Amendments to the Official Zoning Map (also known as rezoning) may be initiated by the City Council or by application from the owner(s) of the property to be rezoned. There are two types of zoning map amendments:
A pre-application meeting is required prior to submission of an application for rezoning. The purpose of the pre-application meeting is to provide an overview of the application process and general guidance on the proposed rezoning and development concept, if applicable. Pre-application meetings may be scheduled by emailing the Development Review team or calling 910.254.0900.
Neighborhood meetings are required prior to submission of an application to rezone to a conditional district. Applicants must provide notice of the neighborhood meeting at least 10 days, but not more than 25 days, in advance of the meeting through mailed notice to property owners within 300 feet and a sign(s) posted on the property visible to an abutting street(s). Notice of the meeting must also be provided to planning staff.
Public comment on pending applications is accepted in advance of both the Planning Commission and City Council public hearings through on-line portals. Members of the public may also contact the Development Review team with any questions they may have on pending applications.
The Planning Commission will hold a legislative hearing on the proposed rezoning at a regularly scheduled meeting. Prior to the hearing, planning staff will publish a case summary providing an overview of the request and recommended action. The case summary will be available on the Planning Commission webpage as part of the agenda packet for the meeting. If the Planning Commission recommends approval of the application, a public hearing will be scheduled before the City Council. If the Commission recommends denial of the application, no further action will be taken unless the applicant files an appeal with the City Council.
If the Planning Commission recommends approval of the rezoning application, a legislative hearing will be scheduled before the City Council.
All applications must be submitted electronically by emailing the Development Review team.
All application components (e.g. application, narrative, site plan, etc.) must be submitted individually and named accordingly.
Please contact the Development Review team to make arrangements for files that exceed email limits.
Professional seals (engineers, land surveyors, architects, etc) on digital plans must be redacted from digital copies submitted to the city for review. Please be sure to mark, strike through, or otherwise conceal any professional seal located on your digital (re)submittals (e.g., PDF).
Application fees must be paid in full prior to review of a rezoning application.
Regardless of whether the rezoning petition is approved or denied by the City Council, the responsibility for all fees associated with the rezoning process(PDF, 104KB) lies with the applicant(s) or their designated representative. Signing the petition for rezoning indicates the applicant (or their designated representative) accepts this financial responsibility.
*A mailed notice fee of $0.85/notice shall apply to all applications received on or after July 1, 2024. This fee will be determined during the review process and a separate invoice issued. The supplemental fee must be paid prior to a hearing on the application.
If you plan to pay in advance, planning staff must first notify the collections department to enable acceptance of payments.
Payment by Phone (910. 343.4745)
Payment in Person
Payment by Mail
929 North Front Street, 1st Floor Wilmington, NC 28401
Rezoning applications are accepted on a monthly basis according to the Planning Commission schedule.(PDF, 114KB)
Late Applications
Applications received after the established deadline will be included with the following month's review cycle submissions.