Current Fee Schedule & Payment Options
Payment Options: Cash, Charge to Mecklenburg County Customer Account (must be pre-approved), Check, Visa, and Master Card. Fee payment is calculated when plans are approved by all disciplines (Site, Urban Forestry, Engineering, Erosion Control, CDOT, and NCDOT). Payment is required when services are rendered.
NOTE: The design professional will be contacted via telephone and correspondence in reference to unpaid fees, and is responsible for all fee payments, regardless of project financial responsibility.
NOTICE: Review time for ALL submittals begins next business day. Site Plan Reviews (a.k.a. Building Permit/Site Plans) comments will be available in five (5) business days.
Minimum Submittal Requirements:
- Completed Site Plan Review Application form required with each submittal.
- All plans must be folded to 8 ½" x 11" with title block visible
- No hard cover binders.
- Correct number of plans, separated by submittal type (site, landscape, grading, detention, etc.) with the associated documents (i.e., Financial Responsibility Form, driveway permits, calculations, etc.).
- All submittals are subject to a Gateway Review to ensure the submittal is complete and available for a comprehensive review. Should the submittal be incomplete, the design professional will be informed of the missing information, and has 10 business days to submit the missing items or retrieve the incomplete submittal. If no additional information has been provided within 10 business days and the incomplete submittal has not been picked up, the incomplete submittal package will be discarded.
City of Charlotte Land Development Standards Manual
Commercial / Subdivision Site Review & Inspections City Engineering inspects curb and gutter, driveways, sediment and erosion control, sidewalk within public street right-of-way; also storm drainage, and storm water detention. An inspector needs to be called prior to installing any of these items. For specific information on construction requirements please see
resources section* (for forms, handouts and documents).
*Note: Links require
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Detention / Drainage Plan Review
Engineering staff reviews and approves drainage and detention plans. Detention plans are required if total impervious area created after 1978 is greater than 20,000 square feet.
Driveway PermitsCity Engineering and Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) staff reviews City driveway permit applications, right-of-way verifications, and conflicts with imminent transportation projects.
NOTE: NCDOT driveway permit applications must have original signatures on each copy. City staff will contact the professional when plans are ready for NCDOT review. The owner/professional must transmit plans and applications to the State for approval with the State's application fee. The City of Charlotte will not accept checks payable to NCDOT. Download
NCDOT driveway permit application.
Grading Permits
Engineering staff reviews and approves grading permits. A permit is required if more than one acre of land is disturbed during construction. Tree protection is required for all trees 1" caliper or larger in the right-of-way or 8" caliper or larger in the setback. Other sites may require detention or environmental documents.
Presubmittal Meetings City Engineering offers
FREE "presubmittal" meeting prior to permit application. The Customer and staff discuss requirements for the site and any potential site concerns or issues based on conceptual plans. To schedule a pre-submittal meeting held on Friday mornings (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon time slots for 45 minutes each), complete the
Presubmittal Meeting Registration (link on this page in right margin).
Urban Design Reviews
Includes projects zoned Uptown Mixed Use District (UMUD), Mixed Used Development Districts (MUDD) under 10 acres, Transit Oriented District (TOD) Overlay, Pedestrian (PED) Overlay, and Transit Station (TS) Overlay Projects.
City Engineering coordinates the Urban Design Review process with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The Urban Design Review team will schedule the initial conceptual site plan meeting and facilitate plan/permit review and approval. Contact Nan Peterson at 704-336-6691.
Commercial Zoning: City of Charlotte Zoning Ordinance
Commercial development plans may be submitted for zoning compliance review during business hours (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday) at the Hal Marshall Center through the current building permit process.
Citizens should report suspected zoning violations to 311. Callers must provide the address and a detailed description of the nature of the violation. Information such as names, dates, times, license plate numbers is useful evidence of a suspected violation.
Related Mecklenburg County Departments
For more information, call Land Development Customer Service at 704-336-6692.
