Effingham County Board of Commissioners is seeking proposals from qualified planning and land use consulting firms to provide professional services for a comprehensive review and update of the County’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)/Zoning Ordinance.

The selected consultant will work with Effingham County Development Services to review existing ordinance provisions, identify needed revisions, draft amendments, reorganize ordinance sections where appropriate, and assist the County through the review and adoption process. The goal of the project is to improve clarity, consistency, administration, and legal defensibility while ensuring the ordinance reflects current development practices and applicable state standards.

Through the ongoing administration of Effingham County’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)/Zoning Ordinance, Development Services staff has identified a number of provisions that require clarification, revision, modernization, or reorganization.

The identified areas range from targeted text amendments to broader updates involving residential zoning districts, subdivision regulations, site design and development standards, lighting, signage, specific and conditional uses, administrative procedures, and the overall organization of the ordinance.

The County is seeking an experienced planning and land use consultant to review these identified areas, recommend appropriate revisions, prepare clear and legally defensible ordinance language, and assist staff throughout the review and adoption process.

The scope represents the County’s current inventory of known issues and desired outcomes and will serve as the starting point for further refinement with the selected consultant. Additional related or conforming revisions may be identified as the ordinance review progresses.