Zoning is a legal instrument to regulate the use of land, building size, height, and setbacks. Its intent is to promote an orderly pattern of development and to separate land uses that are incompatible such as a night club and a church. Every parcel of land within the Greenville City Limits and Greenville Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) has a zoning designation.

How to Check the Zoning of a Property

There are two ways to check the zoning of subject property. The first method is to go online to the City’s Online Mapping Website. This interactive tool allows you to gain a variety of information about a property. We highly recommend that you speak with a City Planner that can assist you. The City’s Planning Division is located in the Municipal Building at 201 W. 5th St. Or you can call (252)-329-4498. City Planning staff will be glad to assist you in in this process to ensure that you understand the rules and regulations.

How do I seek a Rezoning?

In some cases, a subject property might not have the required zoning classification that your small business requires. In these cases, you may want to request the property to be rezoned to the desired classification.

First, rezoning requests are considered by the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission for a recommendation of approval or denial. The request is then heard by the Greenville City Council for the final consideration.

Staff prepares a report that consists of a variety of items such as traffic analysis, existing land uses surrounding the site, and the future land use category that is designated in the City’s Horizons 2026 Greenville’s Comprehensive Plan. City Council makes the final decision based on various factors.

The rezoning fee is based on the size of the property and starts at $550. The process typically takes 45 to 60 days to process and will be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council at their scheduled meeting dates. A survey of the property is required along with the completed re-zoning application. This survey needs to be prepared by a professional land surveyor or engineer. We have a variety of local land surveying and engineering firms that may be able to assist you with this process.

 
For additional questions related to zoning, please contact the City of Greenville Planning Division:
City of Greenville
Planning Division
Municipal Building
201 W. 5th Street
Greenville, N.C. 27834
(252) 329-4498