Camden to Consider Hearing on 36-Month Subdivision Moratorium as Current Pause Nears End

CAMDEN, N.C. — Camden County commissioners will consider Thursday whether to schedule a public hearing on a proposed 36-month moratorium on subdivisions and multifamily housing. The county's current 30-month moratorium, adopted in 2024 to give it time for water and sewer work, expires December 25, 2026, with key pieces of that work unfinished.

Commissioners to meet tonight, Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 6 p.m. to consider setting a November 16, 2026, public hearing on the proposal, according to a county notice. They will not vote on the moratorium itself Thursday.

The notice does not say when the 36 months would begin, whether the proposal would extend or replace the current moratorium, or why more time is needed.

At a glance

• Who: Camden County Board of Commissioners
• What: Special meeting to consider setting a hearing on a proposed 36-month moratorium on subdivision and multifamily approvals
• When: Thursday, October 22, 2026, 6 p.m.; proposed hearing Monday, November 16, 2026
• Where: Community Room, Camden Public Library, 118 N.C. Highway 343 North
• Why: The current moratorium expires December 25, 2026, with the clearwell in state review and no sewer permit application filed as of August.

Extension or new moratorium?

The answer matters under state law. N.C.G.S. 160D-107 bars renewing or extending a moratorium unless the county has taken "all reasonable and feasible steps" it promised and "new facts and conditions warrant an extension."

In June 2025, the county weighed replacing the 30-month moratorium with an 18-month one; the original stayed in effect.

Developers sued the county in June 2026 over the moratorium and permit reversals, the Tribune reported.

What the first moratorium was for

Commissioners adopted the moratorium June 25, 2024, to give the county time for engineering, permitting, land acquisition, financing and construction, the Tribune reported in August. The state set aside $10 million in 2023 for the work, including $3.94 million for a clearwell addition at the water plant.

The county asked in July 2025 to push its deadline for submitting clearwell plans from December 1, 2025, to November 1, 2026, DEQ told the Tribune. A kickoff meeting with consultant Timmons Group was held on December 16, 2025, the Daily Advance reported.

The plans went to the state August 28, 2026. On October 5, Public Works Manager Chas Sawyer told commissioners reviewers had not acted; under a 90-day rule he described, silence would mean approval November 26, 2026.

As of August 26, 2026, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality had no permit application for the county's proposed wastewater discharge and was still waiting on Timmons Group's final water-quality model. On October 5, Sawyer said DEQ is now running the model itself.

What the chair said in August

Asked in August whether the board expected to consider an extension, a replacement ordinance or other action, Chairman Jason Banks wrote, "It would be poor judgement to not consider circumstances surrounding the expiration."

On a contingency plan, he wrote that the county would keep "continuing to make progress towards the moratorium's stated actions. With or without a moratorium."

Asked what oversight the board had exercised over whether delays came from the county or its consultants, he wrote, "I believe the premise of your question is incorrect."

Staffing claim disputed

Sawyer told commissioners August 3, 2026, that state approvals "have taken a lot longer due to staffing issues." DEQ disagreed.

"As no permit applications have been formally submitted, there is not a delay in timeline," DEQ spokesman Josh Kastrinsky told the Tribune August 27, 2026. "DEQ staffing has not impacted the regulatory process."

The Tribune asked county officials on September 16, 2026, whether an extension was being considered. No one responded.]

What comes next

If commissioners set the hearing, residents can speak on November 16, 2026. The proposed ordinance must state the problem, why 36 months are needed, and the county's schedule of actions.

That document should show whether Camden is extending its moratorium or starting over.

Reporting note: This story is based on an October 19, 2026, meeting notice from the Camden County clerk to the board; the Board of Commissioners' October 5, 2026, meeting recording; written responses from Chairman Jason Banks dated August 5, 2026; N.C.G.S. 160D-107; and DEQ responses to the Tribune dated August 7, 26 and 27, 2026; Daily Advance reporting; and prior Camden Tribune reporting.

Continue following this story

• Camden's 30-Month Moratorium Nears End. DEQ Is Still Waiting on the Wastewater Model
• Sawyer Says South Mills Development Could 'Outrun' Sewer Plant as Moratorium Nears End
• Camden Development Moratorium: Issue Tracker