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Board approves zoning amendment tightening screening requirements for tow lots and junkyards
Summary
After a public hearing and follow-up edits with the county attorney, supervisors approved an amendment that specifies masonry walls, painted solid-board fences or six-foot evergreen hedges as screening options and grants existing tow lots until 07/01/2028 to comply.
The Amelia County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt revisions to the zoning ordinance governing tow lots and junkyards, clarifying screening requirements and establishing a compliance window for existing operations.
County planning staff (speaker 8) told the board that screening language had been revised following input at a May public hearing to align the tow-lot rules with existing zoning provisions. The approved options for screening include a solid masonry wall, a uniformly painted solid-board fence, an evergreen hedge at least six feet high, or a combination of those measures to fully screen vehicles from view.
Staff also changed the nonconforming-use provision so tow lots that have been in continuous operation for at least two years as of the meeting date would be considered nonconforming and would have until July 1, 2028, to comply with the screening standards. Planning staff said the changes were primarily organizational and clarifying, not a shift in where tow lots are permitted by special exception.
During the board discussion supervisors asked questions about lot-size limits and nonconforming-use expansion; staff said existing nonconforming rules govern whether and how a use may expand and that any significant expansion would require a separate process. Supervisor (speaker 5) moved to approve the ordinance as written, and the board raised hands on a voice vote; the chair announced the motion carried.
The board did not discuss a specific enforcement schedule beyond the 07/01/2028 compliance deadline for existing tow lots, and staff indicated they would follow up on implementation details.
The ordinance will be reflected in the county’s zoning code and apply to the listed zoning districts where tow lots and junkyards are allowed by special exception.
