Planning and Urban Design

10/28/24: City of Asheville offices are open. Planning and Urban Design Department staff are prioritizing storm-related response needs.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST CITY UPDATES

The City’s Development Services Department is prioritizing storm-related emergency permitting.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PERMITTING

CLICK HERE FOR HELPFUL BUSINESS OPENING INFORMATION

The Planning and Urban Design Department provides sound, professional land use planning, zoning, urban design and historic preservation and other services to achieve livable and sustainable neighborhoods for everyone. The department is committed to collaborating with our community on its vision for equitable growth and development consistent with Asheville’s adopted plans.

Learn more about department services, projects and initiatives by clicking any of the tabs at the top of this page. Scroll down for quick links to some of our more popular services.

QUICK LINKS

OPEN ONLINE FOR BUSINESS: Access online development-related services, including paying fees, submitting a digital permit application, scheduling an inspection, and reporting a food truck. See other Related Services below for additional development services available to you.

ZONING SERVICES: Zoning-related services such as zoning enforcement resources and zoning verification letters. To reach the Planner of the Day for your zoning-related questions, please call 828-259-5450 or email POD@ashevillenc.gov.

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Planning & Urban Design is responsible for managing nine boards and commissions. The Boards and Commissions information can be found at the tab at the top of the page. Updated information regarding the operations of all boards and commissions can be found on the City Clerk’s page.

Connect

Address

70 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC 28801 and 161 S. Charlotte Street (Zoning and Site Plan Review)

Mailing Address

P. O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802

Phone Number

828-259-5830

Business Hours

Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Department Director

Stephanie Dahl

Related Services

Learn about large-scale development

Keep up to date on current projects and applications.

Explore city data

Public datasets and maps are available on the open data portal at data.ashevillenc.gov.

Schedule a Technical Review Committee Pre-Application Meeting

Schedule your required pre-application meeting for Level II, Level III, Conditional Zoning and Major Subdivision reviews.

Apply for a homestay permit

Apply for a new homestay permit or apply to renew your existing permit.

Look up information about a permit

Use online tools to look up information about permits

Check whether your address is within city limits

Search to see if it is within the City of Asheville's permitting jurisdiction.

Find location and zoning information

Find the zoning information for your project.

Related Projects

Coxe Avenue Streetscape

Project Overview The goal of this project is to transform Coxe Avenue to improve the safety and overall experience for pedestrians, bicyclists and other users of the street. The design will include improvements to sidewalks, stormwater and water infrastructure, lighting and streetscape elements and a reconfiguration of parts of the street. For project updates, timeline, and background [...]

Urban Forest Master Plan

Project Overview The City of Asheville Planning and Urban Design department is developing an Urban Forest Master Plan that will guide policies and recommendations for sustainable growth and preservation of Asheville’s urban canopy. The project started in September 2024 and is scheduled to conclude in late fall of 2025. For project updates, timeline and [...]

Boosting the Block

The Boosting the Block project advances key elements in the Pack Square Plaza Vision Plan, including the planning, design and implementation of a gateway and cultural corridor along South Market Street. It incorporates place-based investments and programming that enhances the area’s physical and cultural environment.

Planning and Urban Design News

people gathered round site plan for recreation phase of grant center

The Public is invited to view Coxe Avenue Streetscape design at Open House on March 24

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Kim Miller

The City of Asheville invites the public to an Open House to view the design for the Coxe Avenue Streetscape Project on Monday, March 24, 2025, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bear’s Smokehouse Barbeque. This project aims to make improvements to Coxe Avenue that will enhance safety and the overall experience for users including pedestrians, [...]

City of Asheville reallocates Public Art Funds to support local arts businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Helene

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Kim Miller

At the regular meeting on March 11, 2025, Asheville City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the City Manager to allocate $200,000 in public art funds to ArtsAVL. This funding will support arts businesses in Asheville affected by Tropical Storm Helene. Specifically, $150,000 will be used for Arts Business Relief Grants, and $50,000 will support a [...]

City Council votes to approve text amendments to Asheville Flood Protection Ordinance

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Kim Miller

On Tuesday, January 28, the Asheville City Council voted to adopt text amendments to Chapter 7 of the Asheville Code of Ordinances. The changes clear up ambiguity in floodplain regulations within city limits and ensure compliance with State law and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations. They also clarify development language [...]

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