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type of soils present at the site, the topography and location of nearby streams,erosion control <br /> measures to be taken during construction, and the operation and maintenance of any structural <br /> controls during the life of the project. The Sedimentation and Erosion Control Division of the <br /> Planning and Inspections Department is responsible for countywide enforcement of this <br /> ordinance,including the incorporated towns. <br /> North Carolina State Buildin�Code <br /> Orange County has adopted the North Carolina Building Code(International Building Code <br /> with North Carolina Amendments)and the North Carolina Residential Code (International <br /> Residential Code with North Carolina Amendments). The NCBC and the NCRC (Chapters 16 <br /> and Chapter 3) include provisions for requiring specific information regarding structural loads <br /> and design loads to include seismic, wind,flood, snow and combination loading. These designs <br /> tabulate the total horizontal and vertical forces that are assumed to act on a building in relation <br /> to different wind areas, exposures and wind speeds as exposed to building frameworks and <br /> cladding. The Inspections Division of the Planning and Inspections Department is responsible <br /> for enforcement of the referenced building codes. <br /> Zonin <br /> The Zoning Ordinance is the major legal tool for implementing the Land Use Element of the <br /> Orange County Comprehensive Plan. The Zoning Ordinance serves as the means to achieve the <br /> desired relationship between land uses; to prevent incompatible land use associations; and to <br /> encourage and provide incentives for the more compact and efficient land use patterns <br /> delineated in the plan. <br /> Simply stated, zoning is the division of a jurisdiction into different districts and the regulation <br /> of population density,buildings and land use intensity, lot coverage, and building heights and <br /> setbacks within those districts. Most zoning ordinances divide land uses into three general <br /> categories of residential, commercial, and industrial use and specify the areas (or districts) <br /> where each of these uses is permitted. Zoning ordinances consist of maps and written text. <br /> The stated purpose of the Orange County Zoning Ordinance is to accomplish compatible <br /> development of the land within Orange County in a manner which will best promote the health, <br /> safety, and general welfare, as well as to provide for efficiency and economy in the process of <br /> development; to make adequate provisions for traffic; to secure safety from fire,panic, and <br /> other hazards;to provide for light and air; to prevent the overcrowding of land; to avoid undue <br /> concentration of populations; to facilitate the adequate provision of transportation,water, <br /> sewerage, schools,parks, and other public requirements;to provide for the protection of the <br /> surface and underground water resources of the County, and to provide for efficient use of <br /> renewable and non-renewable sources of energy; to promote desirable living conditions and the <br /> sustained stability of neighborhoods; to protect property against blight and depreciation and for <br /> other purposes in accordance with the comprehensive plan for the County. The Current <br /> Planning Division of the Planning and Inspections Department has primary responsibility for <br /> implementation and enforcement of the zoning ordinance. <br /> 50 <br />