Planning & Zoning

Planning

The City of Douglasville, through Planning effort, offers advice on policy decisions, reviews and coordinates information for proposed physical development in the City of Douglasville, and provides professional, technical, Historic Preservation Commission, as well as to the Mayor, City Council, and city staff.

Services provided through the Planning Division includes:

Developing short, and long-term land use policies.
Transportation Planning
Updating the City's Comprehensive Plan.
Investigating and resolving citizen concerns.

The Planning Department is responsible for long-range planning for the City of Douglasville.

Future Planning looks at Capital Improvements, future land use planning, Livable Cities Initiative program, transportation planning, and the 20-year comprehensive long range plan.

Long-range planning is intended to promote livability, mobility, residential and development alternatives to create a live, work and play environment for Douglasville.

Zoning

The City of Douglasville, through Zoning effort, promotes orderly and quality development in the community by ensuring that all land use and development proposals conform to the City's Comprehensive Plan and Code of Ordinances. We've developed this infographic(PDF, 75KB) to help you navigate the zoning process here in Douglasville.

If you would like to speak about an agenda item during a planning commission meeting, please fill out this speaker sign up form by one hour prior to the meeting you wish to speak at.

Services provided through the Zoning Department includes:

Reviewing and processing applications for signs, special outdoor events, rezonings, special land use permits, and other related requests.
Reviewing and reporting on zoning applications before the Zoning Board, Mayor, and City Council.
Interpreting, updating, and maintaining ordinances and policies to reflect the Zoning Ordinance.
City of Douglasville Zoning Map
Investigating and resolving citizen concerns.

Signs

The City of Douglasville recognizes the business community’s need to promote their individual products and services. In order to promote safe, attractive and functional roadway vistas, the City adopted a uniform set of regulations related to signage.

Signs are regulated in Article 4, Section 3 of the Douglasville Unified Development Code, commonly referred to as the Douglasville Sign Ordinance.

Depending on their location, business owners are limited to specific types of signage. In general, signage can be broken down into three basic types:

Permanent signs
Temporary signs
Prohibited signs

Sign Permit Applications

Temporary Sign Permit
Permanent Sign Permit(PDF, 55KB)

Special Outdoor Event Permit

A Special Outdoor Event Permit is required for events conducted in the open air or within a tent or other temporary structure and is produced for a limited time, and could be considered:

A festival, carnival or exhibition where:
1. Unpackaged food is served, sold or transferred to members of the public, or
2. Motorized amusement devices, a tent or an outdoor stage is used; or
Any temporary commercial event conducted on residential property, other than a yard sale; or
Any temporary event conducted on residential property where more than 200 guests or attendees are expected on any one day; or
Any outdoor sales or commercial activity by a peddler or transient merchant on non- residential property, other than a licensed flea market.

Provided, however, that "special outdoor event" excludes the following:

Any event conducted on property owned by any government entity if authorized by the property owner; and
Any event conducted on the grounds of any developed lot whose principle use is one of public assembly, such as a church, school, library, park or membership organization.

For any special event request(PDF, 339KB), please submit your outdoor event permit request to the Zoning Department at City Hall. Please allow up to two (2) weeks for application processing and approval.

Zoning

Current planning involves the implementation of the City of Douglasville's Unified Development Ordinance that is used to review site plans for new developments and sign permits. Zoning provides expertise in the areas of current planning, land use decision making, and strategic decision making to elected officials, appointed boards, city management, and citizens to ensure the future quality of life in the City of Douglasville. Specific zoning regulations are in place to establish minimum parcel sizes, setbacks, and signage control. Many development application requests such as special land use permits, rezonings, and variances require approval by the Mayor and City Council. The City’s Unified Development Ordinance is available either online or at the Planning Department.

Zoning Process

If you are interested in seeking a rezoning, Special Land Use Permit, or a variance from the zoning code, please visit our Applications and Documents section. Please note, Zoning applications are due the last business day of each month by 12 PM.