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Rezoning timeline checker: hearing dates and notice deadlines
Pick the state, the type of case and the day you plan to file. You get each step the case goes through, a target date for every hearing, and the state's notice deadlines worked back from each one, with what the wait costs you to carry the land.
Free, with no sign-up. It runs in your browser, and what you type stays on this page unless you save or export it. New to rezoning? Read how long rezoning takes, step by step.
Target decision
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What your answer is missing
What your timeline doesn't know yet
The dates above assume every hearing goes ahead on schedule. REOS has how long cases in your county actually take, and how often they pass.
These come from the cases REOS has on record for your county. On the call you'll see how many cases sit behind each number, and if REOS doesn't cover your county yet, we'll tell you.
REOS doesn't cover every county yet. Tell us yours on the call and we'll show you what it has there.
See your county's real numbers on a 20-minute callRezoning alerts for your county
Hear about new rezonings, plats, variances and special uses in your county. We'll set your alerts up with you on a 20-minute call.
Hear about new rezonings, plats, variances and special uses where you build. REOS doesn't cover every county yet, so on a 20-minute call we'll tell you whether yours is covered and set up what we can.
How the checker works
Most rezonings follow the same broad path. You file, staff reviews the application and writes a recommendation, the public gets notice, an advisory board hears the case and recommends, and the elected board decides. Variances, and special uses in most places, are decided at a single hearing instead.
The checker puts the first hearing a set number of days after you file and spaces the later hearings by the gap you choose. Then it works back from each hearing to the last day notice can go out under the state's law, and the first day it can, where the law sets one. Hearings that land on a weekend move to the Monday after. The gaps are yours to change, because every county runs its own meeting calendar and filing deadlines.
Rezoning rules by state
State law sets the floor for notice and hearings, and counties and cities build on it. Here's the floor in each state the checker covers. The sections below have the detail and the citations.
| State | Notice before the hearing | Who hears it and decides | Readings | On schedule, defaults |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Newspaper 15 to 45 days before each hearing; a sign on the property 15 days before, when an owner or developer files | One hearing required; many counties and cities hold two, the planning commission and then the elected board | One vote | 70 days |
| North Carolina | Letters to the owner and abutting owners and a sign, 10 to 25 days before; newspaper two weeks in a row, the first in that window | Planning board reviews and recommends; the elected board holds the hearing and votes | One vote, with a plan consistency statement | 70 days |
| South Carolina | Newspaper at least 15 days before, where there's no local rule; a sign visible from each road the property fronts | Planning commission reviews and recommends; council decides | County: three. City: two | 98 days county, 84 city |
| Alabama | Cities: the ordinance in full, then a summary a week later, both at least 15 days before the vote. Counties: set by local act | Zoning commission reports where the city has one; the council holds the hearing and votes | Set locally | 70 days |
| Tennessee | Counties: newspaper at least 15 days before. Cities: at least 21 days before, since July 2024. No sign or letters required by state law | Planning commission recommends; the county commission or city council decides | Counties: none set by state law. Cities: set by charter, two under the general-law charters; Nashville three | 70 days county, 84 city on two readings |
This is a planning aid, not legal advice. Your county's ordinance can require more than the state minimum, such as letters to neighbors farther out or a community meeting before you file, and planning staff have the final word on dates.
Rezoning in Georgia
Georgia's Zoning Procedures Law sets the floor for every county and city (O.C.G.A. 36-66). A rezoning needs at least one public hearing, with a notice in the newspaper at least 15 and no more than 45 days before it (36-66-4(a)). When the owner or a developer files it, the notice has to give the location and the current and proposed zoning, and a sign has to go up on the property at least 15 days before the hearing (36-66-4(b)).
The state asks for one hearing, but many counties and cities hold two, one before the planning commission and one before the board of commissioners or council, and many ask for more notice than the law does. Each hearing has to give the applicant's side and the opponents' side at least ten minutes each (36-66-5(a)).
Special use permits decided by the commissioners or council are zoning decisions too, with the same newspaper notice (36-66-3(4)(E)). Variances and other cases heard by a board of appeals or a hearing officer need notice at least 30 days before the hearing, in the newspaper and by letter to the owner (36-66-4(g)).
