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Union County enacts 90-day moratorium on developments tied to public sewer
Summary
Union County put a 90-day emergency moratorium into effect Jan. 16, 2026, to close an ordinance gap that could let developers build smaller lots when public sewer is available; county staff said the pause will allow officials to revise land-use and building-code language.
Union County adopted an emergency 90-day moratorium on applications for development of property on public sewer, effective Jan. 16, 2026 at 12:01 a.m., the chair announced.
The county attorney told commissioners the pause was needed to fix an inconsistency in county rules that currently tie minimum lot sizes to water source but do not explicitly account for public sewer. "A public sewer basically doesn't set a lot size," the county attorney said, describing how the existing language could allow higher-density development if left unchanged.
The chair framed the moratorium as a measure to preserve the county’s desired land-use pattern, saying, "You know, we don't need 500 homes on 3 acres." Commissioners and staff agreed the moratorium will allow Building & Development and legal staff to align the land-use code and the building code so lot-size standards are applied consistently.
The transcript records the moratorium text and its start date but does not include a roll-call vote; the resolution language states the moratorium will be effective for 90 days from 01/16/2026 at 12:01 a.m. or until repealed by adoption of new regulations.
Next steps described in the discussion included review of proposed ordinance changes by the Building & Development Department and drafting amendments to reconcile land-use section 44 with building code chapter 18.
