Gaston County Building & Development Services — Planning and Zoning

Commercial Zoning Permit, Change of Use and Temporary Use Permit (County Zoning Jurisdiction, High Shoals and Cherryville)

A business opening or changing use in the area Gaston County zones needs a zoning permit from Planning and Zoning: $325.00 for a commercial zoning permit, $215.00 for a change in use, and $315.00 for a temporary use permit, plus a site plan review fee where the Unified Development Ordinance requires one. The schedule prints two site plan lines, 'Commercial Site Plan Review' at $325.00 and 'Site Plan Review (Residential and Commercial)' at $455.00, and each is a separate line, not a combined amount. The Planning and Zoning page lists 'Issue Zoning Verification Letters and Permits: County Zoning Jurisdiction Only, High Shoals, and Cherryville', so a business inside any other municipality goes to that municipality for zoning. The page states: 'Effective July 1, 2026 - Gaston County Planning and Zoning will be implementing the FY27 fee schedule that was adopted by the Board of Commissioners', and that 50% of each zoning permit fee is paid before review and the remaining 50% before the permit is issued. It also states: 'All fees must be paid online through the Citizen Self-Service (CSS) portal.' The figure is as published in the FY 2027 Adopted Fee Schedule, the 'Fee Schedules' section of Gaston County's FY 2027 Adopted Budget (page 130–131), which the budget describes as listing 'the fees and charges adopted by the Board of Commissioners for County services'. The Board of Commissioners adopted the FY 2027 budget on May 12, 2026, and the schedule applies for fiscal year 2027, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Planning and Zoning: 704-866-3155.