501.1

No land or building shall hereafter be used and no existing building or part thereof shall hereinafter be constructed, erected, altered or moved, unless in conformance with all of the regulations of the zoning district in which it is or will be located.

501.2

Land uses not expressly permitted within the several zoning districts established by the ordinance are prohibited.

501.3

When Glynn County has been party to any litigation which, in the opinion of the Board of Commissioners, indicates that an applicant for Rezoning, Site Plan Approval, Preliminary Plat Approval, Final Plat Approval, Building Permit or other developmental approval under this ordinance or any other ordinance of Glynn County does not own or represent the owner of sufficient rights in the property at issue to develop the property as requested in the application, Glynn County shall refuse to process or approve the application. If the applicant represents the owner of the necessary rights, he shall produce written proof of such representation and consent of the owner to the application.

(O-2006-15, 9/7/06)

(a)

No building shall hereafter be erected, altered or moved so as to exceed the prescribed height limitation for the zoning district in which it is or will be located. For exceptions to height regulations, see Article VI, Section 617.

(b)

Inasmuch as St. Simons Island is designated as an Area of Scenic Beauty and Historic Interest, no building on St. Simons Island shall be erected, altered or moved so as to exceed forty-five (45) feet in height nor shall such building include more than four (4) stories. On St. Simons Island, no more than three (3) of the stories shall be habitable. The area above the uppermost habitable story can be used only for limited storage, mechanical equipment, or ventilation system of the roof structure.

(c)

Special Height Limit - Ocean Boulevard. The provisions of subsection (b) notwithstanding, the maximum height of any building shall be thirty-five (35) feet if it is located on property with frontage on Ocean Boulevard between the eastern right-of-way line of Mallery Street and the southwestern right-of-way line of East Beach Causeway. For those properties affected by this subsection, the height limitation herein shall control if the maximum height allowed in a particular zoning district exceeds thirty-five (35) feet. A lawfully existing building that becomes nonconforming as a result of the amendment of this subsection (c) on February 17, 2022, shall be considered a nonconforming building for purposes of this subsection. Such nonconforming buildings damaged or destroyed by fire, flood, storm, or other act of God may be repaired or rebuilt to its original height and original number of stories if: (i) the owner provides documentation to the Planning and Zoning Director demonstrating that the building lawfully existed as of February 17, 2022, and (ii) repair or reconstruction commences within two (2) years of the date the building was damaged or destroyed.

(O-2003-15-03, 9/18/03; O-2005-18, 11/17/05; Ord. No. O-2022-01, 2/17/2022; Ord. No. O-2025-03, 5/1/2025)

503.1

Density. No building, structure or land shall hereafter be used or occupied in excess of the prescribed density regulations for the zoning district in which it is or will be located.

503.2

Density Calculation. The number of dwelling units proposed per net acre of land is determined by dividing the total number of dwelling units by the net land area. For dwelling units that include lock out units, density is determined by dividing the total number of units (this would include the total number of dwelling units without lock out units plus the total number of lock out units) by the net land area. In cases where the density figure includes a fraction, the figure shall be rounded off to the nearest whole number.

503.3

Site Coverage. Inasmuch as St. Simons Island and Sea Island are designated as Areas of Scenic Beauty and Historic Interest, no dwelling or dwellings (exclusive of a single-family dwelling on an individual zoning lot) or accessory structures shall hereafter be used or occupy land area in excess of the prescribed site coverage regulations for the zoning districts Resort Residential, Medium Residential and General Residential located on said Islands.

Provided, however, that when a combination residential and commercial use is approved as a conditional use in a commercial zoning district a ten percent increase in site coverage is automatically allowed. Provided further, that an additional ten percent up to a maximum of 70 percent total site coverage may be granted by the Planning Commission for combination uses less than 35 feet in height if in their judgment the open space provided on the site is both directly accessible to all dwelling units and highly usable recreational area. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply in all commercial zoning districts except General Commercial - Core.

503.4

Combination Uses. For the purposes of this ordinance, a combination residential and commercial use on separate levels shall be defined as one in which at least 50 percent of the floor space in a building is designed for and occupied for commercial use(s).

No building shall hereafter be erected, altered or moved to occupy a greater percentage of lot area than is permitted within the zoning district in which it is or will be located.

No lot shall be subdivided so that the total area, lot width, necessary yards or other open space, lot area per dwelling unit or other requirements of this ordinance are not maintained for any of the resulting lots.

(O-2007-20, 11/15/07)

No building shall hereafter be erected, altered or moved to create narrower or smaller front yards, side yards, rear yards, or other open spaces than required by this ordinance for the zoning district in which said building is or will be located.

507.1

No permit shall be issued for the use of any lot which is smaller in total area than the minimum area permitted for the zoning district within which it is located or for the use of any lot which has a lot width that is less than the minimum lot width permitted for the zoning district within which it is located, unless said lot is a lot of record and was legally and properly recorded prior to the passage of this ordinance on February 1, 1966. However, this requirement shall not apply to re-subdivisions pursuant to Section 802(c) of the Subdivision Regulations of Glynn County, Georgia; and provided further that in Residential Districts, substandard lots shall be used only for single-family residential purposes.

