Land use, zoning, and rezoning attorneys for Gwinnett County property owners and developers
Gwinnett County will not accept a rezoning without a pre-application meeting record number, and it holds any case whose 1,000-foot mailed notices miss the postmark deadline. Miles Hansford Law Firm runs the Unified Development Ordinance process from the ZIP Portal filing through the Board of Commissioners vote, including variances and appeals.
Unincorporated Gwinnett runs one of the most procedural zoning processes in metro Atlanta: a ten-business-day completeness review, a fee-payment date that sets the hearing cycle, monthly caps on cases, and a six-month bar on refiling after a Board of Commissioners decision. Cases are measured against the 2045 Unified Plan adopted February 20, 2024. Our Land Use & Zoning practice, led by David Davidson, handles rezonings, special use permits, changes in conditions, and variances across the county.
How we help in Gwinnett County
- Schedule the mandatory pre-application meeting through the ZIP Portal
- Prepare the concept plan, sewer certification, and traffic study
- Run the Public Participation Meeting when triggered
- Manage sign posting and 1,000-foot notices
- Present at both hearings and appeal within 30 days
Rezonings and Special Use Permits
UDO §270-20 rezonings and §270-30 special use permits, filed with concurrent variances and waivers that cannot be added later.
Changes in Conditions
Applications under §270-20.10 to modify height, setback, buffer, facade, or use conditions on approved zoning.
Variances at the ZBA
Hardship variances before the Zoning Board of Appeals on the second Tuesday, with the pre-application and sign posting handled.
A pre-application meeting, a completeness review, and two evening hearings
Every Gwinnett rezoning, special use permit, or change in conditions starts with a mandatory pre-application meeting scheduled through the ZIP Portal, where staff review the concept plan and flag sewer capacity and traffic study requirements. The application is submitted electronically and goes through a completeness review within ten business days; a file dormant for six months is closed. The county invoices the fee, and the payment date sets the hearing cycle.
When a project exceeds the participation thresholds, the applicant holds a Public Participation Meeting with 14 days' notice and files a written report. The county posts a sign on each road frontage and runs a newspaper ad at least 15 days before the Planning Commission hearing, while the applicant mails notices to every owner within 1,000 feet. The Board of Commissioners then decides by resolution with conditions.
- Pre-application meeting record number on the form
- Completeness review within 10 business days
- Fee paid; payment date sets the hearing cycle
- Public Participation Meeting if thresholds are met
- 1,000-foot mailed notice by USPS Form 3665
Land use and zoning services in Gwinnett County
Every step the county requires, plus the hearing and the appeal.
Pre-application, concept plan, standards-of-review analysis, and both hearings.
§270-30 applications with the participation meeting and conditions negotiated in advance.
§270-20.10 requests to modify conditions on approved zoning.
Title 2 variances and Title 3 waivers filed with the rezoning, since they cannot be added later.
Sewer capacity certification and traffic impact studies by GDOT-prequalified engineers when required.
Representing neighbors at hearings and filing challenges within 30 days under O.C.G.A. § 36-66-5.1.
Gwinnett County zoning at a glance
From the county's Procedures and Instructions and ZBA guidelines; confirm current fees and the hearing calendar with the firm.
- Zoning authority / department
- Planning & Development – Planning Division, 446 W. Crogan St., Suite 300, Lawrenceville; 678-518-6000; ZIP Portal
- Recommending body
- Planning Commission; hearings typically 7 p.m., GJAC Auditorium
- Deciding body
- Board of Commissioners; resolution with conditions within 30 days
- Code
- Unified Development Ordinance (UDO); §270-20 rezoning, §270-20.10 change in conditions, §270-30 special use permits
- Comprehensive plan
- 2045 Unified Plan, adopted February 20, 2024; six small-area plans adopted July 2025
- Public notice & signs
- County posts a sign per road frontage and a Gwinnett Daily Post ad at least 15 days before the Planning Commission hearing; applicant mails notice to owners within 1,000 feet
- Neighborhood meeting requirement
- Public Participation Meeting with 14-day notice for rezonings over 10 lots or units, over 5,000 sq ft non-residential, or over 10,000 sq ft of disturbance
- Typical timeline
- Set by the fee-payment date; monthly caps of 14 rezonings, 8 SUPs, and 6 changes in conditions
- Variances & appeals body
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 members; 2nd Tuesday, GJAC Auditorium; $150 base plus $350 to $700 by category
- Appeal deadline
- 30 days from the written decision, O.C.G.A. § 36-66-5.1
- Fees
- Single-family from $750; non-residential from $1,000; $250 sign fee per frontage; $10,000 cap
Sources: Gwinnett County Planning Division Procedures and Instructions; Unified Development Ordinance; 2045 Unified Plan page; Zoning Board of Appeals guidelines; O.C.G.A. § 36-66-5.1
Rezoning in Gwinnett County, step by step
The county's Procedures and Instructions decide most cases before the hearing. Here is what matters.
Pre-application, completeness, and the fee date
No Gwinnett application is accepted without a pre-application meeting, and the meeting record number goes on the form. Staff check sewer capacity and whether a traffic impact study is required; sewer certification is mandatory for mixed-use, multifamily, single-family over seven units, commercial over 10,000 square feet, and all industrial or institutional projects. After the completeness review, the fee-payment date sets the hearing cycle and no refunds are issued. With monthly caps on cases, paying early in a cycle matters.
