Zoning Library › North Carolina › Lee County (unincorporated), NC
Lee County (unincorporated), NC zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Lee County (unincorporated), NC?
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-2-C, HC, HC-CU, LI, LI-CU.
It is not allowed in 23 districts: CBD, HI, HI-CU, MF-12, MF-12-C, MHP, MHP-CU, NC, OI, R-6, R-6-C, R-10, R-10/MH, R-12, R-12 CU, R-12/MH, R-14, R-20, R-20/MH, RA, RA-CU, RA/MH, RR.
2 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 | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked P. Table 8-1: plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-through lane. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| C-2 | By right | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked P. Table 8-1: plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-through lane. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| C-2-C | By right | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked P. Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. Table 8-1: plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-through lane. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| CBD | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| CZ | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 | |
| HC | By right | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked P. Table 8-1: plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-through lane. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| HC-CU | By right | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked P. Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. Table 8-1: plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-through lane. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| HI | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| HI-CU | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| LI | By right | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked P. Table 8-1: plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-through lane. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| LI-CU | By right | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked P. Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. Table 8-1: plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-through lane. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| MF-12 | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| MF-12-C | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| MHP | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| MHP-CU | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| NC | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| OI | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| PUD | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 | |
| R-6 | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-6-C | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-10 | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-10/MH | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-12 | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-12 CU | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-12/MH | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-14 | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-20 | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| R-20/MH | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| RA | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| RA-CU | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). Conditional/special-use version of the base district: base rule applies unless the approved conditions limit uses. | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| RA/MH | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 2026-11-14 |
| RR | Not allowed | Table 4.6-1: "Restaurants, with drive-in or drive-through facilities" marked "-" (not permitted). | UDO Table 4.6-1 | sanfordnc.net | 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://lee-arcgis.leecountync.gov/arcgis/rest/services/26_BaseLayer/BaseLayers/MapServer/12 (district field: ZONE_UDO)
Lee County zoning dissolve layer (field ZONE_UDO) - covers Sanford, Broadway and unincorporated Lee County under the joint UDO. -C/-CU = conditional; /MH = manufactured home overlay.
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.