The Caroline County Planning Commission voted Oct. 16 to approve Text Amendment 032025, a set of changes to the county zoning ordinance intended to align local rules with changes in the Code of Virginia and to add procedural clarity for site plans and related reviews.

Staff said the amendments were largely housekeeping and statutory-conformance updates triggered by state law changes effective July 1, 2025. Revisions include adding a designated “subdivision agent” definition consistent with the subdivision ordinance, defining “utility lot,” and creating distinct site-plan categories (site-plan building addition, site-plan linear trail, infrastructure site plan, site-plan minor and site-plan major) tied to land-disturbance thresholds.

The amendments reduce the number of hard-copy plan sets required for preliminary and final review (staff cited the addition of a required digital file), explicitly add stockpile requirements from the county’s erosion-and-sediment control (E&S) chapter to the site-plan checklist, and remove several references to Commission-level approvals where the Code of Virginia now assigns those duties to a designated agent.

Staff noted other clarifying edits, including correcting an internal wording error about initiation of zoning amendments (motion vs. resolution of intent) and cross-references to environmental regulations for manufacturing and horticultural operations. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about specific terms (for example, “reasonable fencing” and manufactured-home park parameters); staff said many determinations would be case-by-case and that the ordinance’s process remains the route for resolving disputes.

No members of the public spoke at the hearing. Mister Williams moved to adopt the text amendment with the proposed changes; Mister Young seconded. The commission voted in favor and the motion carried.

The zoning changes take effect following county procedures and will be used to guide site-plan review and applications going forward. Staff said applicants should expect fewer hard-copy submittal requirements but must provide digital plans and that stockpile and E&S requirements will be enforced through the site-plan checklist and environmental regulations.