1. 1.
   In order to achieve the purposes of this Ordinance, all property within the unincorporated area of the jurisdiction of Guilford County, (excluding the Piedmont Triad International Airport Planning Jurisdiction) shall be divided into districts with each designation and purpose described in this Subsection.
2. 2.
   Land may be reclassified to one of a number of comparable conditional zoning districts in accordance with Section 4.2, Zoning District Transition or to one of several planned unit development zoning districts in accordance with Section 4.4, Planned Development.
3. 3.
   Land within any general use, conditional, or planned unit development zoning district also may be classified into one or more overlay zoning districts, in which case the regulations governing development in the overlay district shall apply in addition to the regulations governing development in the under-lying base zoning district, conditional district, or planned unit development district.

No land within the County’s planning jurisdiction shall be developed except in accordance with the zoning district regulations of this Subsection and all other applicable regulations of this Ordinance.

The Official Zoning Map of Guilford County (Official Zoning Map) designates the location, boundaries, and abbreviations of each zoning districts established in this Ordinance. The Official Zoning Map shall be kept on file and made available in the manner set forth in Subsec. 1 – General Provisions of this Ordinance. It shall be the final authority as to the status of the current zoning district classification of land in the County’s planning jurisdiction.

1. 1.
   Table 4.3.1: Permitted Uses, provides classifications for various uses based on characteristics and intensity.
2. 2.
   Use Categories. All uses permitted in the UDO have been divided into the following categories, defined as follows:

   1. a.
      Agriculture/Animal Services: Uses or premises for growing crops, raising animals, harvesting timber and other animals from a farm, ranch or their natural habitat and all related functions.
   2. b.
      Household Living: Premises available for long-term human habitation by means of ownership and rental, excluding short-term leasing or rentals.
   3. c.
      Group Living/Social Services: Premises available for short-term human habitation, including daily and weekly rental.
   4. d.
      Recreation and Entertainment (Light): Uses and premises available for recreation, entertainment, sports, and other similar areas of assembly that customarily involve low to moderate amounts of vehicular traffic and noise. Uses in this category tend to be of a low to moderate intensity and are generally permitted in certain residential districts. 
   5. e.
      Recreation and Entertainment (Heavy): Uses and premises available for recreation, entertainment, sports, and other similar areas of assembly that customarily involve high amounts of vehicular traffic and noise. Uses in this category tend to be of high intensity and are generally not permitted in residential districts.
   6. f.
      Civic, Educational and Institutional: Premises available for organizations dedicated to religion, government, arts and culture, recreation and sports, and other similar areas of public assembly. May also include education, social service, health care, and other similar functions.
   7. g.
      Business, Professional, and Personal Services: Such uses may provide personal services, or provide product repair or services for consumer and business goods. Other activities include uses conducted in an office setting and generally focusing on business, professional, medical or financial services.
   8. h.
      Lodging: Premises available for short-term human habitation, including daily and weekly rental.
   9. i.
      Retail Trade: Retail trade uses are involved in the sale, lease or rent of new or used products to the general public.
   10. j.
       Food Service: Establishments that sell food for on- or off- premise consumption.
   11. k.
       Funeral & Internment Services: Uses related to funeral homes, crematories, cemeteries and other such uses.
   12. l.
       Transportation, Warehousing & Wholesale Trade: Premises available for the storage including their wholesale or retail sale. Uses also include the sale, maintenance, servicing and/or storage of automobiles or similar vehicles.
   13. m.
       Utilities & Communications: Uses and infrastructure dedicated to, communication, information, and other such utilities.
   14. n.
       Waste-Related Uses: Uses that receive solid or liquid wastes from others for disposal on the site or for transfer to another location, uses that collect sanitary wastes, or uses that manufacture or produce goods or energy from the composting of organic material.
   15. o.
       General Industrial: Uses that are engaged in general industrial, business or consumer machinery, equipment, products or by-products. The uses may have indoor or outdoor operations. Uses are intended to accommodate industrial development in locations with good access to highways and arterial roads.
   16. p.
       Manufacturing: Uses involved in the manufacturing, processing, fabrication, packaging or assembly of goods. Natural, man-made, raw, secondary, or partially completed materials may be used. Products may be finished or semi-finished and are generally made for the wholesale market, for transfer to other plants, or to order for firms or consumers. Goods are generally not displayed or sold on site.
   17. q.
       Mining Uses: Resource extraction uses include those uses that rely on mining, quarrying or other similar activity to extract resources from the ground.
   18. r.
       Airport: Airport and associated uses.
   19. s.
       Special Events: Temporary uses and activities that have a specific time limit.
3. 3.
   Principal Use. A Principal Use is the primary use on a property and is the main purpose for which the property exists. A principal use may be designated as either:

   1. a.
      Permitted. Permitted by right uses are indicated by a “P”.
   2. b.
      Special Use. Special uses indicated by an "S" require approval by the Board of Adjustment. Development standards associated with the use to determine its suitability in a given zoning district may apply.
   3. c.
      Not Permitted. No designation indicates that the use is not permitted within that district.
4. 4.
   Principal Uses in Rock Creek Corporate Park Overlay District.

   Please refer to Determining Uses Allowed in the Rock Creek Corp. Park - Figure 4.3-2.

5. 5.
   Accessory Uses. Accessory uses are allowed in conjunction with a permitted principal use on the same property.
6. 6.
   Unlisted Uses

   1. a.
      The Planning and Development Director shall interpret an unlisted land use as permitted in a particular zoning district only after determining the nature, function, and duration of the use and the impact of allowing it in the zoning district.
   2. b.
      The Planning and Development Director may determine that a use is materially similar if a or dissimilar to a listed permitted use by consulting one or more of the following land use classification systems:

      • American Planning Association Land=Based Classification Standards (LBCS)
      • North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS)
      • Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITS) Trip Generation Guide
   3. c.
      Uses which are found to be unlisted and dissimilar to an already defined use type are prohibited.
7. 7.
   Prohibited Uses. Uses not listed as (P), (D) or (S) are presumed to be prohibited. Within certain overlay districts, some uses are prohibited, regardless of the use permitted in the underlying zoning district(s). The following uses are prohibited in the Overlay Districts listed.

   1. a.
      Scenic Corridor Overlay District: Class A, B, and C Mobile Home dwellings are prohibited in the Scenic Corridor Overlay District.
   2. b.
      Airport Overlay District: Multi-family housing and single-family housing on lots less than forty thousand (40,000) square feet are prohibited in the Airport Overlay District.
   3. c.
      Watershed Critical Area: Uses denoted with an “X” in Table 4.3.1 are prohibited in the Watershed Critical Areas (WCA) as also referenced in Subsec. 9.
   4. d.
      Flood Hazard Area: Storage or Processing of materials that are flammable, corrosive, toxic or explosive, or which could otherwise be injurious to human, animal or plant life in time of flood shall be prohibited from the flood hazard areas.