Two more rules shape the calendar. An applicant who has given $250 or more to a member of the board in the two years before filing has to disclose it within ten days of filing, and opponents who have done the same have to disclose it at least five days before the first hearing (36-67A-3). And if the rezoning is denied, the same property can't be considered for rezoning again for six months (36-66-4(c)).
After the vote, a challenge has to be filed in superior court within 30 days of the written decision (36-66-5.1). An appeal by an opponent puts the approval on hold while it's decided.
On the checker's defaults, a planning commission hearing six weeks after filing and a vote four weeks after that, a Georgia rezoning is decided about 70 days after filing.
Rezoning in North Carolina
Chapter 160D of the General Statutes governs every county and city. A rezoning is a legislative decision: the governing board holds the hearing and votes, after the planning board has reviewed it.
Notice comes three ways. Letters go to the owner and the owners of abutting land, and a sign goes up on the site or the street next to it, 10 to 25 days before the hearing (160D-602). The newspaper notice runs two weeks in a row, the first in that same window (160D-601). When a map change covers more than 50 properties with at least 50 different owners, the county or city can run half-page newspaper ads instead of mailing letters (160D-602(b)).
The planning board reviews the case and makes a written recommendation, and if it hasn't reported within 30 days of getting the case, the governing board can act without it (160D-604). When the board votes, it adopts a statement on whether the change is consistent with the adopted plan, and on a map change, a statement of why it's reasonable (160D-605). Many residential rezonings are filed as conditional zoning, with a site plan and conditions the applicant offers (160D-703).
A few things North Carolina doesn't allow. Neighbors can't force a supermajority vote with a protest petition; that ended in 2015. A county or city can't make you wait to refile after a denial or a withdrawal (160D-601(e), added in 2025). And a down-zoning needs the written consent of the owners whose land it covers (160D-601(d)).
Special use permits and variances are quasi-judicial: an evidentiary hearing with sworn testimony, after letters and a sign 10 to 25 days ahead (160D-406). A variance needs four-fifths of the board.
A challenge to a zoning map amendment has to be filed within 60 days of its adoption. An appeal of a special use permit or variance goes to superior court within 30 days after the decision takes effect or a written copy is delivered, whichever is later (160D-1405).
On the defaults, a North Carolina rezoning is decided about 70 days after filing.
Rezoning in South Carolina
South Carolina's planning act sends every rezoning to the planning commission for review before the governing body acts. Where the county or city has no notice rules of its own, the hearing needs at least 15 days' notice in a newspaper, and for a rezoning, a sign on or next to the property, with at least one visible from each public road the property fronts (S.C. Code 6-29-760(A)).
The rezoning itself is an ordinance, and that's what makes South Carolina slower. A county council reads an ordinance at three meetings on three separate days, with at least seven days between the second and third readings (4-9-120). A city council reads it twice, at least six days apart (5-7-270). Each council decides where in that sequence its public hearing falls.
If council wants to change or depart from what the planning commission recommended, the commission gets up to 30 days, or less if the ordinance says so, to report on the change, and it's deemed to approve if it doesn't (6-29-760(A)).
Variances and special exceptions go to the board of zoning appeals, with at least 15 days' notice in the newspaper (6-29-800). An appeal of its decision goes to circuit court within 30 days after the decision is mailed, and an owner can ask for mediation first (6-29-820). Once 60 days have passed after a rezoning decision, its notice and validity can't be challenged if the notice rules were substantially followed (6-29-760(D)).
On the defaults, with two weeks between readings, a county rezoning is decided about 98 days after filing and a city rezoning about 84.
Rezoning in Alabama
Alabama's general zoning law covers cities and towns (Ala. Code 11-52-70 and following). A city rezoning is an amendment to the zoning ordinance, and the notice is the ordinance itself: the city publishes the proposed ordinance in full, then a summary a week later, both at least 15 days before the council votes. A city with no newspaper posts it in four public places instead (11-52-77, which 11-52-78 applies to amendments).
Where the city has a zoning commission, usually its planning commission, the council can't hold its hearing or act until the commission has sent its final report (11-52-79). Then the council holds the public hearing and votes.
Counties are different, and their rules come from local acts. State law gives Alabama counties no general power to zone (11-3A-2), so a county zones only where an act of the legislature for that county lets it, and the notice and hearing rules come from that act. Baldwin County zones only in the districts whose voters opted in, and Shelby County's act was accepted one voting beat at a time. Check the county's own act and ordinance before you plan around a date.
