Forsyth County Extends Moratorium, Clerical Error Will Be Corrected
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on December 4 approved a 180 day extension of a moratorium that bars the county from accepting sketch plat and land disturbance permit applications for certain rezoned residential properties. The extension will expire June 2, 2026, and a clerical error that misstated a 2027 expiration will be corrected at the Board work session on December 9.
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on December 4 to extend a moratorium that prevents the county from accepting applications for sketch plats and land disturbance permits for residentially zoned properties that were rezoned prior to April 13, 2017. The extension adds 180 days to the original moratorium adopted on May 15, 2025, and was advertised with an expiration date of June 2, 2026 in a Public Notice in the Forsyth County News.
During adoption the draft resolution contained a clerical error stating the moratorium would extend to April 13, 2027. County staff identified the oversight and the County Attorney will correct the language at the Board of Commissioners work session on December 9. The Board confirmed that the operative extension is the 180 day period reflected in the published notice and not the incorrect 2027 date included in the draft resolution.
The moratorium stems from a resolution by the Forsyth County Board of Education asking the county and the City of Cumming to take effective measures to reduce or eliminate high density residential development. Commissioners cited the Board of Education request when they first imposed the moratorium and when they extended it. The action pauses the processing of new subdivision related applications on a defined set of properties while elected officials and planning staff review zoning and development patterns.
For local residents the pause affects developers planning new sketch plats and property owners seeking land disturbance permits on rezoned parcels that fall before the April 13, 2017 cutoff. The temporary halt may delay construction timetables and the timing of new housing delivery, while providing time for county officials to examine impacts on schools, roads, stormwater systems and public services.
The extension will remain in place through June 2, 2026 unless the Board takes additional action. County planning staff and commissioners are expected to use the intervening months to consider regulatory changes and to hold public discussions about density, infrastructure capacity and long term land use goals.
