Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Matthews, North Carolina

Town of Matthews’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Floodplain development inside Matthews where the UDO requires final as-built certification before a Certificate of Occupancy or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy.

  • The permit holder must submit final as-built elevation or flood-proofing certification to the Floodplain Administrator.
  • Deficiencies must be corrected before issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy.

  “Failure to submit the certification or failure to make said corrections required shall be cause to withhold the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and structures within the Town of Matthews, North Carolina.

  • The Town states that amendments undergo public hearing and review before approval.

  “The Town Board of Commissioners, under the authority granted to the Board by G.S. 160D, adopts this Title 155 as the Unified Development Ordinance for the Town of Matthews on December 9, 2013.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Fill, new construction, substantial improvements, and other development requiring an Individual Floodplain Development Permit within the Matthews FEMA Floodway.

  • The encroachment must be demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analysis to produce no 0.00-foot increase in FEMA or Community Base Flood Elevations.
  • The analysis must be performed in accordance with standard engineering practice and approved by the Floodplain Administrator.

  permitted increase in FEMA Base Flood Elevation: 0 feet (During occurrence of a FEMA Base Flood.) · permitted increase in Community Base Flood Elevation: 0 feet (During occurrence of the Community Base Flood.)

  “No encroachments requiring an Individual Floodplain Development Permit, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements and other development shall be permitted within the FEMA Floodway unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analysis performed in accordance with standard engineering practice that such encroachment would not result in any (0.00 feet) increase in the FEMA Base Flood Elevations during the occurrence of a FEMA Base Flood and no increase in the Community Base Flood Elevations during the occurrence of the Community Base Flood.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Matthews planning and development submissions.

  • The page warns of a new fee schedule effective July 1, 2026.
  • The page also labels the linked fee schedule effective February 14, 2022; the applicable fee schedule should therefore be confirmed before filing.

  “Rezoning, Conditional Zoning Plans, and Conditional Plan Amendments 1000.00”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Matthews rezoning, administrative-amendment, site/elevation-plan-review, and public-improvement-variance submissions.

  • Applicants for the listed actions must read and understand the Board policy.
  • Only complete zoning-map-amendment applications are accepted.
  • Up to three complete zoning-map-amendment applications are accepted per submission cycle; excess complete petitions are placed in the next deadline.
  • Administrative amendments, public-improvement variances, site/elevation reviews, and text amendments are not subject to the three-case maximum.

  complete zoning map amendment applications per submission cycle: <= 3 applications (Administrative Amendments, Public Improvement Variances, Site Plan/Elevation Reviews, and Text Amendments are not subject to the three-case maximum.)

  “Planning staff will accept up to three (3) complete zoning map amendment applications each submission cycle. Only completed applications will be accepted. If more than three (3) petitions are submitted and deemed complete then they will be held in the process and placed in the next application deadline.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Matthews or Mecklenburg County directly.

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Matthews town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder treatment for construction inside Matthews town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption applicable inside Matthews town limits.
• Inspections — Building-code inspections for residential construction inside Matthews town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Matthews town limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.