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Chapter 40.2 of the Portsmouth City Code is the Zoning Ordinance. It is a set of regulations devoted to Land Use that defines:
At the request of City Council, the City’s Zoning Ordinance was updated and subsequently adopted on December 8, 2020. The comprehensively rewritten Zoning Ordinance was designed to improve clarity and ease of use, streamline development regulations, ease nonconforming situations, protect existing neighborhood character, ensure compatibility with the Code of Virginia, and increase consistency with the City’s Build One Portsmouth Comprehensive Plan.
Linked below is the newly adopted Portsmouth Zoning Ordinance. The new ordinance became effective on February 1, 2021.
Portsmouth Zoning Ordinance - Updated Oct 12, 2021
The Zoning Ordinance can also be accessed online via Municode.
The Zoning Ordinance Update Briefing and the Zoning Ordinance Update Presentation linked highlight the major changes to the Zoning Ordinance.
Zoning Ordinance Update Briefing
Zoning Ordinance Update Presentation
View presentations about the Zoning Ordinance update on the City's YouTube Channel.
Click the link below to download a basic training presentation on the basis of Planning and Zoning.