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St. Charles County Community Development reports higher permitting and inspections as Master Plan work begins
Summary
Director Michael Hurlbert told the County Council the department handled thousands of permits and inspections in 2025 and that a 2035 land-use draft and Unified Development Ordinance update are forthcoming.
Michael Hurlbert, director of the St. Charles County Department of Community Development, presented an overview of his department’s 2025 workload and priorities to the County Council on Jan. 26, saying the office is preparing for a Master Plan land-use draft for 2035 and an update to the county’s Unified Development Ordinances this fall.
Hurlbert told the council the Building and Code Enforcement Division reviewed 6,491 permit applications in 2025, completed 11,211 building inspections and handled more than 12,472 code-enforcement inspections. He said the Development Review Division reviewed or inspected more than 250 site and improvement plans and plats and processed over 1,500 grading, land-disturbance and building permits. The Planning and Zoning Division processed roughly 5,200 plan reviews, 128 flood-plain development permits, 74 plat reviews and 14 rezoning applications last year.
“These numbers reflect steady development activity and an emphasis on enforcing safety and design standards,” Hurlbert said during the presentation. He also highlighted public-facing tools the department is expanding, including online plan applications, complaint portals and GIS resources to support project review and community engagement.
The director said the Master Plan Steering Committee is drafting land-use recommendations for 2035 and described the Unified Development Ordinance update as intended to streamline reviews and reflect current design standards. Hurlbert also referenced CDBG-DR flood-damaged property buyouts and noted the Port Authority’s recent foreign trade zone application and plans to study ferry improvements.
Council members asked procedural questions about enforcement timing and coordination; Councilman Joe Brazil clarified that newly passed property-management codes would be enforced by the end of the month. Hurlbert did not announce specific regulatory changes beyond the timing for the UDO update and Master Plan work.
The presentation was accompanied by a PowerPoint placed on file with the registrar.
