Planning Department staff provide administration of land use management documents including the Wake Forest Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and community plan; review of construction and land development; UDO and municipal code enforcement, and support to various elected and appointed boards.
Planning Department News
- NEW! Rolling Calendar Workflow
- NEW! November 2025 Planning Department Monthly Report
- Planning accepts applications and payments through our Electronic Plan Review portal, IDT. See our checklists and applications page for checklists and applications.
- Residential Fence permits are no longer required in most cases. Read the Frequently Asked Questions on Fence Permits to find out if you will need one.
- Updated Planting List
- Preliminary revisions to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Wake County are available to be viewed at the NC Floodplain Mapping Program. The posted preliminary flood hazard data reflect restudies for portion of various flooding sources in Wake County.
Development Services
The Development Services Division administers many of the current planning, zoning, and plan review functions that are part of the overall responsibilities of the planning department. Projects can involve new construction, repairs, replacements, renovations, remodeling, rezoning or clearing of land. General responsibilities include: addressing, annexations, code enforcement (Unified Development Ordinance & Municipal Code), flood damage prevention, site & subdivision plan review, architectural design review, zoning administration and sign permitting.
Long Range Planning
The Long Range Planning Division is responsible for the development, implementation, maintenance and evaluation of the long range plans of Wake Forest. General responsibilities include: small area and corridor planning, transportation, historic preservation, public art vision and the Greenways & Open Space program.
Planning Videos
