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Smithfield, Johnston County

Smithfield: Johnston County Planning Board hears the UDO draft tonight

The 6 p.m. courthouse hearing is the first of three. Version 4 of the proposed Unified Development Ordinance is posted. The Planning Board continues Oct. 26. Commissioners hear it Nov. 2.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

The Johnston County courthouse in Smithfield

File photo: Ammodramus (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Johnston County's Planning Department said residents have three more chances to comment on the proposed Unified Development Ordinance, starting with a Planning Board public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Courthouse in Smithfield.Confirmed by Johnston County Planning Department homepage
  • The same notice said the Planning Board will continue that Oct. 20 hearing at 6 p.m. Oct. 26, also at the Courthouse, and that the Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the Courthouse. Commissioners could adopt the ordinance two weeks later, at their 6 p.m. meeting on Nov. 16.Confirmed by Johnston County Planning Department homepage
  • The department's UDO information page, last updated Oct. 16, 2026, lists those three dates under "Three UDO Meetings Prior to UDO Adoption" and posts "Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Proposed Draft - Version 4," with articles on administration, zoning, development standards, subdivision standards, flood damage prevention, stormwater management, riparian buffer protections and erosion and sediment control, plus a Version 4 companion document.Confirmed by Johnston County Planning Department UDO information page
  • The 2026 Planning Board calendar puts the Oct. 20 regular meeting at 6 p.m. in the Board of County Commissioners' meeting room at the Johnston County Courthouse, 207 E. Johnston Street, Smithfield, and says meetings are livestreamed on the Johnston County Government YouTube channel.Confirmed by Johnston County Planning Board 2026 meeting schedule
  • The county's livestream calendar lists a Planning Board meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 and a Board of Commissioners UDO final-review meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 2.Confirmed by Johnston County upcoming livestream events page
  • A county recap of the Sept. 23 drop-in session said the Planning Board would consider the proposal on Oct. 20 and could recommend that commissioners adopt the draft as presented, change it, or shelve it. That recap also said commissioners would hold a hearing Nov. 2 and could adopt the ordinance on Nov. 16. It described the proposal as an ordinance that would govern development in Johnston County.Confirmed by Johnston County Planning Department, UDO Draft Meeting page, Sept. 23, 2026
  • The Land Use Center / Planning Department is at 309 E. Market Street, Smithfield, and lists 919-989-5150 and planning@johnstonnc.gov.Confirmed by Johnston County Planning Department
  • Johnston County Report, in an Oct. 19 story, also placed the Planning Board hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the courthouse, a continuation at 6 p.m. Oct. 26, a commissioners hearing at 6 p.m. Nov. 2, and a possible adoption vote Nov. 16. It said the latest draft was then available online.Confirmed by Johnston County Report, Oct. 19, 2026

Still unknown

  • Whether the Planning Board will recommend adoption, ask for edits, or take no action after tonight's session
  • How many people will speak tonight, and whether the board will finish public comment or carry all remaining speakers to Oct. 26
  • The exact wording of any motion. No adopted ordinance is in effect on the basis of tonight's calendar
  • Specific lot-count, farm-buffer or zoning-district changes described in one newspaper comparison. We have not independently verified those figures in the posted PDFs

What this means for you

Instructions from Johnston County Planning Department

This site is not Johnston County. For the draft, agendas and later hearing notices, use johnstonnc.gov/planning. The Land Use Center is 919-989-5150 or planning@johnstonnc.gov. This site is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Smithfield, the Johnston County Planning Board is scheduled Tuesday night to hear the public on a proposed rewrite of the county development rules.

County planning pages put that session at 6 p.m. in the Courthouse. A Monday story in Johnston County Report gave the same time and place.

This is not a final vote. The department said the board will resume public comment Oct. 26 at the same hour, again in that building.

What is on the calendar

The posted draft is labeled Version 4. The UDO page, updated Oct. 16, lists articles on administration, zoning, development standards, subdivisions, flood damage, stormwater, stream buffers and erosion control.

A Sept. 23 staff recap said the proposal would set the rules for new development, and that the Planning Board could recommend that commissioners adopt it as written, change it, or set it aside.

Commissioners have their own hearing Monday evening, Nov. 2. The planning homepage says they could adopt the ordinance two weeks later, on Nov. 16.

The regular Planning Board room is the commissioners' meeting room at 207 E. Johnston Street. The county lists a livestream on its government YouTube channel.

What we are not reporting from one comparison

That newspaper described several differences between an earlier draft and the version now online, including who would approve large subdivisions and how wide a farm buffer would be. We have not checked those figures against the PDFs. Use the county's posted draft for the text.

If you want to speak

The Land Use Center is 309 E. Market Street. The department lists 919-989-5150 and planning@johnstonnc.gov.

This site is not the county. For the draft and later notices, use johnstonnc.gov/planning. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No county or newspaper photos are used here.

Why it matters

The posted draft would set rules for new homes, subdivisions and other development in unincorporated Johnston County. Tonight is a hearing, not a final vote. People who want the county to hear them need the county's own meeting notice.

Updates

  1. Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM

    County planning pages list a 6 p.m. Planning Board hearing tonight at the Smithfield courthouse on Version 4 of the proposed UDO, with a continuation Oct. 26 and a commissioners hearing Nov. 2.

Sources

  1. Johnston County Planning Department homepage (notice: Version 4 of the proposed UDO is online; Planning Board public hearing 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, Courthouse in Smithfield; continuation 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Courthouse; Board of Commissioners public hearing 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the Courthouse; commissioners could adopt at 6 p.m. Nov. 16; Land Use Center, 309 E. Market Street, Smithfield, 919-989-5150, planning@johnstonnc.gov)

    Official sourcePublished by Johnston County Planning Department · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM

  2. Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Information (page last updated Oct. 16, 2026: three meetings prior to adoption — Oct. 20, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2; Proposed Draft Version 4 articles A–H and companion document)

    Official sourcePublished by Johnston County Planning Department · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM

  3. Planning Board 2026 Regular Board Meeting Schedule (Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, 6 p.m.; Board of County Commissioners Meeting Room, Johnston County Courthouse, 207 E. Johnston Street, Smithfield; livestream at youtube.com/jocogovnc)

    Official sourcePublished by Johnston County Planning Department · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM

  4. Upcoming Live Stream Events (Planning Board Meeting Oct. 20, 6 p.m.; Board of Commissioners Meeting (UDO Final Review) Nov. 2, 6 p.m.; livestreamed on the Johnston County Government YouTube channel)

    Official sourcePublished by Johnston County Government · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM

  5. UDO Draft Meeting - September 23, 2026 (staff drop-in at Johnston Community College; proposal would govern development in Johnston County; Planning Board to consider it Oct. 20 and could recommend adoption as presented, changes, or shelving; commissioners hearing Nov. 2; possible adoption Nov. 16)

    Official sourcePublished by Johnston County Planning Department · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM

  6. Major Changes Made To Proposed Johnston County UDO Ahead Of Public Hearings (Johnston County Report, Oct. 19, 2026: Planning Board hearing 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, courthouse in Smithfield; continuation 6 p.m. Oct. 26; commissioners hearing 6 p.m. Nov. 2; possible adoption Nov. 16; latest draft available online)

    Published by Johnston County Report · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 2:05 PM

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