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Planning and Zoning

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1. Do I need to rezone my property and if so how do I go about it?

Augusta has a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance which regulates what uses you can conduct on your property. You should check with this office if you want to initiate a new use of your property (i.e. residential, professional, commercial, multi-family residential or industrial). If rezoning is required you will have to consult the staff to see whether what you want to do is consistent with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and legal standards for zoning.

If you decide to move forward you will have to provide information, pay a non-refundable fee that varies with the proposed zoning change, and present your request at a public hearing. The process takes between 30 and 60 days depending on when the application is made. For more information see Zoning/Rezoning on this web site and/or contact this office at (706) 821-1796. Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance

2. How do I obtain a home based business license?

If you live in Augusta Richmond County and your business will not result in any business traffic at your home, will not require any signage on the property to advertise the business, will not require parking a commercial vehicle at the home, and will not have any visible outside storage of material used in the business, then you may obtain a Special Use Permit.

You must be the homeowner or have written permission from the owner and pay a onetime fee of $100, and the staff will assist you in filling out the necessary paperwork.

Should you not meet the above standards, a home based business might be approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals. We accept all forms of payment preferably, a personal check, or we request exact cash and charge a 3% fee for all electronic transactions.

3. How do I obtain a manufactured home permit

Augusta-Richmond County does not regulate manufactured homes by age rather than by zoning. If your property is correctly zoned for placement of a manufactured home (A – Agriculture or R-MH - Manufactured Home Residential), you must obtain a Manufactured Home Permit from this office before placing the home.

Please bring a plat of the land or the location of the home in an approved manufactured home park, the size, make, and year of the home and $20 to this office and the staff will assist you in filling out the necessary paperwork. We accept all forms of payment, preferably a personal check, or request exact cash and charge a 3% fee for all electronic transactions. Additional information.

4. How do I open a Family Personal Care Home in Augusta?

Family Personal Care Homes are defined as a residential home that will have 3-6 clients. They are allowed in Augusta Richmond County only by approval of the Augusta Commission of a Special Exception. There is a $500.00 non-refundable application fee, there may be no operating residential care homes within 1200 feet of the proposed home, and both the Planning Commission and the Augusta Commission will hear the petition. For additional information and to have the 1200 foot search conducted please contact this office.

5. How do I open a Family Day Care Home in Augusta?

Family Day Care Homes are defined as a residential home that will supervise 3-6 children. They are allowed in Augusta Richmond County by right if certain criteria are met. There may be no operating residential care homes of any type within 1200 feet of the proposed home and a Special Use Permit and a Richmond County Business License must be obtained. The criteria for staff approval are as follows:
i. Applicant must live in the home

ii. Home has public sewerage or applicant has a letter of approval from the Richmond County Board of Health

iii. Home is not in the floodplain

iv. Applicant must provide proof of application for registration from the Georgia Department of Human Resources Day Care Licensing Unit

v. The lot on which the family day care home would be located is 10,000 square feet in area or greater

vi. Hours of operation would not be greater than 6:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.

vii. No persons listed with Richmond County Sex Offenders Registry reside within 1,000 feet of the property

For additional information and to have the 1200 foot search conducted please contact this office. Please note if you do not meet the above listed criteria you may petition for a Special Exception, please see Zoning-Rezoning on this web site for more information.

6. How do I get a plat approved?

All plats recorded in Augusta Richmond County must be approved and signed by this office. Please bring a mylar and two original copies or three original copies of the plat to this office and the staff will review the plat and if possible approve it for you while you wait. Once a plat is approved and signed it must be taken to the Real Estate Records Division of the Clerk of Superior Court located in the Municipal Building for recording. There is no charge for approval a plat for one lot. Plats subdividing land into multiple lots may require submission of additional information. For fees please call the Planning Commission at (706) 821-1796. For more information see Development Information on this web site.

7. Do I need any permits or approvals to install a fence?

Most fences do not require a building permit in Augusta-Richmond County but if you are located in any of the 3 historic districts you must obtain Historic Preservation Commission approval (see Historic Preservation on this web site for district boundaries). Residential fence heights are limited to four (4) feet for front yards and six (6) feet for rear yards