Amherst County Unincorporated

Any violation of any provision of the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance of Amherst County, Virginia shall be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).

Prior to an expansion of an approved special exception, the owner, or his agent, must submit an application for an amended zoning permit for a special exception, in accordance with the special exception provisions herein, whenever the cumulative expansion, or expansions, exceeds twenty-five (25) percent in the aggregate of floor area of the structure, or use, originally approved for the current special exception.

Unless otherwise specified by the conditions of the permit, failure to establish the special use authorized by the permit within two (2) years from the date of approval by the board of supervisors shall cause the permit to terminate and to become void.

Any zoning permit shall automatically expire twelve (12) months from the date of issuance if the persons, firm, or corporation to which the permit was issued has not clearly demonstrated that the permit is being exercised for the purpose for which it was issued, or if the work so authorized is suspended or discontinued for a period of twelve (12) months.

Upon written request and the payment of a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00), the zoning administrator shall issue a zoning verification letter... The fee for an administrative variance shall be fifty dollars ($50.00), payable upon application, and the actual cost of mailing notice to adjacent landowners.

the zoning administrator may grant a modification to such provision(s) with respect to the physical requirements on a lot or parcel of land, including but not limited to size, height, location, or features of or related to any building, structure, or improvements, if the administrator finds in writing that: (1) The strict application of the section would produce undue hardship; (2) Such hardship is not shared generally by other properties in the same zoning district and vicinity; and (3) The modification will not be of substantial detriment to adjacent properties and the character of the zoning district will not be changed by the granting of the modification.

The zoning administrator shall have the authority to grant administrative variances from the dimensional standards of this ordinance, not exceeding ten (10) percent of the required standard

A site plan for a utility-scale solar generation facility shall include a detailed decommissioning plan... and the responsible party provides financial assurance of such performance to the county in the form of certified funds, cash escrow, bond, letter of credit, or parent guarantee

MU/TND subdivisions shall comply with the standards and requirements of Article XIII of Appendix A, County Code, subject to the following standards and variations: 1. The overall density of the subdivision complies with the MU/TND Zoning District in accordance with subsection 711.09.

MU/TND subdivisions shall comply with the standards and requirements of Article XIII... All streets within a MU/TND subdivision shall connect to other public streets within the District. All streets and alleys within a MU/TND shall be public streets designed and constructed according to VDOT standards.

This section establishes the Mixed Use/Traditional Neighborhood Development District ("District" or "MU/TND District"). This section will facilitate development of projects that feature a mix of land uses and building types closely linked by a network of streets, sidewalks, formal and informal open spaces, and trails.

New structures within a MU/TND District shall be no more than thirty-five (35) feet or three (3) stories for single-family residential uses, or fifty (50) feet or four (4) stories for non-residential, multi-family residential or mixed used structures.

The purpose of this district is to help mitigate the potential for damage resulting from the failure of impounding structures within dam break inundation zones.

For any proposed development having a location within the boundaries of a dam break inundation zone that has been mapped in accordance with state law, the county shall, as part of a subdivision plan or plat review: ...

These provisions shall apply to all privately and publicly owned lands within the jurisdiction of Amherst County and identified as areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or included in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) that are provided to the County by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and dated February 14, 2025.

These provisions shall apply to all privately and publicly owned lands within the jurisdiction of Amherst County and identified as areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or included in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) that are provided to the County by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and dated February 14, 2025.

The various floodplain districts shall include special flood hazard areas. The basis for the delineation of these districts shall be the FIS and FIRMs for Amherst County... dated February 14, 2025.

The Floodway District (FW) is delineated... using the criteria that a certain area within the flood plain must be capable of carrying the waters of the one hundred (100) year flood without increasing the water surface elevation of that flood more than one (1) foot at any point.

The Special Floodplain District (SFD) shall be those areas identified as an AE Zone on the maps accompanying the FIS for which one (1) percent annual chance flood elevations have been provided and the floodway has not been delineated.

The Approximated Flood Plain District (AFP) shall be that floodplain area for which no detailed flood profiles or elevations are provided, but where a one hundred (100) year floodplain boundary has been approximated on the FIRMs. Such areas are shown as Zone A on the maps accompanying the FIS.