Public participation, signs, and 1,000-foot notice
A rezoning of more than ten residential lots or units, more than 5,000 square feet of non-residential space, or more than 10,000 square feet of land disturbance triggers a Public Participation Meeting with 14 days' notice and a written report. The county posts a sign on each road frontage and publishes in the Gwinnett Daily Post at least 15 days before the Planning Commission hearing, and the applicant mails notice to every owner within 1,000 feet by USPS Form 3665. A missed postmark deadline holds the case.
Standards of review and the 2045 Unified Plan
The Board applies six factors: suitability, adverse effect on adjacent property, reasonable economic use under current zoning, burden on streets, utilities, and schools, and conformity with the 2045 Unified Plan and its Future Development Map. The plan was adopted February 20, 2024, and six small-area plans followed in July 2025. On August 25, 2026 the Board amended the UDO to add §214-30, creating the Daily Community Overlay District. Larger redevelopment is under way at Gwinnett Place Mall, where the county has assembled about 87.5 acres, and at the 106-acre Gwinnett Gateway site at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85.
Variances, refiling, and the 30-day appeal
Variances go to the five-member Zoning Board of Appeals, which meets the second Tuesday at the GJAC Auditorium. The application requires a pre-application meeting and a sign posted at least 15 days before with a timestamped photo; the standard is exceptional and undue hardship, and a denied request cannot be refiled for 12 months. After a Board of Commissioners decision, no application may be filed on the same parcel for six months. A court challenge must be filed within 30 days under O.C.G.A. § 36-66-5.1: rezonings are heard de novo under a clear and convincing evidence standard, while variances and special use permits are reviewed on the record.
Alpharetta zoning counsel that runs the Gwinnett checklist
Miles Hansford Law Firm is based in Alpharetta, a short drive from Lawrenceville. Our Land Use and Zoning practice, led by David Davidson, treats a Gwinnett case as a sequence of deadlines: the pre-application record, the completeness review, the fee date, the participation meeting, the Form 3665 postmark, and the hearing.
For restaurants and retailers the same team handles alcohol licensing in Gwinnett County, so a special use permit and a license move together.
Working with us on a Gwinnett County zoning matter
Four stages with clear deliverables.
Site and plan review
We check the current zoning, the 2045 Unified Plan designation, and the sewer and traffic triggers.
Pre-application and filing
We schedule the pre-application meeting, prepare the submittal, and manage the completeness review and fee date.
Participation, notice, and hearings
We run the Public Participation Meeting, handle notices, and present at both hearings.
Decision and appeal window
We secure the resolution with conditions and protect or exercise the 30-day appeal right.
Gwinnett County zoning and rezoning questions
Is a pre-application meeting required for a Gwinnett County rezoning?
Yes. Every rezoning, special use permit, and change in conditions requires a pre-application meeting scheduled through the ZIP Portal, and the meeting record number must appear on the application. Staff use the meeting to review the concept plan and identify sewer certification and traffic study requirements.
When does a Gwinnett rezoning require a Public Participation Meeting?
When a rezoning involves more than ten residential lots or units, more than 5,000 square feet of non-residential space, or more than 10,000 square feet of land disturbance. Special use permits over 5,000 square feet and changes in conditions affecting height, setback, buffer, facade, or use also qualify. The meeting needs 14 days' notice and a written report.
Who has to be notified of a Gwinnett County rezoning?
The applicant mails notice to every property owner within 1,000 feet using USPS Form 3665, and the case is held if the postmark deadline is missed. The county posts a sign on each road frontage and publishes a Gwinnett Daily Post ad at least 15 days before the Planning Commission hearing.
How long does a Gwinnett County rezoning take?
The county does not publish a single figure. The hearing cycle is set by the date the fee is paid, after a ten-business-day completeness review. Monthly caps of 14 rezonings, 8 special use permits, and 6 changes in conditions can push a late payment into the next cycle.
Can I add a variance to my Gwinnett rezoning later?
No. Variances to Title 2 and waivers to Title 3 must be filed concurrently with the rezoning at $100 each. A stand-alone variance goes to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which requires its own pre-application meeting and a sign posted at least 15 days before its second-Tuesday hearing.
What happens if the Board of Commissioners denies my rezoning?
No application may be filed on the same parcel for six months after the Board's last action. The alternative is a court challenge within 30 days of the written decision under O.C.G.A. § 36-66-5.1, where a rezoning is heard de novo.
How do I appeal a Gwinnett County zoning decision?
File in Gwinnett County Superior Court within 30 days of the written decision under O.C.G.A. § 36-66-5.1. Rezonings are heard de novo; variances and special use permits are reviewed on the record made at the local hearing, so evidence must be presented there.
Land use and zoning in nearby North Metro jurisdictions
Each city and county runs its own zoning process.
Talk to a Gwinnett County zoning attorney before the pre-application meeting
Call 770-781-4100 or contact Miles Hansford Law Firm in Alpharetta about a rezoning, special use permit, variance, or a project near your property.
Miles Hansford Law Firm
Phone: 770-781-4100
Address:
1725 Windward Concourse, Suite 150
Alpharetta, GA 30005
Consultations: Contact the firm online to get started.
This page is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Fees, deadlines, and ordinance provisions change; confirm current requirements with the relevant jurisdiction or with the firm. No attorney-client relationship is created by viewing this content or sending a message through the website.