Memphis Zoning Changes & DecisionsDelivered Same-Day
in the Memphis Market
Of the 31 land-use decisions recorded across Memphis over the last 24 months, 77% were approved. We read every Memphis hearing and pull the outcome, the vote split, and the conditions, so you see how this board actually rules.
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What gets approved in Memphis
In Memphis, 77% of land-use board decisions were approved over the last 24 months. Variance clear 79%. ZoneWire analyzed 31 land-use board decisions in Memphis over the last 24 months. Here are the most active project types and how often each one clears.
| Project type | Decisions | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|
| Variance | 14 | 79% |
How Memphis rules on land use
In Memphis and Shelby County the staff report is a live risk, not a formality. When the Land Use Control Board or Board of Adjustment staff write "recommend rejection," it stuck on 4 of the 7 land-use cases we have on record, and even the 3 that got through came back with conditions. Know before you file whether your case reads as a hardship or compatibility problem to staff, because that read is what the board acts on here.
- Who decides
- Land Use and Development Services planning staff (Division of Planning and Development) recommends, Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board (recommends rezonings and planned developments to Memphis City Council for city sites or the Shelby County Board of Commissioners for unincorporated sites); Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment decides variances and conditional use permits decides
- The pattern
- Of the 7 land-use items where staff recommended rejection (about 4 in 10 of the roughly 16 to 17 land-use items on record), 4 were denied and 3 were approved, most with conditions; 4 land-use items were denied overall and the rest approved.
Proof
Rezoning of 53 acres at 0 North Pisgah Road (Land Use Control Board)
May 14, 2026
Leenau JV LLC / Bo Chambliss (Chambliss Capital), repped by attorney Dedrick Brittnum, sought to rezone 53 acres at 0 North Pisgah Road in unincorporated Shelby County from Conservation Agricultural to Employment District (EMP). Staff recommended rejection, citing incompatibility with the surrounding residential and commercial pattern and the heavy industrial uses EMP would allow by right. The Land Use Control Board followed staff and the motion to approve failed, a recommendation of denial to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
Full breakdown
Memphis and Shelby County run land use through two staff-paired boards, and in both the planning staff recommendation carries real weight.
Rezonings and planned developments go to the Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board, which forwards its recommendation to the Memphis City Council for city sites or the Shelby County Board of Commissioners for unincorporated ones.
Variances and conditional use permits are decided by the Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment. We are still gathering data in this market, but the early pattern is clear and it is not a rubber stamp.
Across the land-use decisions captured so far (roughly 16 to 17, the spread depends on a few borderline development and lease items), 4 were denied and the rest were approved. What sets this market apart is the staff report.
On 7 of those land-use items the Land Use and Development Services staff recommended rejection, which is about 4 in 10 of the items we have on record, and the board sided with staff on 4 of them.
The motion to rezone 53 acres at 0 North Pisgah Road from Conservation Agricultural to Employment District failed after staff called the industrial uses incompatible with the surrounding area.
The Memphis Islamic Center commercial plan development at 0 Humphrey Road went down 1 to 7 after staff flagged it as out of step with the semi-rural area.
Two Board of Adjustment use variances, a veterans group home on Trout Valley and a mothers-and-infants transitional home on Deerland, both failed after staff found no hardship. (The Pisgah and Humphrey items are Land Use Control Board recommendations of denial that the Shelby County Board of Commissioners ratifies for these unincorporated sites.) The other 3 staff-rejection cases did get approved, but none sailed through clean.
The vehicle repair variance at 1673 East Holmes Road passed only with streetscape work and two curb cuts closed, and the two Benjestown Road group shelters were approved on conditions over a no-hardship recommendation. So even when this board overrides staff, it tends to negotiate rather than wave items through.
Approval is reachable here, but the staff read is the variable that decides which way your case breaks. The work is to make sure your filing answers the compatibility and hardship questions before staff writes them up, not after.
Key facts: Memphis land-use record
- Memphis approved 77% of 31 land-use decisions in the last 24 months.
- Memphis has 14 rezoning-related records across 3 recent public meetings tracked by ZoneWire.
