Carrollton, GA zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Carrollton, GA?
A drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right (no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning) in these zoning districts: C-1, C-2, C-3.
It is not allowed in 15 districts: ER-1, ER-3, M-1, M-2, MHP, O-I, R-8, R-10, R-15, R-20, R-M, R-M-10, R-M-15, R-O-I, R-T.
3 districts are not confirmed yet.
Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district
| District | Drive-thru restaurant | What the code says | Section | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-1 | By right | Restaurants: P (permissible) in C-1, C-2, C-3 Sec. 4.03.02 B: drive-through restaurants need 8-car stacking plus a by-pass lane. Check overlays (Lake Carroll Village, Maple St). | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| C-2 | By right | Restaurants: P (permissible) in C-1, C-2, C-3 Sec. 4.03.02 B: drive-through restaurants need 8-car stacking plus a by-pass lane. Check overlays (Lake Carroll Village, Maple St). | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| C-3 | By right | Restaurants: P (permissible) in C-1, C-2, C-3 Sec. 4.03.02 B: drive-through restaurants need 8-car stacking plus a by-pass lane. Check overlays (Lake Carroll Village, Maple St). | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| ER-1 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| ER-3 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| M-1 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) in this district | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| M-2 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) in this district | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| MHP | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| O-I | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) in this district | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| PD-MIXEDUSE | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 | |
| PD-NONRES | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 | |
| PD-RES | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 | |
| R-8 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-10 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-15 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-20 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-M | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-M-10 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-M-15 | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-O-I | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) in this district | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-T | Not allowed | Restaurants: blank (prohibited) | UDO Art. 2 use table (Restaurants); Sec. 4.03.02 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
"By right" means permitted with site plan and building permit review only. Overlay districts, planned developments (PD/PUD) and conditions attached to a past rezoning can change the answer for a single parcel.
Official zoning map layer
To find the district for a parcel, query the jurisdiction's own GIS zoning layer: https://services1.arcgis.com/T9kPZugHsZ2SNOXt/arcgis/rest/services/ZONING/FeatureServer/0 (district field: Zoning)
City of Carrollton GA parcel zoning (fields ADDRESS, Zoning, OVERLAY); site pins often fall in road ROW, use a 50-150 m buffer
Sources
How to confirm before you buy
- Look up the parcel on the official zoning map to get its district and any overlay.
- Open the code section linked in the table and read the use table and the drive-thru standards.
- Call the planning office and ask whether a drive-thru restaurant needs anything beyond site plan review at that address.
Why this library exists
I'm Luke Smith. I find land for drive-thru brands like 7 Brew, Ellianos Coffee and Starbucks, sign the tenant, build the shop and sell it as a net lease property. Every deal starts with the same question: is the use allowed here without a rezoning? Getting that answer takes too long, so we read the codes (with AI research help), and I publish what we find with a link back to every source so you can check it yourself.
If you have a site that fits a drive-thru, or you want to learn how these deals are put together, join the free Reverse Deal Finder community on Skool, see cap rates and land prices by brand, or call 1-760-392-1525. Brokers welcome: I pay commissions.