Floyd County adopts state-driven land-division changes, designates planner as plat reviewer and raises several review fees

Floyd County’s Board of Supervisors on June 24 adopted revisions to the county’s subdivision (land-division) ordinance to comply with changes in the Code of Virginia that take effect July 1, shifting final plat review authority away from local elected bodies to a designated administrative agent.

The change means the county’s planning staff — rather than the Planning Commission or the Board — will be the named agent to review and administratively approve plats. County planning staff described new statutory review timelines and proposed fee increases to offset added staff workload.

Planning staff explained the statutory shift to the joint meeting, saying, “Beginning July 1, there are changes coming, to the subdivision ordinance requirements across the state,” and that the county must “choose one designated agent to review plats.” The staff presentation said the county is not eligible to keep a Planning Commission as designated agent because the locality’s population exceeds the statutory threshold for that option. Planning Director Ladina was named in staff remarks as the official who would step in to review resubmissions after the fourth submittal when required by the new process.

Why it matters: The move centralizes plat review in county administration and shortens statutory review deadlines — the first official submittal will be subject to a 40-day review period, with later submittals moving to 30 days — which staff said will speed time-to-decision but will also increase staff workloads. To partially offset lost revenue and added work, staff proposed a new fee schedule, which the board adopted with a small amendment on sketch-review fees.

Key changes and fees adopted - Designated agent: planning staff (county planner and planning director) will perform official plat reviews instead of the Planning Commission or the Board, per Code of Virginia requirements effective July 1. - Review timelines: first official submittal — 40 days; second and third submittals — 30 days; fourth and subsequent submittals continue 30-day reviews but may require planning director involvement within 14 days if earlier comments remain unresolved. - Fees adopted (summary of items the board approved; full ordinance text governs exact legal amounts): the county moved to a per-lot review fee of $65 for plats that otherwise would have gone to the Planning Commission, adjusted the fee schedule for repeat reviews (staff proposed a $115 fee for additional reviews after the third), and added a per-page charge for plats longer than two sheets. The board added language establishing a $50 fee for sketch reviews beyond the second sketch.

Planning Commission recommendation and Board vote The county’s Planning Commission held a public hearing and voted to recommend the ordinance changes to the Board of Supervisors. The Planning Commission vote on the recommendation was recorded as: Mister Sowers — yes; Miss Bechtel — yes; Miss Baum — yes; motion carried.

At the Board meeting the supervisors voted to adopt the ordinance amendments and updated fee schedule, including the added sketch-fee amendment. The Board recorded the approval votes as: Miss Cookenbrook — yes; Miss Bechtel — yes; Mister Cox — yes; Mister Booth — yes; Mister Turman — yes. The adopted changes are scheduled to take effect July 1, per the state timeline explained by staff.

What staff said and why fees changed County planning staff told the board that because review authority will now rest with a designated administrative agent, the county will lose the revenue previously collected when the Planning Commission reviewed plats; staff said that fee income helped fund multiple review cycles and that a modest raise in per-lot fees and a new charge for additional pages and repeated submittals would both compensate for extra staff time and create incentives for more complete initial submissions.

Staff outlined typical problem cases where plats were returned multiple times for missing elements (for example, drain-field locations or required dimensions) and recommended the structure the board adopted: modest per-lot increases, higher fees for repeated reviews after the third submittal, and a per-page fee for plats larger than two sheets.

Discussion and limits of local authority Board members and commissioners repeatedly emphasized they could not alter the state statute that moves review authority to a designated agent; their options were limited to how the county implements the required agent role and the fees it charges. Staff and supervisors also discussed whether homeowners or surveyors would bear the burden of extra fees; supervisors agreed to allow two free sketch reviews before the $50 per-sketch charge would apply, to avoid unduly penalizing homeowners who are exploring possible divisions.

What happens next Staff said they will update the county’s full land-division ordinance text to incorporate these statutory review times and the revised fee schedule, publish the final ordinance, and notify applicants about the July 1 changeover. Planning staff also said they would continue coordinating with the county attorney on appeal procedures and with the planning director on any cases that require director-level administrative review.

Ending note The Board’s action responds to a state mandate and sets a new local fee structure intended to limit repetitive submittals and cover additional planning staff workload. Supervisors said they expect to revisit implementation details and to ensure staff provide clear guidance to applicants as the July 1 effective date approaches.