Greensboro, North Carolina - City Development Fees
Greensboro | City | Piedmont Triad (Guilford County seat, NC)
Greensboro is the county seat of Guilford County and the third-largest city in North Carolina, anchoring the Piedmont Triad at the I-40 / I-85 / I-73 crossroads. Development fees are administered by the City of Greensboro Department of Planning and Development (planning and zoning application fees, rezoning, special use permits, subdivision and site plan review, plat review, and sign permits) and the City of Greensboro Water Resources Department (water and sewer engineering plan review and lift station review, plus meter fees and System Development Fees). North Carolina municipalities lack general impact-fee authority, so Greensboro levies no classic transportation, parks, or public-safety impact fees. All amounts on this page are captured verbatim from the cited official City of Greensboro fee schedules (Planning FY 2024-25, effective July 1, 2024; Water Resources, effective July 16, 2024). Verify current amounts with the City of Greensboro before relying on them.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact Fees | Not administered | North Carolina municipalities lack general impact-fee authority (NCGS Chapter 160D); Greensboro levies no classic transportation, parks, or public-safety impact fee | - |
| Development Application and Zoning Fees | Confirmed | Rezoning / Original Zoning $1,140.00 to $1,525.00 by acreage; Board of Adjustment Variance / Special Exception $400.00; Special Use Permit up to $1,525.00; Preliminary Subdivision $1,400.00 + $40.00 per lot | 2024-07-01 |
| Water and Sewer Permitting Fees | Confirmed | Water/Sewer Engineering Plan Review $67.00 to $282.00 per application by linear footage; Lift Station Review $1,000.00 per application | 2024-07-16 |
| Special District Fees (PID / TIF / MSD developer fee) | Not administered | No city-administered PID, TIF/reinvestment zone, or Municipal Service District developer-facing application fee found across four official greensboro-nc.gov pages probed | - |
| Proffers | Not applicable | North Carolina does not authorize Virginia-style cash proffers | - |
Development Application and Zoning Fees
Source: City of Greensboro Planning Department, Fee Schedule for Applications Processed by the Planning Department, FY 2024-25 (updated as of July 1, 2024), captured verbatim (SHA-256 d3372a16...). These are the planning and zoning application fees administered by the City of Greensboro Department of Planning and Development. Authority: City of Greensboro Land Development Ordinance; NC GS Chapter 160D (development regulation authority). Building permit, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit fees are administered by a separate department (Engineering and Inspections) and are disclosed in the coverage notes rather than shown here.
Board of Adjustment Fees
| Application Type | Fee (FY 2024-25) |
|---|---|
| Application for Variance (Initial & Rehearing) | $400.00 per application |
| Application for Special Exception (Initial & Rehearing) | $400.00 |
| Application for Special Use Permit, 1-4.9 acres | $1,335.00 |
| Application for Special Use Permit, 5 or more acres | $1,525.00 |
Planning & Zoning Commission - Rezoning and Original Zoning
| Application Type | Fee (FY 2024-25) |
|---|---|
| Rezoning or Original Zoning, less than 1 acre | $1,140.00 |
| Rezoning or Original Zoning, 1-4.9 acres | $1,335.00 |
| Rezoning or Original Zoning, 5 or more acres | $1,525.00 |
| Original Zoning (associated with Annexation Request) | $355.00 |
Subdivision, Site Plan, and Plat Review Fees
| Review Type | Fee (FY 2024-25) |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Subdivision Plan Review | $1,400.00 + $40.00 per lot |
| Preliminary Multifamily Development Plan Review | $1,400.00 + $25.00 per dwelling unit |
| Nonresidential Site Plan Review | $1,400.00 + $20.00 per 1,000 sq. ft. |
| Minor Revisions to Approved TRC Plan | $480.00 + per lot/sq ft/dwelling unit fee applied to any increase |
| Exempt Plat Review | $385.00 per review |
| Exempt Deed Review | $110.00 per review |
| Condominium and Townhouse Declarations Review | $125.00 per review |
| Final Plats Review | $320.00 per review |
Sign and Banner Permit Fees
| Sign Type | Fee (FY 2024-25) |
|---|---|
| Business Signs & Billboards | $165.00 per sign |
| Banners - Inside Historic District / Outside CBD | $45.00 per sign |
| Banners - Outside Historic District / Outside CBD | $10.00 per sign ($100 maximum) |
| Banners - Inside CBD | $0.00 (No Fee) |
Landscape, Tree, and Other Review Fees
| Review Type | Fee (FY 2024-25) |
|---|---|
| Landscape Plan Review (after site plan review) | $75.00 per review |
| Tree/Land Disturbance Permit | $50.00 per review |
| Tree Conservation / Landscape Inspection / Re-inspection | $125.00 per inspection |
| Easement Release | $240.00 per review |
| Watershed Plan | $60.00 per review |
Authority: City of Greensboro Department of Planning and Development. The Planning application fee schedule is adopted by City Council for the fiscal-year budget and updated annually. The schedule above reflects FY 2024-25 amounts as of July 1, 2024.