Variances go to the board of adjustment, which needs four concurring votes and a showing of unnecessary hardship (11-52-80). Since 2025, an appeal of its decision starts with a notice to the board within 15 days and a filing in circuit court within 45 days of the decision (11-52-81).
On the defaults, a city rezoning is decided about 70 days after filing.
Rezoning in Tennessee
Tennessee sends every rezoning to the planning commission before the elected body can act. For a county, the amendment goes to the regional planning commission, and if the commission disapproves it within 30 days, the county commission needs a majority of its entire membership to pass it (T.C.A. 13-7-105). For a city, the municipal planning commission has to approve it, or if the commission disapproves, a majority of the council's entire membership has to (13-7-204).
The notice state law requires is a newspaper notice of the public hearing. A county gives at least 15 days' notice, published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation, with a summary of the amendment that describes the property (13-7-105). A city gives at least 21 days' notice, in its official journal or a newspaper of general circulation; that went up from 15 days in July 2024 (13-7-203). State law doesn't require letters to neighbors or a sign on the property for a rezoning, but many counties and cities do.
How many readings a city ordinance needs comes from the city's charter, and many Tennessee charters are private acts of the legislature, so check the city's own. The general-law charters ask for two: on two separate days under the mayor-aldermanic charter (6-2-102), and at least a week apart under the manager-commission and modified manager-council charters (6-20-215, 6-32-202). Metro Nashville's council takes zoning bills on three readings, with the public hearing at the second. The checker lets you pick two or three readings and puts the public hearing at the second.
Variances and special exceptions go to the board of zoning appeals. State law leaves notice for those hearings to local rules, and since 2025 it requires special exceptions to be judged against specific, objective standards written into the ordinance (13-7-109, 13-7-207). An appeal of a board's decision goes to chancery court by petition within 60 days (27-9-102).
On the defaults, a county rezoning is decided about 70 days after filing, and a city rezoning with two readings about 84 days after.
A worked example
Say you file a rezoning with a Georgia county on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The planning commission hears it six weeks later and the commissioners four weeks after that.
The planning commission hearing lands on Tuesday, December 15. Working back, the newspaper notice and the sign have to be out by Monday, November 30. The commissioners hear it on Tuesday, January 12, 2027, with notice out by Monday, December 28. That's a target decision 70 days after filing.
The same case in a South Carolina county takes four weeks longer. After the planning commission, the county council reads the ordinance three times, and with two weeks between readings the final vote lands on Tuesday, February 9, 2027, 98 days after filing.
If you're carrying $2 million of land at 8% a year while you wait, each month costs about $13,333, and the 70 days to a vote cost about $30,685. A deferral to the next meeting usually adds another month.
Deferrals, and notice that runs out
A deferral, when the board pushes a case to a later meeting, is the main reason real cases run past the plan. It usually costs a month and can cost more. Notice windows have an outer edge too: Georgia's newspaper notice can't run more than 45 days before the hearing, and North Carolina's letters and sign no more than 25 days before it. A case pushed past that edge may need its notice done again, which adds to the delay.
Cases get deferred for a few common reasons: an incomplete application, staff asking for more information, opposition at the first hearing, or the applicant asking for time to change the plan. A complete application filed ahead of the deadline, a meeting with staff before you file and a conversation with the neighbors before the hearing all cut the odds. The guide to how long rezoning takes goes through each step.
Terms used here
- Rezoning
- Changing the zoning district on a property, also called a zoning map amendment. In most states it's a legislative decision by the elected board.
- Special use permit
- Permission for a use the district allows only case by case. Also called a conditional use permit or special exception, depending on the state and the code.
- Variance
- Relief from a dimensional rule such as a setback or lot width, granted for a hardship particular to the property.
- Legislative decision
- A decision on policy, like a rezoning, made by the elected board after a public hearing.
- Quasi-judicial decision
- A decision applying set standards to one property, like a variance, made on evidence at a hearing.
- Reading
- One formal presentation of an ordinance at a council meeting. Some states and charters require two or three before it passes.
- Deferral
- Moving a case to a later meeting. Also called a continuance or tabling.
