Orange County NC Website
Article 7: Subdivision <br /> Section 7.4: Improvements and Performance Guarantees <br /> (C) In lieu of certification from a public agency, the Planning Director is authorized to accept <br /> certification from the applicant's licensed professional engineer or licensed professional <br /> surveyor or other professional as authorized by the North Carolina General Statutes that <br /> the improvements have been installed in accordance with all applicable standards. <br /> 7.4.4 Performance Guarantees <br /> (A) Performance guarantees shall be required for the purpose of ensuring that <br /> subdividers/19develeperE properly install all required subdivision improvements in a timely <br /> manner, in accordance with approved plats and construction plans. <br /> (B) The term of a performance guarantee shall not exceed two years. The Planning Director <br /> may, for good cause and with the approval of the provider of the guarantee, grant <br /> extensions of the term, with each such extension not to exceed one year. <br /> (C) Performance guarantees must be in the form of a performance bond, irrevocable letter of <br /> credit, or cash escrow account. The form of guarantee shall be determined by the <br /> subdivider/ eloper. <br /> (D) The performance guarantee shall be conditioned upon the performance of all work <br /> necessary to complete the required subdivision improvements within the time period <br /> specified at the time of preliminary plat or construction plan approval. <br /> (E) The amount of the performance guarantee shall equal at least 125%of the estimated <br /> cost, including project management costs, of the required improvements that have not <br /> been installed by the time of final plat submittal. <br /> (F) The estimated cost of required improvements, including project management costs, must <br /> be itemized by improvement type and certified by the subdivider41-e-ve-Ispe-rls.licensed <br /> professional engineer. In the case of minor subdivisions, the subdivider's licensed <br /> professional engineer or licensed professional surveyor may provide the itemized cost <br /> estimate. Cost estimates shall be based on industry norms within Orange County. <br /> (G) If a subdivider/ eloper fails to properly install required improvements within the term of <br /> the guarantee, the guarantee will be deemed in default. In the case of default, the County <br /> is authorized to use the guarantee funds to complete the required subdivision <br /> improvements or to let a contract for installation of the required improvements. <br /> (H) Once the conditions of the performance guarantee have been completed to the <br /> satisfaction of the appropriate agencies and any required maintenance guarantee has <br /> been provided in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance, the guarantee shall <br /> be released. <br /> (I) All improvements shall be completed in accordance with the conditions associated with <br /> the approved plat(s)and the applicable standards contained in this Article. No financial <br /> guarantee may be released until all required certifications of completion have been <br /> provided. <br /> (J) Once all of the required improvements have been at least 50% certified, the financial <br /> guarantee may be reduced by the ratio that the completed improvements bear to the total <br /> improvements required. However, only one such reduction shall be permitted prior to <br /> releasing the entire performance guarantee. <br /> 7.4.5 Maintenance of Required Improvements <br /> Improvements installed as a requirement of subdivision approval shall be maintained by the <br /> subdivider/develops-r until they are accepted for maintenance by NCDOT, a utility provider, the <br /> individual homeowner, or a Home Owners' or Property Owners' association.= <br /> 19 Staff is attempting to standardize terminology. We use the term'subdividers'and 'developers'interchangeably <br /> but they can actually mean vastly different things. We are eliminating the use of the term 'developer' in Article 7 <br /> and relying solely on 'subdivider'. <br /> Orange County, North Carolina—Unified Development Ordinance Page 7-5 <br />