Planning and Zoning FAQs

The Mebane Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) serves to implement the Mebane Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and advise the City Council on how to most effectively serve the bicycle, pedestrian, and related needs of Mebane, as well as to advocate for these needs.

The BPAC meets at 6:00 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month. The BPAC is a public commission and all of its meetings are open to the public. Contact the Planning and Zoning Department for more information.

You will need to submit a zoning permit. Permit applications must include the following:

1. a sketch or plot plan of the property with the location and dimensions of the proposed fence, and the distance to property lines measured
2. a description of the height and material of the proposed fence

Planning and Zoning Staff will review the application to ensure that it meets the fence requirements per section 4-2 C of the Mebane Unified Development Ordinance.

Staff requires a two-week review period for all Zoning Permits, after it has been reviewed by the Inspections Department. The entire process takes approximately four (4) weeks. If a permit is denied, it must be reviewed again.

Sheds and other accessory structures such as detached garages that exceed 144 square feet require a building permit and a zoning permit. Permit applications must include the following:

1. A sketch or plot plan of the property with the location and dimensions of the proposed shed and the setback distances to all property lines measured
2. A description of the proposed shed that includes the material and dimensions (length, width and height)

A residential accessory structure that does not exceed 12′ in any dimension can be constructed without a building permit, but will still require a zoning permit. Planning and Zoning Staff will review the application to ensure that it meets the requirements for accessory buildings and structures per section 4-2 B of the Mebane Unified Development Ordinance.

The City has adopted long-range plans for development, transportation, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and its historic Downtown. These plans can all be found here.

 Your property may be in the City limits or outside the City limits in an area called the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), where the City regulates land use and enforces the North Carolina State Building Codes but does not collect municipal property tax. The City provides its official Zoning Map in both paper format and online in a GIS portal that shows all municipal boundaries as well as all zoning information.

All Planning and Development fees can be found in the City’s adopted Fee Schedule, which is readopted every July.

Variances are requests from a property owner to not follow the regulations of the Mebane Unified Development Ordinance due to a “hardship” on the property. If that condition was not present, the property owner could otherwise use the property according to its zoning district. It is the responsibility of the property owner to show to the Board of Adjustment at a public hearing that this hardship is a burden prohibiting them from the use of their property.

The  Table of Permitted Uses in the Mebane Unified Development Ordinance will show how you may use your property, given its zoning district. If a use is permitted, it will be labeled with a “Z” in the Table; if it requires a Special Use Permit, it will be labeled with a “CC”” If a rezoning and/or special use is needed, it will need to be considered for a recommendation by the Planning Board and action by the City Council at a public hearing. Per State law, the property also must be posted and the public notified about the request. This entire process takes, at minimum, 3 months

Contact staff! You are also welcome to formally apply for positions on the Planning Board, Board of Adjustment, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission.