Bryan County recently adopted a Unified Development Ordinance that governs zoning and subdivision codes. This new ordinance provides for two new county boards – a Board of Adjustment and a Building and Construction Board of Appeals. Volunteer citizen board members are needed for both panels, which are each comprised of five members. Residents who serve the boards will be responsible for hearing appeals and variance requests from decisions made by the Community Development Department and/or Engineering Department.  

Anyone who is interested in serving on either board can submit an application online by going to bryancountyga.org and clicking “Advisory Board & Committee Application” to start the process. For the Board of Adjustment, volunteers must be a Bryan County resident aged 18 years or older and able to attend night meetings. For the Building and Construction Board of Appeals, volunteers must be 18 years or older, able to attend meetings as needed and either be a Bryan County resident or someone who conducts business in the county in the construction, engineering, or architectural fields. Members also must be or have been employed as either a general contractor, civil engineer, plumber, electrician, architect, or structural engineer. Applications for both boards will be accepted until all openings are filled.  

The Board of Adjustment will meet once a month. The duration of meetings, in general, will average one to two hours. Board of Adjustment meetings will alternate between the north and south end of the county. The Building and Construction Board of Appeals will meet on an as-needed basis with date, time and location determined by the board based on the issue being appealed and location of the property at issue. If you have questions about either board, contact Community Development Director Audra Miller at [email protected].

A copy of the new Unified Development Ordinance can be found on the Community Development Department’s webpage: https://www.bryancountyga.org/government/departments-h-z/planning-zoning. For more information about Bryan County, please visit www.bryancountyga.org or follow the county on their social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.