Zoning & Development Resources

  • Athens-Clarke County Planning and Zoning Encyclopedia: This document lists common planning and zoning terms used locally in Athens, Georgia.
  • Athens-Clarke County Tree Species List: The Athens-Clarke County Tree Species List is a directory of trees adopted by the mayor and commission listing tree species information, including size, form, habit, and growing requirements, as well as which tree species are approved for planting to satisfy code requirements.
  • Best Management Practices for Trees in Athens-Clarke County: A companion document to the Athens-Clarke County Tree Ordinance with diagrams, this document offers management practice guidelines for healthy tree development.
  • Downtown Alternative Compliance Guide: These guidelines were adopted in conjunction with the design standards for development within each downtown character area, including the historic district. They describe the overall vision and design intent of the design standards and provide written and visual examples of how to achieve them.
  • Greenspace Acquisitions: Currently there are two land acquisition programs active within Athens-Clarke County Unified Government departments: the Georgia Greenspace Initiative and the Athens-Clarke County Greenway Network Plan. The policies and procedures for the Greenspace Acquisition Program have combined these two plans and will serve as the governing program. This document includes the site nomination form.
  • Open Records Request: To assist our department in completing this open records request as quickly as possible, please provide all of the information. Legally privileged information will not be provided.
  • Plans Review Handbook: The Plans Review Handbook describes the plans review process including requirements for applications, code references, and contacts for reviewing departments and agencies.
  • Sealing Documents for Architects and Engineers: These documents offer the Official Code of Georgia’s standards for professionally sealed documents.
  • Subdivision Review Process Flowchart: The Subdivision Flowchart is a diagram of the platting and subdivision review process.
  • Submitting Electronic Documents: Electronic plans are required for all Final Plat, Hearings Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Planning Commission, and Plans Review submittals. Drawings may be submitted in either Design Web Format (DWF) or Portable Document Format (PDF). DWF is the preferred format and is required for plan sets over 10 pages in length.
  • Zoning Permit FAQs: This document contains answers to the common questions about zoning permit applications and helpful information to guide you through the process.
  • Zoning Permit Plan Example: This Zoning Permit Plan Example offers an example of a scaled site plan for new single-family residential construction. All zoning permits require a scaled site plan of existing and proposed property improvements.
  • Zoning Permit Site Plan Creation Tool Walkthrough: This tutorial shows you how to use our GIS Viewer tools to create a zoning permit site plan.