety, and general welfare.

The validity of any action by the Department depends on its ability to apply accurately all appropriate ordinances, statutes, plans and processes to the review and disposition of every development proposal, every ordinance amendment petition (such as a rezoning), and every issue of compliance and/or procedure pertaining to a County land use ordinance.  When interpretation is necessary, staff actions are informed by the County’s Land Use Plan, by site-specific application of ordinance text/intent, and to a lesser degree by precedent decisions, with the ultimate goal of accurate, transparent, fair and consistent implementation of County regulations and policies. Disagreement is frequent in matters of property. To ensure fairness and consistency and to reserve authority where it is legally vested, it is wise to resolve differences publicly whenever possible, again by applying and following openly the processes that are prescribed and ordained.

Land Use Plan 2040
Voluntary Agricultural Districts (VAD)