Boone County Planning & Building

City and County Joint
Planning Commissions

See this page for important information concerning the Joint Planning Commission Sub-Area Plan.

This department consists of two divisions, the Planning Division and the Building Inspection Division. Staff includes a director (appointed by the County Commission), three planners, a planning technician, an office administrator, a chief building inspector, four building inspectors and a building clerk.

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The Planning and Building Inspections Department has a wealth of information related to land use planning and building code in Boone County. In response to some of the most frequently asked questions of our staff we have established a list. The answers to the questions are general as each property has its own characteristics. If in doubt, please call or email our office.

PLANNING DIVISION
This division is responsible for processing all land use requests in the unincorporated parts of the county. Land use requests take the form of requests for changes in zoning, conditional use permits, subdivision plats and requests for variance from the regulations.

The division is responsible for maintaining and interpreting the county zoning map. Requests for information regarding the application of specific zoning regulations come from Realtors, developers, engineers, surveyors, and citizens. In general, people want to know the permitted uses possible under the county zoning regulations; and the procedures that they have to follow to accomplish a particular action.

The division is responsible for directing and staffing a grant received from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources titled Land Use Planning and Water Quality Restoration in Bonne Femme Creek Watershed. The area covered by this project includes parts of Columbia and Ashland, and all the land in between them including Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and Three Creeks Conservation Area. For more information, click here.
Map of watersheds

The division provides staff support to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment and the County Commission.

The Planning and Zoning Commission meets on the third Thursday of every month. The P & Z Commission acts as an advisory commission to the County Commission on matters of land use. They hear requests for conditional use permits, rezoning requests and review subdivision plats.

The staff assists the public with applications for conditional use permits and to rezone land.

The staff reviews subdivision plats for compliance with the subdivision regulations. Contact is made with the utility companies, municipalities, public works department and sewer district to insure that all needs are adequately addressed.

The plat is reviewed for compliance with the regulations and then submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission. After the plat has been approved by the P & Z Commission, the developer can install the infrastructure, or he can provide the County Commission with surety to guarantee that the improvements are completed.

The Planning and Zoning Commission periodically reviews the zoning and subdivision regulations and makes suggestions for changes to the regulations. In the case of changes suggested for the Zoning Regulations, the P & Z Commission conducts at least three public hearings.

The Planning and Zoning Regulations allow for property owners to make requests for a variance from the requirements of the regulations. The Board conducts a public hearing and decides, case by case, what relief may be reasonably granted. These decisions are weighed carefully for their impact on the integrity of the county zoning regulations. The Zoning Board of Adjustment meets on the fourth Thursday of the month.

The staff also investigates zoning complaints and attempts to achieve compliance with the requirements in the regulations. A site inspection is conducted and report prepared. Initial contact is made with the property owner, including an explanation of the zoning regulations, and a time period to resolve the violation. If the violation is not corrected in the given time period (usually 30 days, unless health or safety concerns exist) the complaint can be turned over to the prosecuting attorney. However, compliance is the goal of zoning enforcement, so the staff works to achieve compliance without prosecution whenever possible.

In order to be eligible to receive federal aid, loans and grants, local governments are required to adopt and enforce rules regulating the use of flood prone land. In Boone County, the Planning Division maintains the County Flood Insurance Rate Maps and enforces the Flood Plain Regulations. All building permit applications are checked against the flood maps to determine the location of a proposed structure relative to the regulatory floodplain. Structures proposed for the floodway fringe area can be built provided that they are either elevated or flood proofed. There are very strict prohibitions against building in the floodway itself, however, agricultural structures are allowed provided that they can be designed and built such that flood waters are allowed to pass through the structure.

In 1985, the Planning Division worked with the Joint Communications Center, GTE, Boone Electric Cooperative and The Columbia Daily Tribune in assigning 911 addresses to all of the existing residences in Boone County. That file continues to be maintained. Every structure is addressed and added to the file whenever a building permit application is processed.

The division annually issues mobile home park licenses.

In 1992 the County Commission established the Boone County Solid Waste Committee. This committee examines and researches solid waste issues confronting the citizens, businesses and environs of Boone County. In 1994, the County Commission requested that the Planning Division provide staff support to the Solid Waste Committee. The senior staff Planner provides this support and has been appointed as the Solid Waste Coordinator for Boone County. The responsibilities of this position include coordinating and managing the pilot recycling program for the county; developing plans to expand recycling throughout the county; and, to seek and secure grants for solving solid waste issues.

The division provides representatives to the County Road and Bridge Advisory Committee, the County Solid Waste Committee and the On-Site Sewer Board of Review.

BUILDING DIVISION
The Boone County Commission adopted building codes in 1985. The County chose to adopt one of the "model" building codes; specifically the Building Officials Code Administrators (BOCA) National Building Code series. A program of inspection services began in March 1986. On April 2, 2007 Boone County will begin using the 2006 International Codes, an updated version of the older BOCA codes.

A building permit is required for all structures erected in the unincorporated parts of Boone County. The regulations exempt agricultural buildings that are at least 75' away from any residence on at least 20 acres or more (There may be additional criteria to meet agricultural requirement). Depending on the type of structure, inspections take place throughout the construction process. Permits and inspections are also required to place a mobile home in the unincorporated parts of the county and for electrical and gas hook-ups in mobile home parks.

All applications for building permits are reviewed for compliance with land use regulations, floodplain regulations and address requirements.

Commercial type structures having more than 1200 square feet of floor space are required to have plans prepared by an architect or engineer. The plans are reviewed to determine code requirements based on its use. Residential and accessory type structures do not require plans in order to get a building permit.

The Building Division also performs inspections for all of the smaller communities in Boone County, with the exception of McBaine and Huntsdale unless required by the Boone County Fire Marshal. This service is done on a contractual basis; fees are charged at the same rate as for structures in the unincorporated parts of the county. Inspection procedures are the same, unless directed otherwise by the individual community.

The County Commission adopts regulations on the recommendations of the Building Code Commission. The Code Commission meets as needed to review proposed code changes and amendments. The County follows the model code cycle of updating every three years. The codes are not changed without at least three public hearings. Building Division staff review code revisions as they develop and report to the Code Commission concerning the impact of proposed changes.

The building code also provides for a Building Code Board of Appeals, empowered to review code decisions and requests for relief from specific requirements. The ability to grant a variance from the requirements of the building code is extremely limited.

Building Division staff provides support for the operations of the Building Code Commission and the Building Code Board of Appeals