FAQs

Public notices for projects such as annexation or rezoning requests are published on the Public Meetings & Hearings page prior to Planning Board and Town Council sessions. You can also sign up to receive Planning Board and Town Council agendas directly in your inbox. 

For more information on upcoming meetings, current development, or if you are unable to find a project you are looking for, please contact the Planning Department by phone at 919-553-5002 or by email at planning@townofclaytonnc.org.

Certain development projects and requests are subject to public review by the Planning Board, Board of Adjustments, and Town Council. Generally, the Planning Board acts as a review body to provide recommendations to Town Council on rezonings and Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) amendments. The Board of Adjustments conducts evidentiary hearings for Special Use Permits and appeals. And, as a legislative body, the Town Council delivers decisions on a variety of issues, including annexations, rezonings, and UDO amendments. For a detailed list of each body's role in development projects, check out Table 2.2.1 in Chapter 2 of the UDO.

Public notices for projects such as annexation or rezoning requests are published on the Public Meetings & Hearings page prior to Planning Board and Town Council sessions. To access the link to the agendas/minutes for Town Council, Planning Board, or Board of Adjustment meetings, visit our Boards and Commissions portal. You can also sign up to receive Planning Board and Town Council agendas directly in your inbox. 

You can find the permit applications for the Engineering, Inspections, and Planning Departments on the Development Services Department page under the "Forms" heading or at our office at 111 E Second St. Once you are ready to submit, you can bring it to the office in person or email it to the email address found on the application form. 

Visit the Development Services Department page or contact the Development Services Department for more information. 

If you have questions about the Unified Development Ordinance or a possible violation, or if you received a notice and would like to discuss a specific complaint, please contact a Code Enforcement Officer. You may also visit the Code Enforcement Division in person at 111 East Second Street.

• Susan Long (Code Enforcement Officer):
  Phone: 984-310-4395
  Email: slong@townofclaytonnc.org
• Jon Weckesser (Senior Code Enforcement Officer):
  Phone: 984-303-7052
  Email: jweckesser@townofclaytonnc.org

Your first step is to check the "Listing of Common Principal Uses" table in Chapter 4 of the Unified Development Ordinance to see which districts permit your use type. The Town of Clayton lists over 150 different use types, so please review this table carefully to make sure you are looking at the most accurate use type for your business. To check the zoning for a specific property, visit our Maps & GIS page.

Once you are ready to move, you will need to complete an application for a Zoning Compliance Permit. You may also need to check with Johnston County, which licenses businesses for activities such as tattooing and certain types of food preparation.

Please contact the Town of Clayton Planning Department if you have questions at any point in this process. We are excited to have your business in Clayton and look forward to helping you navigate the process!

Home-bases businesses, or home occupations, are regulated by the Town of Clayton as secondary uses, so you will need a Zoning Compliance Permit to establish one. 

There are two types: Level 1 Home Occupations, which are lower intensity, and Level 2 Home Occupations, which are higher in intensity. Level 1 Home Occupations are allowed in all residential districts with a Zoning Compliance Permit, but Level 2 Home Occupations are more restricted. See Chapter 4 of the Unified Development Ordinance for more detailed information on Home Occupations.

If you have any questions about Home Occupations, please contact the Planning Department.

Before you open a new business or set up a Utilities account with the Town, you will need a Zoning Compliance Permit, which you can find under the “Planning” drop down on the Development Services Department page of our website. We will need to know what the use of the property will be (details about the business/organization, number of employees, customer load at one time, professional/operating licenses, etc.). Please also provide a notarized Owner’s Consent Form or lease if you are not the property owner.
 
You can submit the completed application through email (permitsubmittals@townofclaytonnc.org) or bring it to our office at the town’s building on 111 E Second St. Once you have that permit, you can begin to set up utility service with the Town. For more information on that process, reach out to the Utilities Department via email (utilities@townofclaytonnc.org) or phone (919-553-5002). You can also stop by the same town building to speak with them in person.

In addition to a Zoning Compliance Permit approving the change of use, you will need a separate permit for any renovation work. Please contact the Inspections Department or Planning Department to determine what permits are necessary.

