Zoning Library › North Carolina › Greenville, NC
Greenville, NC zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Greenville, NC?
A drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right (no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning) in these zoning districts: CD, CD-HD, CDF, CDF-HD, CDF-UC, CG, CG-UNRI, CH, I, I-HD, IU, MCG.
It needs a conditional or special use approval in: MO.
It is not allowed in 25 districts: OR, OR-HD, OR-UC, OR-UNRI, OR-UNRI-HD, R6, R6-CA, R6-HD, R6-UNRI, R6A, R6A-CA, R6A-RU, R6MH, R6S, R6S-HD, R6S-UNRI, R6S-UNRI-HD, R9, R9S, R9S-CA, R9S-HD, R9S-UNRI, R9S-UNRI-HD, R15S, RA20.
9 districts are not confirmed yet.
Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district
| District | Drive-thru restaurant | What the code says | Section | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CD-HD | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Base district CD rule applies; overlay suffix "HD" may add design/height/historic review. Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CDF | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CDF-HD | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Base district CDF rule applies; overlay suffix "HD" may add design/height/historic review. Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CDF-UC | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Base district CDF rule applies; overlay suffix "UC" may add design/height/historic review. Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CG | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CG-UNRI | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Base district CG rule applies; overlay suffix "UNRI" may add design/height/historic review. Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CH | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| I | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| I-HD | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Base district I rule applies; overlay suffix "HD" may add design/height/historic review. Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| IU | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MCG | By right | Restaurant; fast food (see also section 9-4-103) Next to residential: side/rear 25 ft, speaker/menu 50 ft from residential lines (9-4-103(O)). | Title 9 Ch. 4 App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MCH | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| MI | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| MO | Conditional | Restaurant; fast food (limited to multi-unit structures which contain not less than three separate... | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MR | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| MRS | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| MUI | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| O | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| O-CA | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| OR | Not allowed | Not permitted | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| OR-HD | Not allowed | Not permitted Base district OR rule applies; overlay suffix "HD" may add design/height/historic review. | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| OR-UC | Not allowed | Not permitted Base district OR rule applies; overlay suffix "UC" may add design/height/historic review. | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| OR-UNRI | Not allowed | Not permitted Base district OR rule applies; overlay suffix "UNRI" may add design/height/historic review. | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| OR-UNRI-HD | Not allowed | Not permitted Base district OR rule applies; overlay suffix "UNRI-HD" may add design/height/historic review. | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| PIU | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| PUD | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| R6 | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6-CA | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6-HD | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6-UNRI | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6A | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6A-CA | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6A-RU | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6MH | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6S | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6S-HD | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6S-UNRI | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R6S-UNRI-HD | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R9 | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R9S | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R9S-CA | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R9S-HD | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R9S-UNRI | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R9S-UNRI-HD | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R15S | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RA20 | Not allowed | Retail Trade: None | App. A | codelibrary.amlegal.com | 2026-11-14 |
"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://gisonline.greenvillenc.gov/arcgis/rest/services/OpenData/MapServer/21 (district field: ZONE)
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.