Minor and Exempt Subdivision Regulations (TC-4-26)

Background:

On July 7, 2026, the Raleigh City Council authorized staff to prepare a draft ordinance to update the City's subdivision regulations. The proposed amendments would modernize the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) by incorporating subdivision provisions authorized under North Carolina law and creating a new minor subdivision review process. Read the draft ordinance.

The draft ordinance proposes two primary changes:

• Incorporate the State's exempt subdivision provisions, allowing certain small land divisions that meet specific criteria to be recorded without completing the City's standard subdivision review process.
• Establish a minor subdivision process for qualifying subdivisions that would simplify review while continuing to require applicable public improvements when appropriate.

These changes are intended to reduce unnecessary costs and review times for small-scale residential development, improve consistency with North Carolina law, and support the City's goals of increasing housing choice, expanding housing supply, and facilitating context-sensitive infill development.

Public Meeting Schedule:

This text change is scheduled for a Planning Commission Text Change Committee meeting on August 19, 2026. We will be collecting comments through August 19. Comments after this date should be submitted directly to Justin Bucher (justin.bucher@raleighnc.gov).