This Title 2 is intended to implement the purposes set forth in section 102-2, and further is enacted for the purposes of promoting the health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and general welfare of the county; lessening congestion in the streets, securing safety from fire, panic and other dangers; providing adequate light and air; preventing the overcrowding of land; avoiding undue concentration of population; facilitating the adequate provision of transportation, sewerage, water, schools, parks and other public requirements; conserving the value of buildings; and encouraging the most appropriate use of land and buildings throughout the county, all in accordance with Rockdale County's Comprehensive Plan.

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006)

This Title 2 is enacted pursuant to Rockdale County's authority to adopt plans and exercise the power of zoning granted by the Constitution of the State of Georgia, article 9, section 2, paragraph 4 and by article 9, section 2, paragraphs 1 and 3; pursuant to chapters 66 and 70 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated; by the Georgia Planning Act of 1989; by Rockdale County's authority to enact regulations and exercise powers granted by local laws and by the county's general police powers; and by other powers and authority provided by federal, state, and local laws applicable hereto.

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006)

The "Official Zoning District Maps for Rockdale County," hereinafter called official zoning maps, with all appendices, notations, references and other information shown thereon, shall be the official maps and are incorporated by this reference and hereby made a part of Title 2 of the UDO. Said maps shall be made a public record and shall be kept permanently in the Department of Public Services and Engineering of Rockdale County, where the maps or accurate reproductions thereof, will be accessible to the general public. Certified copies of said map shall be prepared by the Rockdale County Clerk.

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006)

For the purposes of this UDO, the county is divided into the following districts:

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006; Ord. No. 2007-09, § 27, 5-22-2007)

Where uncertainty exists with respect to the boundaries of any of the districts as shown on the Official Zoning Map of Rockdale County, the following rules shall apply:

(a)

Unless otherwise indicated the district boundaries are intended to approximately follow property lines, land lot lines, centerlines of streets, highways, alleys or railroads, shorelines of streams, reservoirs, or other bodies of water, or civil boundaries, and they shall be construed to follow such lines.

(b)

Where district boundaries are approximately parallel to the centerlines of streets, highways, or railroads, right-of-way of the same, or the centerlines of streams, reservoirs, or other bodies of water, or said lines extended, such district boundaries shall be construed as being parallel thereto and at such distance there from as indicated on the official zoning maps. If no distance is given, such dimensions shall be determined by the director using the scale shown on the official zoning maps.

(c)

In case the exact location of a boundary cannot be determined by the foregoing methods, the board of commissioners shall, upon application, determine the location of the boundary pursuant to a regularly advertised public hearing.

(d)

When a parcel is split by a zoning district boundary, each such portion of the parcel shall be used only for the uses authorized within the zoning district that each such portion is classified.

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006)

(a)

Land use role of the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is hereby established as the official policy of the County concerning designated land uses and development types, under which the unincorporated areas of the County are divided into land use categories and character areas.

(1)

As Rockdale County has adopted the Comprehensive Plan to include a Future Land Use Map, and a Character Area Map. The two maps shall work in tandem with one another to provide guidance in the request for zoning amendments. The Character Area map is mandated to identify the broad character of the landscape, including where limited growth is desirable, and areas where more intense development is preferred.

(b)

Relationship between land use categories and zoning districts. The land use categories established in the adopted Comprehensive Plan and shown on the Future Land Use Map are to be implemented by approving zoning map amendments to zoning districts listed within the following categories table.

(1)

The comprehensive plan does not change the existing zoning districts in the county, does not effectuate an amendment to the official zoning map, and does not itself permit or prohibit any existing land uses. Instead, the comprehensive plan establishes broad planning policy for current and future land uses and provides, among other things, designated categories within which only certain zoning districts may be authorized. The Future Land Use Map is a designation of the highest use available, it is utilized for staff and commissioners to consider the most compatible use for the proposed area.

(2)

The zoning districts that are permitted within each land use category shall be restricted to those shown in table of zoning districts permitted in each land use category of the comprehensive plan in this section.

Table of Zoning Districts Permitted in Each Land Use Category of the Comprehensive Plan

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006; Ord. No. 2007-09, §§ 28, 5-22-2007; Ord. No. 2019-09, § 1, 3-26-2019; Ord. No. O-2023-24, § I, 11-14-2023)

Upon request, the director shall have authority to issue written zoning verifications stating the existing zoning of a particular parcel of property. Requests to the director shall be in writing, accurately identify the property, and be accompanied by a fee established by the director.

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006)

(a)

Property de-annexed from the municipalities in Rockdale County shall automatically be deemed to be zoned to the least intense zoning district in Rockdale County that permits the current use and intensity of the subject property at the time of de-annexation.

(b)

Such de-annexation shall be reflected on the future land use map of the Rockdale County Comprehensive Plan and a consistent land use category shall be assigned to de-annexed property by the department based on the following standards:

(1)

The future land use map category shall be consistent with the current use.

(2)

The future land use category shall be consistent with the zoning district assigned in subsection (a).

(3)

The future land use category shall take into consideration the land use classification of adjacent properties as shown on the adopted future land use map of the Rockdale County Comprehensive Plan.

(c)

Immediately upon de-annexation property owners of de-annexed property may present an application for amendment to the comprehensive plan and amendment of the official zoning map, based on the standards and procedures of the Rockdale County Comprehensive Plan and this UDO.

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006)

The provisions of Title 2 of the UDO shall be administered and enforced by the director, except as to those limited code enforcement duties assigned to the director of the department of community compliance and legal affairs. Said Directors shall have authority to revoke, suspend, or void any development permit, building permit, or certificate of occupancy and shall have authority to immediately suspend all work on a site or portion thereof that is in violation of Title 2 pursuant to UDO chapter 110.

(Ord. No. 0-2006-32, §§ 1—3, 11-28-2006)