Orange County NC Website
Attachment 6 <br />FLAG AND FLAGPOLE AMENDMENT FACT SHEET: <br />On March 20, 2018, the Orange County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) directed staff <br />from the County Attorney’s office and Planning Department to clarify standards <br />governing the erection of flagpoles and display of flags. Staff from both departments <br />have been working to craft amendment language, consistent with direction from the <br />BOCC, ensuring the establishment of content neutral regulation(s). The BOCC will hold <br />a public hearing on the proposed amendment and will consider the matter at its meeting <br />on May 15, 2018, at the Southern Human Services Facility. <br />The following fact sheet provides answers to basic question on this particular project. <br />1. What prompted this amendment? <br />Concerns from local residents and property owners over the lack of regulation(s) <br />ensuring the display of a flag does not dominate local skylines. <br />Staff in the County Attorney’s office and Planning Department were directed to <br />clarify standards governing the overall allowable height of flagpoles, their <br />distance from common property lines, the allowable number of flags/flagpoles <br />that could be erected on property, and maximum allowable flag area. <br />For more information on the purpose and intent of the amendment, please refer <br />to the minutes from the March 20, 2018, BOCC regular meeting, which can be <br />viewed here: server3.co.orange.nc.us:8088/WebLink8/0/doc/52122/Page1.aspx <br />2. Isn’t this just an attempt to ban a specific type of flag? <br />No. The proposed amendment establishes specific, measurable standards with <br />respect to the size and number of flags that can be displayed as well as height of <br />any erected flagpole. These standards will be easy to abide by and enforce. <br />The proposed regulation does not establish content standards or ban a <br />specific flag. <br />3. If adopted, where will proposed restrictions be enforced? <br />The standards will apply only to properties located within the County’s planning <br />jurisdiction. Properties located within the planning jurisdictions of the Towns of <br />Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Hillsborough, or Mebane are not subject to <br />county land-use regulations. <br />4. What exactly is proposed with respect to allowable size of flags and <br />flagpole height? <br />As written the amendment would establish the following standards: <br />27