Water and Sewer Permitting Fees
Source: City of Greensboro Water Resources Department, Water and Sewer Permitting Fees, effective July 16, 2024, captured verbatim (SHA-256 1401ce8a...). The confirmed schedule below is the water and sewer engineering plan review fee (assessed by linear footage of main) and the lift station review fee. In North Carolina, water and sewer System Development Fees are governed by the NC Water and Sewer System Development Fee Act (NC GS 162A Article 8); Greensboro's separate per-meter System Development Fee and meter installation schedules were not captured verbatim this pass and are disclosed in the coverage notes rather than presented incompletely.
Water/Sewer Engineering Plan Review and Lift Station Review
| Review Type | Fee (effective July 16, 2024) |
|---|---|
| Water/Sewer Engineering Plan Review - 0 to 1,000 linear feet | $67.00 per application |
| Water/Sewer Engineering Plan Review - 1,001 to 2,000 linear feet | $116.00 per application |
| Water/Sewer Engineering Plan Review - 2,001 to 5,000 linear feet | $187.00 per application |
| Water/Sewer Engineering Plan Review - Over 5,000 linear feet | $282.00 per application |
| Lift Station Review | $1,000.00 per application |
Authority: City of Greensboro Water Resources Department, which administers water and sewer permitting fees, meter fees, and System Development Fees under NC GS 162A Article 8. The plan review and lift station fees above are published on the official Water Resources permitting fees page and were effective July 16, 2024.
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
The items below are disclosed rather than estimated or omitted silently. These items remain under limited-coverage review until the additive gaps noted below are captured from official, hash-verified sources.
Impact Fees
North Carolina law (NCGS Chapter 160D and general municipal authority) does not authorize municipalities to levy classic impact fees such as transportation, recreation/parks, or fire/police capacity charges. The General Assembly must specifically authorize each fee type. No transportation, recreation, parkland, fire, or police impact fee program for Greensboro was found in three official greensboro-nc.gov sources probed (Planning, Water Resources, Engineering and Inspections). The one authorized exception is water and sewer System Development Fees under the NC Water and Sewer System Development Fee Act (NCGS 162A Article 8), which are administered by Greensboro Water Resources and addressed under water and sewer permitting fees above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
Proffers
North Carolina does not have the Virginia-style conditional-zoning cash proffer system authorized by VA Code 15.2-2303 and 15.2-2303.4. NC GS Chapter 160D governs land-use regulation and does not include any cash proffer mechanism. Developer contributions in North Carolina are captured under planning and zoning application fees and under water/sewer System Development Fees. This closure applies statewide to all NC jurisdictions. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Special District Fees
No city-administered Public Improvement District (PID), Tax Increment Financing/reinvestment zone, Municipal Service District, or other special district developer-facing application fee was found in four official greensboro-nc.gov pages probed (Planning, Water Resources, Engineering and Inspections, City home/news). Guilford County administers county-wide assessments that apply to unincorporated areas, not within city limits. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
Meter fees, System Development Fees, and building permit fees (additive)
Three additive coverage items were not captured verbatim this pass and are disclosed here rather than presented incompletely. (1) Per-meter water/sewer System Development Fees under NC GS 162A Article 8, codified in Greensboro City Code Chapter 29, were not rendered from the Municode ordinance library this pass. (2) Physical water meter tap and installation fees by meter size, referenced in a separate city PDF, were not accessible because the source was WAF-blocked. (3) Building permit, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit fees are administered by the City of Greensboro Engineering and Inspections Department (a minimum fee of $85 is confirmed from the permits/fees page; the full rate schedule was not captured). These items will be added when captured from the official, hash-verified sources.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of Greensboro - Department of Planning and Development | Planning and zoning application fees, rezoning, special use permits, subdivision and site plan review, plat review, sign permits, tree/land disturbance permits | greensboro-nc.gov |
| City of Greensboro - Water Resources Department | Water and sewer engineering plan review, lift station review, meter fees, System Development Fees (NC GS 162A Article 8) | greensboro-nc.gov |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Fee Schedule for Applications Processed by the Planning Department - FY 2024-25 (effective July 1, 2024) (SHA-256 d3372a16...) | City of Greensboro, NC - Planning Department | 2026-06-26 |
| Water and Sewer Permitting Fees (effective July 16, 2024) (SHA-256 1401ce8a...) | City of Greensboro, NC - Water Resources Department | 2026-06-26 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-06-26. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of Greensboro (Department of Planning and Development, Water Resources Department) before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data captured verbatim from the City of Greensboro Planning Department fee schedule (FY 2024-25, effective July 1, 2024; SHA-256 d3372a16...) and the City of Greensboro Water Resources water and sewer permitting fees (effective July 16, 2024; SHA-256 1401ce8a...). ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change periodically, typically with each fiscal-year budget. Per-meter water/sewer System Development Fees, meter installation fees, and Engineering and Inspections building permit fees are disclosed as additive coverage gaps pending full capture from official sources. North Carolina municipalities lack general impact-fee authority, North Carolina does not use Virginia-style cash proffers, and Greensboro does not administer a developer-facing special district application fee. Verify all current rates directly with the City of Greensboro before relying on this data for land acquisition, project budgeting, or any financial decision. This page is for research and due-diligence reference only - it is not legal or financial advice.