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Newton County adopts ordinance tightening rules for convenience stores and site maintenance
Summary
The Board adopted UDOAMD26‑001 (O‑050526), replacing convenience‑store use standards to add lighting, screening, size, separation, pump and hours limits and a new site‑maintenance section for commercial properties; the board approved the ordinance by unanimous vote.
Newton County’s Board of Commissioners on May 5 adopted UDOAMD26‑001 (O‑050526), an amendment to Chapter 1, Article 5 of the county’s Unified Development Ordinance that revises convenience‑store standards and adds a new site‑maintenance section applicable to commercial properties.
The ordinance replaces existing provisions for convenience stores with a new Section 510‑200 that sets specific standards: outdoor lighting must limit glare and spillover and canopy lighting is capped at 10 foot‑candles at the edge of canopy footprints; an eight‑foot visual barrier at least 95% opaque must be provided along property lines adjoining residential districts; the combined gross leasable floor area for convenience‑store uses may not exceed 5,000 square feet; separation requirements generally prohibit a convenience store within two miles of another convenience store, truck stop or truck terminal (with limited exceptions for opposite corners at a single intersection); fuel pump stations are limited to 12 without a conditional use permit; canopy height is limited to 18 feet; and standard hours of operation are set at 5:00 a.m. to midnight unless the board approves a conditional use permit with possible additional security requirements.
The amendment also adds Section 500‑015, a site‑maintenance requirement that applies to commercial zoning categories (CN, CH and CG). It requires cleanliness, maintained landscaping, repair or replacement of damaged building and site elements and prohibits outdoor storage. The ordinance language requires that convenience stores maintain working video surveillance and retain recorded footage; the published minutes contain a typographical ambiguity in the retention duration (the text shows "30 60 days"). The board adopted the ordinance by majority vote; the minutes record the motion passed (vote 5‑0).
County staff will implement the ordinance through Development Services permitting and enforcement processes. The ordinance states that noncompliant properties may be reexamined and rezoned following established procedures if timely development or maintenance standards are not met.