- Conditional zoning
- A rezoning tied to a site plan or conditions the applicant offers, binding on the land.
- Notice window
- The days before a hearing in which notice must go out: no later than the minimum, and in some states no earlier than a maximum.
Assumptions
- The first hearing comes the number of days after filing you set, and later hearings follow at the gap you set. Six and four weeks are placeholders. Put in your county's real calendar if you have it.
- Notice deadlines are the state minimums for a case filed by an owner or developer. Many counties and cities require more.
- Hearings that land on a weekend move to the Monday after, and notice deadlines on a weekend move to the Friday before. Holidays and canceled meetings aren't accounted for.
- Deferrals, withdrawals and continued hearings aren't modeled. They're the main reason real cases take longer.
- A decision isn't always the end. Conditions, appeals, plats and site plans can follow.
To follow real cases from filing to vote, see the rezoning tracker. To price what the wait does to a deal, use the residual land value calculator.
Questions
How long does a rezoning take?
It depends on the county's calendar more than anything. On this checker's defaults, with a planning commission hearing six weeks after filing and a final vote four weeks later, a case that stays on schedule is decided in about ten weeks; in a South Carolina county, with three readings, about fourteen. Deferrals are the main reason real cases take longer, and REOS shows the real median for the counties it covers.
How long does rezoning take in Georgia?
On schedule, about ten weeks from filing on the checker's defaults. State law needs newspaper notice 15 to 45 days before each hearing and a sign 15 days before, and most counties set filing deadlines weeks ahead of each hearing to leave time for staff review and notice. A denied rezoning can't come back for six months.
What notice does a rezoning need in Georgia?
Newspaper notice 15 to 45 days before the hearing (O.C.G.A. 36-66-4(a)) and, for a rezoning filed by an owner or developer, a sign on the property at least 15 days before it (36-66-4(b)). Counties can require more.
What is the rezoning process in North Carolina?
You file with the planning department, and the planning board reviews the case and makes a written recommendation. Letters, a sign and two newspaper notices go out, then the governing board holds a legislative hearing and votes, with a statement on whether the change fits the adopted plan (G.S. 160D-601 to -605).
What notice does a rezoning need in North Carolina?
Letters to the owner and the abutting owners and a sign on the site, 10 to 25 days before the hearing, and a newspaper notice two weeks in a row with the first in that same window (G.S. 160D-601 and -602).
What are the notice requirements for a rezoning in South Carolina?
Where the county or city has no rules of its own, at least 15 days' notice in a newspaper and a sign on or next to the property, visible from each public road it fronts (S.C. Code 6-29-760). Many counties and cities require more, such as letters to neighbors.
Why do South Carolina rezonings take longer?
A rezoning there is adopted as an ordinance. County councils read an ordinance three times on separate days, with at least seven days between the second and third readings. City councils read it twice, at least six days apart.
How does rezoning work in Alabama?
Cities rezone by ordinance: the zoning commission reports where there is one, and the proposed ordinance is published in full and then in summary, both at least 15 days before the council's hearing and vote (Ala. Code 11-52-77 to -79). Counties can zone only under a local act for that county, so their rules vary.
How long does rezoning take in Tennessee?
On this checker's defaults, about ten weeks for a county and twelve for a city with two readings. The planning commission reviews the case first, and a city has to give at least 21 days' newspaper notice of its public hearing (T.C.A. 13-7-203). Cities with three readings, like Nashville, take longer.
What notice does a rezoning need in Tennessee?
A newspaper notice of the public hearing: at least 15 days ahead for a county (T.C.A. 13-7-105) and at least 21 days for a city (13-7-203). State law doesn't require a sign or letters for a rezoning, but many counties and cities do.
How many readings does a Tennessee city need to rezone?
Its charter decides. The general-law charters require two readings; private-act charters set their own. Metro Nashville uses three, with the public hearing at the second.
Can I speed a rezoning up?
Mostly by not losing time. File a complete application before the deadline for the meeting you're aiming at, meet with staff first, and talk to the neighbors before the hearing so the case isn't deferred.
What happens if a rezoning is deferred?
It moves to a later meeting, usually a month or more out. If the new date falls outside the state's notice window, the notice may have to go out again.
Is this legal advice?
No. It's a planning aid built on the state minimums. Your county's ordinance and its staff have the final word.
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