Charlotte Court House weighs zoning changes for homes, accessory units
A July 20 hearing in Charlotte Court House covered proposed rules for manufactured homes, accessory units, temporary uses and zoning classifications; adoption is unconfirmed.
The Town of Charlotte Court House held a joint public hearing July 20 on proposed changes to its zoning ordinance, including provisions for manufactured homes, accessory dwelling units, temporary uses and the zoning use matrix.
The hearing involved the Town Council and Planning Commission. The town’s public notice said the proposal would replace the manufactured-home section with “dwelling compatibility standards” intended to bring the ordinance into compliance with Virginia law. The available town records reviewed for this article do not confirm that the amendments have been adopted.
What the proposal would change
The proposed amendments would replace Section 5-5-7, titled “Manufactured homes,” with a section titled “Dwelling compatibility standards.” The notice also identifies related changes to the temporary-use section and Appendix A, the ordinance’s use matrix, which shows whether listed uses are allowed by right, require a conditional-use permit or require a temporary-use permit.
The proposal also would clarify the Article 2 definitions of “dwelling, accessory unit” and “dwelling, manufactured home.” Those definitions matter when town officials review whether a proposed structure fits the ordinance’s housing and land-use classifications.
Why state law is part of the discussion
Virginia Code § 15.2-2290 says localities may not adopt or enforce zoning, land-use or development regulations that treat manufactured homes differently or more restrictively than a single-family site-built dwelling allowed in the same zoning district.
That state-law requirement does not automatically approve a particular manufactured-home project. Applicants must still satisfy applicable zoning, site-development, utility, building-code and other lawful requirements.
What the current ordinance says
The town’s current zoning ordinance was adopted in 2022 and amended in 2023 and 2024. It contains a separate manufactured-home section, provisions for accessory uses and dwellings, temporary-use rules and a use matrix.
Under the current ordinance, accessory dwelling units are defined as subordinate, independent living facilities in a main or accessory building. The ordinance includes district-specific standards for accessory dwellings, including minimum parcel sizes, size limits in some districts, parking requirements and a rule that an accessory dwelling may not be subdivided from the parcel containing the principal dwelling.
The current manufactured-home section includes requirements addressing utility connections, casualty replacements and connections to other structures. Those provisions remain the current rules unless and until the town adopts an amendment.
What happens next
The July 20 hearing was a public-comment step, not evidence that the proposed zoning amendments took effect. The town’s 2026 minutes archive and ordinances archive, as reviewed for this report, do not show a later adoption record tied to the proposal.
Residents, property owners and prospective applicants should therefore continue to rely on the current zoning ordinance and confirm the applicable district rules with Charlotte Court House officials before submitting an application or making a development decision. A final ordinance, if adopted, would be the controlling record for any changed requirements.
Sources
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