Wake Forest has released its 2026 Draft Unified Development Ordinance for public review, giving residents a fresh look at the rulebook that will govern how the town grows for years to come. The draft, labeled for public review as of October 12, 2026, covers everything from zoning districts to tree preservation, and town officials want feedback before it moves toward a vote.
Community members can submit comments through the Share Your Feedback form at engagewakeforest.org/udo-update, according to the Town of Wake Forest. The same page confirms the 2026 Draft UDO is now available for review and comment, and it lays out the timeline for what happens next.
Drop-In Sessions Set for Late October
Residents who want face time with planning staff do not need to wait for a formal public hearing. The Planning Department will host open office hours in the Wake Forest Town Hall Ground Floor Meeting Room at 301 S. Brooks St., with no appointment necessary and no formal presentation planned, per the town's engagement site.
The sessions are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 7 to 9 a.m., and Monday, Nov. 2 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Planning staff will be on hand to answer questions and collect community input during each window, and attendees are urged to use Town Hall's Taylor Street entrance to reach the ground floor meeting room.
Replacing a Rulebook That Dates to 2013
The current UDO and its companion Manual of Specifications, Standards and Design were originally adopted in 2013, and together they combine zoning, subdivision, land use, grading, stormwater management and historic preservation regulations into a single document outlining requirements for all development activity in town. The town hired consulting firm Houseal Lavigne in the spring of 2022 to rewrite both documents, kicking off a process that has now stretched more than four years.
The rewrite is meant to implement the policies and recommendations of Wake Forest's adopted comprehensive plans, which include the 2022 Community Plan and the 2021 Northeast Community Plan. The town had previously circulated a draft UDO proposed for adoption in December 2024, but town staff has since updated that version to align it with changes in state and federal law and to address issues identified since the earlier draft was completed.
Part of that recalibration stems from state legislation enacted in late 2024 that limited local governments' ability to make certain zoning map and ordinance amendments statewide. According to the North Carolina General Assembly, Section 3K.1 of the resulting law bars local-government-initiated rezonings or text amendments that decrease permitted development density or narrow the range of permitted uses without written consent from affected property owners. Separately, Wake Forest's own FAQ page states that state law also limits the town's ability to establish a temporary development moratorium while preparing new or amended residential development regulations.
What's Proposed to Change
Under the draft, some existing zoning districts would be changed while new districts would be created to address gaps in the current code, per the town's frequently asked questions page. The UDO as a whole regulates a wide swath of development activity, including allowable uses, subdivision standards, infrastructure, parking, landscaping, tree preservation, stormwater management, lighting, signage and building design.
Town officials plan to repeal the current UDO entirely and adopt the comprehensively rewritten version rather than amend it piecemeal. Until that happens, the existing 2013-era UDO and MSSD will remain in effect, the town's FAQ confirms.
Next Stops: Planning Board, Then Commissioners
Community members are encouraged to review the draft before it heads to a formal public comment session and recommendation at the Planning Board's meeting scheduled for November 10. From there, town officials expect the UDO to come before the Board of Commissioners for a public hearing and adoption in January 2027.
Once the UDO itself is adopted, the town will turn to drafting a new zoning map, which is necessary to align mapped zoning districts with the categories established in the rewritten ordinance. That map will show the boundaries of UDO zoning districts across the town's jurisdiction, and officials say they will seek public input on it before presenting it for adoption, following the same two-step pattern used for the ordinance rewrite itself.
