Orange County’s Planning Director has initiated an 85‑page package of Unified Development Ordinance text amendments to align local regulations with North Carolina Session Law 2025‑94 and to address multiple administrative and policy issues. The July 1, 2026 Ordinance Review Committee meeting is set to review these changes, which touch stormwater thresholds, watershed and stream buffer rules, landscaping and tree protection standards, home occupation rules, outdoor storage of goods, allowance of multiple primary non‑residential uses in economic nodes, expansion of existing schools as legal non‑conforming uses, and elimination of a duplicative erosion control waiver given Energov permitting workflows.No vendor has been selected to support implementation of these wide‑ranging regulatory changes, and staff note that internal and legal reviews plus coordination with Chapel Hill and Carrboro are still pending. This creates a planning-stage need for technical assistance around ordinance language refinement, permitting workflows, environmental and stormwater modeling, public outreach, and training for staff and applicants. Consulting, planning, environmental, and permitting‑software vendors can position themselves to help the County interpret and apply the new standards, update Energov configurations, develop guidance documents and checklists for developers, and support small businesses, schools, and housing providers that must adapt projects to the new rules.

Key technical areas include stormwater and watershed protections, stream buffers, erosion and sedimentation control, landscaping and buffer standards, telecommunication siting, home occupations and minor home business support, outdoor storage for small businesses, and conditional district standards for home parks, non‑residential, and master plan developments.