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Published in 2014 by Order of the Mayor and City Council

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PREFACE

This Unified Development Code constitutes a codification of the general and permanent ordinances of the city of Alpharetta, Georgia.

Source materials used in the preparation of the Unified Development Code were the 2001 Code, as supplemented through March 17, 2014, and ordinances subsequently adopted by the city council. The source of each section is included in the history note appearing in parentheses at the end thereof. The absence of such a note indicates that the section is new and was adopted for the first time with the adoption of the Unified Development Code. By use of the comparative tables appearing in the back of this Code, the reader can locate any section of the 2001 Code, as supplemented, and any subsequent ordinance included herein.

The articles of the Unified Development Code have been conveniently arranged and the various sections within each article have been catchlined to facilitate usage. Notes which tie related sections of the Code together and which refer to relevant state law have been included.

Article and Section Numbering System

The article and section numbering system used in this Code is the same system used in many state and local government codes. Each section number consists of two parts separated by a decimal. The figure before the decimal refers to the article number, and the figure after the decimal refers to the position of the section within the article. Thus, the second section of chapter 1 is numbered 1.2, and the first section of chapter 6 is 6.1. Under this system, each section is identified with its article, and at the same time new sections can be inserted in their proper place by using the decimal system for amendments. For example, if new material consisting of one section that would logically come between sections 6.1 and 6.2 is desired to be added, such new section would be numbered 6.1.5. New articles and new sections may be included in the same way or, in the case of SECTIONS, may be placed at the end of the article embracing the subject. The next successive number shall be assigned to the new article or SECTION. New articles may be included by using one of the reserved article numbers. Care should be taken that the arrangement of articles is maintained when including new articles.

Page Numbering System

The page numbering system used in this Code is a prefix system. The numbers or letters to the left of the colon or hyphen are an abbreviation which represents a certain portion of the volume. The number to the right of the colon represents the number of the page in that portion. In the case of an article of the Unified Development Code, the number to the left of the colon indicates the number of the article. The following are typical parts of codes of ordinances, which may or may not appear in this Code at this time, and their corresponding prefixes:

Index

The index has been prepared with the greatest of care. Each particular item has been placed under several headings, some of which are couched in lay phraseology, others in legal terminology, and still others in language generally used by local government officials and employees. There are numerous cross references within the index itself which stand as guideposts to direct the user to the particular item in which the user is interested.

Looseleaf Supplements

A special feature of this publication is the looseleaf system of binding and supplemental servicing of the publication. With this system, the publication will be kept up to date. Subsequent amendatory legislation will be properly edited, and the affected page or pages will be reprinted. These new pages will be distributed to holders of copies of the publication, with instructions for the manner of inserting the new pages and deleting the obsolete pages.

Keeping this publication up to date at all times will depend largely upon the holder of the publication. As revised pages are received, it will then become the responsibility of the holder to have the amendments inserted according to the attached instructions. It is strongly recommended by the publisher that all such amendments be inserted immediately upon receipt to avoid misplacing them and, in addition, that all deleted pages be saved and filed for historical reference purposes.

Acknowledgments

This publication was under the direct supervision of Dennis Sinnett, Vice President, and Rachael Calloway, Editor, of the Municipal Code Corporation, Tallahassee, Florida. Credit is gratefully given to the other members of the publisher's staff for their sincere interest and able assistance throughout the project.

The publisher is most grateful to Coty Thigpen, City Clerk, and Elicia Taylor, Boards Assistant, for their cooperation and assistance during the progress of the work on this publication. It is hoped that their efforts and those of the publisher have resulted in a Unified Development Code of Ordinances which will make the active law of the city readily accessible to all citizens and which will be a valuable tool in the day-to-day administration of the city's affairs.

Copyright

All editorial enhancements of this Code are copyrighted by Municipal Code Corporation and the City of Alpharetta, Georgia. Editorial enhancements include, but are not limited to: organization; table of contents; section catchlines; prechapter section analyses; editor's notes; cross references; state law references; numbering system; code comparative table; state law reference table; and index. Such material may not be used or reproduced for commercial purposes without the express written consent of Municipal Code Corporation and the City of Alpharetta, Georgia.

© Copyrighted material.
Municipal Code Corporation and the City of Alpharetta, Georgia. 2014.