- The most recent tracked meeting in Memphis was on July 29, 2026.
Updated with meetings through July 29, 2026.
See Real Meeting Intelligence
Here's what ZoneWire found in the latest Memphis meeting
Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment - 2026-07-29
The Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment approved retroactive variances for a two-story, two-unit accessory dwelling unit at 3251 Seminole Road (BOA 2026-39), on a unanimous roll-call vote, allowing an ADU exceeding maximum floor area and taller than the principal struct…
See full analysisKey Decisions
- Consent agenda (holds and approvals with conditions)
- ADU variances at 3251 Seminole Road
City Council Full Meeting - 2026-07-21
Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board - 2026-07-09
City Council Full Meeting - 2026-07-07
Plus every other session we monitor
Every Memphis insight is sourced from official public meeting records and analyzed within hours, updated daily.
Memphis, Tennessee is the site of xAI's Colossus supercomputer and data center. Zoning and land use decisions involve the Memphis City Council, the joint Memphis-Shelby Land Use Control Board, and the Board of Adjustment. These bodies review rezonings, planned developments, variances, and site plans tied to data center development.
Upcoming meetings in Memphis
Hearings already on the calendar. Meetings with a published agenda link to the docket.
- City Council Full MeetingAugust 4, 2026
- Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control BoardAugust 13, 2026
- City Council Full MeetingAugust 18, 2026
- Memphis and Shelby County Board of AdjustmentAugust 26, 2026
- City Council Full MeetingSeptember 1, 2026
- City Council Full MeetingSeptember 15, 2026
Recent Zoning Insights in Memphis
Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment - 2026-07-29
July 29, 2026
City Council Full Meeting - 2026-07-21
July 21, 2026
Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board - 2026-07-09
July 9, 2026
Recent meetings with zoning keywords detected by ZoneWire. Subscribe to get all alerts in real time.
Monthly Zoning Activity
Memphis had 4 public meetings in July 2026 with 103 zoning insights detected, down 13% from June.
| Month | Meetings | Zoning Insights | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 4 | 103 | |
| Jun 2026 | 4 | 119 | Roundup |
| May 2026 | 4 | 457 | Roundup |
Source: ZoneWire analysis of Memphis public meeting transcripts. Updated daily.
How ZoneWire Works in Memphis
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ZoneWire has analyzed 12 Memphis council meetings, flagging 679 rezoning, variance, and development items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zoning in Memphis is governed by the Unified Development Code (UDC), which serves as the Zoning Code and Subdivision Regulations for the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County. The UDC is administered jointly through the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. Property owners can look up a specific parcel's zoning district using the Zoning Atlas referenced on the Division's Develop901 site.
The Land Use Control Board (LUCB) is a joint body serving both the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County. It reviews area and neighborhood plans, zoning map changes (rezonings), zoning text changes, planned developments, special use permits, and street closures before those items advance to the Memphis City Council or the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. The LUCB has final approval authority over special exceptions, subdivisions, and major modifications to permits and planned developments unless a decision is appealed to the relevant legislative body.
The Land Use Control Board meets on the second Thursday of the month at 9:00 AM in the City Council Chambers at 125 North Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103. Agendas and meeting minutes are posted by the Division of Planning and Development.
Variances are heard by the Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment. The Board hears variances from provisions of the Unified Development Code when an applicant demonstrates exceptional circumstances and practical difficulties or undue hardships. It also hears conditional use permits for select uses, appeals of staff interpretation of the zoning regulations, requests to extend a zoning district boundary up to 25 feet, and nonconforming use permits. The Board is staffed by Land Use and Development Services within the Division of Planning and Development.
The Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment is composed of eight members serving three-year terms: four appointed by the Mayor of Shelby County and confirmed by the County Board of Commissioners, and four appointed by the Mayor of Memphis and confirmed by the Memphis City Council. Established in 1925, it is Tennessee's oldest administrative zoning board. It meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 2:00 PM (moving to the third Wednesday in November and December) in the City Council Chambers at 125 North Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103.
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New developments in Memphis