Unified Development Ordinance

The Clayton UDO, a Living Document

The UDO is a living document that changes over time. Since approved by Town Council on November 20, 2023 and taking effect on January 2, 2024, it has been updated several times, most recently on November 17, 2025. These updates, called Text Amendments (UDOTA), are reviewed by the Planning Board and approved by Town Council. Updates are driven by community feedback, changes in state or federal law, and lessons learned from putting the UDO into practice. 

The UDO outlines the rules for how land can be used and developed, covering everything from adding a fence in your backyard to building a new commercial or residential project. The UDO applies to all property within the Clayton Town Corporate limits and the Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). You can also explore how the UDO has changed over time. Scroll down to see redline versions that show the draft changes before they were officially adopted by Town Council. For reference, we’ve also included a link to the original UDO so you can see where it all began.

Below you will find the following UDO-related resources:

  1. UDO in Effect Today (adopted by Town Council on November 17, 2025)

  2. UDO Procedures Manual (in effect as of November 18, 2025)

  3. UDO Redlines (showing in-line text changes of the UDOTA)

  4. UDO Original Adoption (the original UDO as adopted)

  5. UDO Prior Versions (full versions of the UDO's prior versions)

UDO in Effect Today

You can always find the most current version of the UDO here (last amended November 17, 2025). Staff may make minor edits, such as fixing typos or formatting, so be sure you’re using the version posted on this page: "Clayton UDO - Approved 11.17.25 - v2 - 11.21.25".

FULL DOCUMENT (27.6 MB): Unified Development Ordinance (amended 11.17.25)

Clayton UDO - Approved 11.17.25 - v1 - 11.20.25 - Cover Image

UDO Procedures Manual

With the adoption of UDOTA 2-25 on November 17, 2025, some administrative sections of the UDO were moved into a new UDO Procedures Manual. This manual, effective November 18, 2025, is available for download and serves as your go-to guide for application requirements and other Planning Department processes.

FULL DOCUMENT (1.23 MB): UDO Procedures Manual (effective 11.18.25)

UDO PM Title Image - 11.18.25

UDOTA Redlines

Below, you can explore Clayton’s UDO updates over time by reviewing the UDOTA redline documents. These show the original text alongside the changes approved by Town Council. In the UDO itself, you’ll see editor’s notes, such as “AMENDED 4.15.24 (UDOTA 1-24)”, marking where updates have been made. Use the redline documents to see exactly what the UDO said before those changes took effect.

UDO Original Adoption

The UDO was adopted by Town Council on November 20, 2023 and, as noted above, has since been updated through Text Amendments. Below, you’ll find the original version of the UDO, perfect for seeing how the document has evolved over time.

UDO Prior Versions

These UDO prior versions are for reference only and are no longer in effect. Some projects under review during a change of the UDO may continue to be reviewed accordingly or request to be reviewed under the updated UDO (Permit Choice per NCGS §143-155). Projects approved under a prior UDO may request to be "vested" to the UDO in effect at the time of its approval (UDO §2.3.32, Vested Rights Certificate and NCGS §160D-108).