Board of Adjustment
The Board of Adjustment hears and decides on applications for special use permits and variances, as well as appeals from decisions and determinations of Planning and Economic Development Division staff. Appeals from the Hillsborough Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance are heard by the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners.
For more information, contact Senior Planner Tom King at tom.king@hillsboroughnc.gov or 919-296-9475.
The board is composed of:
- One regular member who is a member of the Hillsborough Planning Board and is chosen at that board's annual organizational meeting.
- Two regular members and one alternate member who are town residents appointed by the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners.
- Two regular members and one alternate member who are residents of the town's extraterritorial jurisdiction and appointed by the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
The extraterritorial jurisdiction is an area just outside town limits, where the town has jurisdiction to enforce its zoning and subdivision regulations. For more information, see the Jurisdiction and Service Areas page.
Application forms and deadlines may be obtained from the Hillsborough Planning and Economic Development Division or accessed from the Documents section below.
Note: Deadlines are for complete applications. Incomplete applications will not be accepted for review. Applicants are advised to schedule a time to discuss specific requests with the board’s staff support prior to application submittal.
Please consult town staff for a variance request regarding riparian buffer standards, flood damage prevention, and protected watershed districts or protected watershed critical area districts.
Board of Adjustment Appeal Form
Board of Adjustment Application Schedule and Checklist
Board of Adjustment General Application (use for all applications)
Board of Adjustment Process Overview
Board of Adjustment Rules of Procedure last amended April 12, 2023
Site Plan Checklist (use for special use permit plans)
Meetings are conducted as needed at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month in the Town Hall Annex, 105 E. Corbin St. in Hillsborough.
Hearings are quasi-judicial in nature, meaning they are like a court hearing. State law sets specific procedures and rules concerning how the board must make its decisions. These rules are different from other types of land-use decisions, such as rezoning cases.
The public is welcome to attend and participate in hearings before the board. Full participation is limited to those with legal standing, as defined in North Carolina General Statute 160D-1402(c), and to those who are sworn witnesses to the case being heard.
The board evaluates applications using the general standards/findings of fact and other procedures found in sections 3.8 (Special Use Permit), 3.10 (Variance) and 3.11 (Appeal) of the Unified Development Ordinance. Requirements for variances from the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance may be referenced in Section 4.E (Variance Procedures) of the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance.
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Richard Chapple — extraterritorial jurisdiction representative
- Term expires Sept. 30, 2026
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Raul Herrera — vice chair, extraterritorial jurisdiction representative
- Term expires June 30, 2026
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Robert Iglesias — town representative, Planning Board member
- Term expires May 31, 2025
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Sean Kehoe — chair, town representative
- Term expires April 30, 2025
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Portia Made-Jamison — town representative
- Term expires Sept. 30, 2026
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Eddie Sain — alternate, extraterritorial jurisdiction representative
- Term expires June 30, 2026
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Jenn Sykes — alternate, town representative
- Term expires April 30, 2025
105 E. Corbin St
Agendas, meeting documents and minutes of the elected and appointed boards are available through the town's online portal.
The Town of Hillsborough does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. See the Americans with Disabilities Act Policy webpage for more information.