However, in all cases, construction on any such lot, after the time of passage of this ordinance, shall be required to meet all other requirements of the district within which it is located, including front yard setbacks, side yards, rear yards, and others.

507.2

Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary in this Zoning Ordinance, a one-family dwelling is permitted on a substandard lot of record with less than 6,000 square feet of lot area or a lot width of less than 60 feet in a residential zoning district, subject to the following provisions:

(a)

If the lot area is 50 percent or less than the minimum lot area under the applicable zoning district regulations or if the lot width is 50 percent or less than the minimum lot width required under the applicable zoning district regulations, said dwelling shall have no more than 1½ stories as illustrated below, and the maximum height shall not exceed 22 feet above the base flood elevation. The total number of sleeping rooms in a one-family dwelling under this Section 507.2(a) shall not exceed two.

(b)

If the lot area is greater than 50 percent, but less than 75 percent of the minimum lot area required under the applicable zoning district regulations, or if the lot width is greater than 50 percent, but less than 75 percent of the minimum lot width required under the applicable zoning district regulations, said dwelling shall have no more than one and one half stories as illustrated below, and the maximum height shall not exceed 25 feet above the base flood elevation. The total number of sleeping rooms in a one-family dwelling under this Section 507.2(b) shall not exceed three.

(c)

If the lot area is 75 percent or greater, but less than 94 percent of the minimum lot area required under the applicable zoning district regulations or if the lot width is 75 percent or greater, but less than 94 percent of the minimum lot width required under the applicable zoning district regulations, said dwelling shall have no more than one and one half stories as illustrated below, and the maximum height shall not exceed 28 feet above the base flood elevation. The total number of sleeping rooms in a one-family dwelling under this Section 507.2(c) shall not exceed four.

(d)

If the lot area is 94 percent or greater, but less that 100 percent of the minimum lot area required under the applicable zoning district regulations, or if the lot width is 94 percent or greater, but less than 100 percent of the minimum lot width required under the applicable zoning district regulations, said dwelling shall have no more than two stories as illustrated below, and the maximum height shall not exceed 32 feet above the base flood elevation.

(e)

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in subsections 507.2 (a) through (d) and subsection 507.2(f), if the lot area is 100 percent or greater than the minimum lot area required under the applicable zoning district regulations and the lot width is 85 percent or greater than the minimum lot width required under the applicable zoning district regulations, said dwelling may have up to the same number of stories, maximum height, and sleeping rooms as a one-family dwelling located on a non-substandard lot of record in that same zoning district.

(f)

In the event that the lot area and lot width of a substandard lot of record causes it to meet the criteria of more than one of the subsections in 507.2 (a) through (d), the more restrictive subsection and development requirements therein shall apply to any one-family dwelling constructed on that substandard lot of record. This requirement shall not apply to a one-family dwelling constructed on a substandard lot of record that meets the criteria set forth in subsection 507.2(e).

(g)

A lawfully existing one-family dwelling that becomes nonconforming as a result of the adoption of this Section 507.2 on June 16, 2016, and which becomes damaged or destroyed by fire, flood, storm, or other act of God, may be repaired or rebuilt to the same height, square footage, and number of stories, bedrooms, and bathrooms without meeting the requirements of this Section 507.2, provided that: (1) the property owner provides documentation to the Glynn County Planning and Zoning Director demonstrating that the building or development lawfully existed at the time of adoption of this Section 507.2; (2) a building permit has been applied for and issued by Glynn County for the repair or reconstruction of such one-family dwelling within one year from the date that it was damaged or destroyed; and 3) the repair or reconstruction of such one-family dwelling commences within one year from the date that it was damaged or destroyed. This provision shall not be construed to excuse or exempt compliance with any building code, electrical code, fire code, life safety code, or other safety ordinance or regulation.

(h)

This Section 507.2 shall be applicable exclusively to Saint Simons Island.

(Ord. No. O-2025-03, 5/1/2025)

507.3

Any person denied a permit by the Building Official or other County official under this Section 507 may appeal such decision to the Board of Appeals or request a variance pursuant to Article X of this ordinance.

507.4

For purposes of this Section 507, substandard lot of record shall mean a lot of record that was legally and properly recorded prior to the passage of this ordinance on February 1, 1966, with a lot width less than that permitted in the zoning district in which it is located or that is smaller in total area than the minimum area permitted for the zoning district within which it is located.

(O-2016-10; 06/16/16)

No legally existing structure or legally proposed structure for which a valid building permit has been issued prior to the effective date for the following applicable amendments to this ordinance shall be considered as non-conforming due to the amendment changes. Construction under a valid building permit must commerce prior to the expiration date for that permit.

All public and private utilities directly associated with the provision of potable water and removal of sewerage are hereby exempt from the provisions of this ordinance. Said utilities shall include water and sewer lines, pump stations, water towers and wells. This exemption shall not include private wells and septic systems on individual residential or commercial zoning lots.