Bill > S27

This bill restores and modifies down-zoning authority in specific North Carolina counties (Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Tyrrell). Down-zoning refers to zoning changes that either decrease development density or reduce permitted land uses, and the bill modifies existing regulations about such changes. Specifically, the bill removes a previous requirement that down-zoning amendments cannot create nonconforming use situations, and allows local governments to initiate down-zoning amendments without requiring written consent from all property owners. The bill is retroactively effective as of December 11, 2024, which means it will reinstate zoning ordinances as they existed before a previous legislative change. The changes essentially give local governments more flexibility in modifying zoning regulations while providing some protections for property owners by still requiring consent for certain types of zoning changes initiated by entities other than the local government.