To help preserve the character of our town by keeping it neat and clean, the Town of Clayton regulates signs through its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The UDO allows temporary signs to be placed on properties that are for sale, rent/lease, or where an activity is taking place. Signs placed at other locations, such as those on other properties or street right-of-ways, directing attention to the sale or activity, are not permitted. The Sign Ordinance can be found in Section 6.13 of the UDO.

All permanent signs and most temporary signs must be approved and permitted by the Town. You can find the applications for both permanent and temporary signs on the Permits and Applications page.

Depending on the scope of work, you will need either a Building Permit or a Zoning Compliance Permit before you start any work. Failure to receive a permit is considered a Zoning Violation and can result in a warning letter and possible fines.

The Planning Department will work with you to make sure the project will not encroach into any easements and meets all setback requirements, as well as any other Code requirements. Please contact the Planning Department to begin the process.

An easement is the right to use property owned by another individual for specific purposes or to gain access to another property. Easements may be used for the construction of utilities, driveways, greenways, or drainage facilities.

A survey is the only way to truly determine if and where easements are located on a property. Some easements may be shown on a plat of your subdivision, which you can access via the Johnston County Register of Deed.

For more information, it is recommended that you contact the Planning Department for guidance on easements.

The Town of Clayton does not provide property surveys, so you will need to hire a private surveyor.

Any information provided by the Town or Johnston County, including GIS information, is intended for reference purposes only. To access any records held by the Town of Clayton on a property, you will need to submit a Public Records Request, which you can do through the Town of Clayton website. Please note that our record retention policy is usually around 3-7 years (depending on the document type), so it may no longer be accessible. 

You may place your fence up to and on top of your property line, but you will need your neighbors' consent to build on a shared property lie or tie-into an existing fence. Generally, fences may not be located in easements or sight distance triangles. Not every type of fence material is permitted - talk with staff to confirm that the type of fencing you want to put up, and the desired height and location, is permitted. The requirements for fences are outlined in Section 6.3 of the Unified Development Ordinance.

Before you install your fence, you will need a Zoning Compliance Permit. When you are ready to submit, be sure to include a site plan and a picture of the material/final look of the fence. Please refer to this guide on the specific requirements for a fence site plan.

Zoning is a mechanism for local governments to foster growth and development to cultivate an ever-improving community. The Town of Clayton has designated 17 conventional zoning districts, each of which has a unique set of allowed land uses, lot size requirements, and building standards. 

Zoning is a powerful tool to serve our community and facilitate the Town's vision for future growth. To learn more about this, visit our Strategic and Master Plans page.

The Planning Department maintains the Town's Official Zoning Map and can help you determine your zoning district. To view the map, visit the Maps and GIS page.

The uses permitted in each district are outlined in the "Listing of Common Principal Uses" and the "Listings of Common Secondary Uses" tables in Chapter 4 of the Unified Development Ordinance. The Town of Clayton lists over 150 different use types, so please check the definitions for each use type in Chapter 8 to ensure you are looking at the most accurate use type for your activity. 

Remember that before building or placing a new use on the property, you must receive the appropriate permits and approvals. If you have any questions about land use policies, contact the Planning Department.

Building setbacks are based on your Zoning District and, sometimes, on what subdivision you are located in. To look up your zoning district, visit our Maps and GIS page. The setback information for each zoning district can be found in Chapter 3 of the Unified Development Ordinance. 

If your property is in a subdivision or is in a conditional or planned district, you may be able to find the setback information on the recorded plat. You can find the plat for your neighborhood on Johnston County's online mapping portal MapClick. Use the "Locate" tab to find the property. You should see a blue triangle on the map somewhere near the property with the name of your subdivision (you may need to zoom out). On the "Query" tab, select "Plat Book Image" from the dropdown. Click on the blue triangle, which should open a page from the Johnston County Register of Deeds with the plat on it. This may have setback information on it. 

For confirmation, it is recommended that you contact the Planning Department to determine your setback requirements.