ZBA approves variance for large unenclosed pole barn; permit and no-utilities condition added

The Cherokee County Zoning Board of Appeals granted a variance for Case 203, allowing an existing unenclosed pole barn at a Canton property to exceed the usual 50% accessory-structure threshold, provided the owner obtains the required building permit and the structure remains unenclosed with no utilities.

Staff described the property as a narrow, 1.27-acre lot with a 1,542-square-foot primary residence and an approximately 1,500-square-foot unenclosed carport/pole barn in the rear. Applicant representative Marissa of LJA Engineering told the board the pole barn has no utilities and is not on a concrete slab: "It has no utilities running to it, no sanitary sewer, no water, no electricity running to it." The representative also said the structure is largely obscured from the roadway and neighboring properties by vegetation.

When asked directly about permitting, Marissa said the owner had not obtained a building permit but that one was being pursued. The board expressed concern about potential future changes in use and emphasized conditions to keep the approval limited to the existing unenclosed configuration. A motion to approve the variance included requirements that a building permit be obtained, the structure remain an unenclosed pole barn and that no utilities be connected; an amendment explicitly added the "without utilities" condition. The motion passed 4-0.

Board members noted the approval applies only to the existing structure and cautioned the owner that future additional structures or changes in use would require separate approvals and permits.