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Union County

Union County Planning Department

In short

Union County Planning Department issues 3 permits we publish for Union County, last verified 2026-10-21. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Zoning PermitUnion County Planning Department$60 per unit ("Zoning Permit", Attachment B); Zoning Verification Letter $50 per request; Final Zoning Re-Inspection $80 per requestgood for 12 months from issuance; void if the use has not commenced or a building permit has not been obtained within 12 months (Development Ordinance §80.140-E)2026-10-21
Home Occupation Zoning Permitonly if it applies to youUnion County Planning Department$60 per permit (the "Zoning Permit" fee in Attachment B; the schedule lists no separate home occupation fee)good for 12 months from issuance under Development Ordinance §80.140-E2026-10-21
Special Use Permit or Varianceonly if it applies to youUnion County Planning Department$800 per application ("Special Use Permit & Variance", Attachment B); Appeal of Administrative Decision $350 per application, refunded if the appeal is successfulan approved special use or variance lapses 12 months after the land use board grants it unless a building permit has been issued and the project is diligently pursued to completion; the board may extend this by up to 6 months (Development Ordinance, as posted on the Planning Department page)2026-10-21

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Zoning Permit

A business locating or changing its use in unincorporated Union County or Hemby Bridge needs a zoning permit from the Union County Planning Department. The Planning Department page states that "Union County has zoning authority for the unincorporated areas of the County and Hemby Bridge", and the county's Table of Uses "shows the allowed uses in each zoning district for unincorporated Union County and the Town of Hemby Bridge". The Union County Development Ordinance, as posted on the Planning Department page, provides in §80.140-A that the zoning permit procedure "applies when a property owner proposes to use or occupy and land or building", and requires a pre-application meeting and a site plan for non-residential new construction, additions or site alterations (§80.140-B, -C). Under §80.140-E a zoning permit "shall be good for 12 months from time of issuance". Tax Rate and Fee Schedule Attachment B to the FY 2027 Budget Ordinance (adopted June 16, 2026, effective July 1, 2026) sets the Zoning Permit at $60 per unit, a Zoning Verification Letter at $50 and a Final Zoning Re-Inspection at $80; the Planning Fee Schedule effective August 1, 2026 lists the same amounts. A business in any other municipality applies to that municipality for zoning.

Home Occupation Zoning Permit

A home-based business in unincorporated Union County or Hemby Bridge needs a zoning permit: the Union County Development Ordinance, as posted on the Planning Department page, states in §35.010 that "A zoning permit is required to establish, change or modify a Home Occupation." The fee is the Zoning Permit fee of $60 in Tax Rate and Fee Schedule Attachment B to the FY 2027 Budget Ordinance (adopted June 16, 2026, effective July 1, 2026); neither Attachment B nor the Planning Fee Schedule lists a separate home occupation line. Under §35.040 a suburban home occupation must be clearly incidental to the residence, at least one person engaged in it must live in the dwelling, no more than 2 nonresident employees are allowed (3 people working on site in total), the area used may not exceed the lesser of 1,000 sq ft or 25% of the dwelling's floor area, and no on-premises retail sales of goods not produced on site may occur. §35.040-E13 expressly prohibits as suburban home occupations the repair of vehicles or equipment with internal combustion engines, restaurants, and animal care, grooming or boarding businesses. Rural home occupations are allowed on RA-zoned lots of at least 100,000 sq ft under §35.040-F.

Special Use Permit or Variance

In unincorporated Union County and Hemby Bridge, a business whose use the Development Ordinance's table of uses allows only by special use permit, or which needs relief from a dimensional standard, applies to the county's land use board through the Union County Planning Department. Tax Rate and Fee Schedule Attachment B to the FY 2027 Budget Ordinance (adopted June 16, 2026, effective July 1, 2026) lists "Special Use Permit & Variance" at $800 per application under Board of Adjustments, and "Appeal of Administrative Decision" at $350 per application, with the note: "If the appeal is successful, the application fee will be refunded to the applicant." The Planning Fee Schedule effective August 1, 2026 lists the same amounts. The Union County Development Ordinance, as posted on the Planning Department page, provides that an approved special use or variance "lapses and becomes null and void 12 months after it is granted by the land use board, unless a building permit for the work or improvements authorized has been issued and the project is diligently pursued to completion". The Building Code Enforcement fee schedule lists the same $800 as "Application Fee for Land Use Board". The Planning Department page states that "Union County has zoning authority for the unincorporated areas of the County and Hemby Bridge".

Contact

Jurisdiction
Union County
Phone
704-283-3565

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Building Code Enforcement One-Stop Permitting Fee Schedule (Effective Aug. 1, 2026)Union County Building Code Enforcement · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
  2. Planning & DevelopmentUnion County Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
  3. Planning Fee Schedule: Zoning, Subdivisions, Stormwater, Special Use Permits, & Other Planning Functions (Effective Aug. 1, 2026)Union County Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
  4. Union County Unified Development OrdinanceUnion County Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
  5. Union County Unified Development Ordinance Table of Uses as of June 24, 2022Union County Planning Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21
  6. Union County, North Carolina Adopted Operating and Capital Budget 2027 (Appendix: Tax Rate and Fee Schedule Attachment B)Union County, North Carolina · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-21

Other offices serving Union County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

North Carolina jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.