General Business (GB) Zoning08/2022
GENERAL
BUSINESS (GB)
GB District: Covers that portion of the county ideally suited to conducting general business uses. GB districts should allow for direct and
frequent public access, have direct access to primary highways or streets, have access to public water and sewer, adjoin existing
commercial or industrial districts, and have no more than minimal impact on residential areas.
The General Business (GB) zoning designation is intended to aid in orderly business growth within the unincorporated areas of the county,
and will most commonly border existing incorporated urban areas along primary highways (Rte. 11, Rte. 114, Rte. 460, etc.).
Qualifying lands
In order to qualify for inclusion in the GB (General Business) district, the land shall either be within the current GB district or be in other
lands within the areas mapped as either Village, Village Expansion or Urban Expansion in the Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan
and are either served by or are planned to be served by public water and sewer. Five (5) acres of contiguous land are required to create
a GB district.
What can I do "by right"?
There are uses that are designated as "by right," which means you do not have to apply for a special use permit. The uses do; however,
have to comply with all approved plans and permits, development standards, and performance standards included in the Montgomery
County Zoning Ordinance and with all other applicable regulations. The "by right" uses include:
• Amateur radio tower
• Apartment as accessory use,
maximum of 2 per business
structure
• Assembly of electrical, electronic
devices, less than 3,000 sq. ft.
floor area
• Automotive, light truck, sales,
service, rental, and repair,
excluding motor fuel sales
• Building material sales
• Business or trade school
• Cabinet shop, furniture,
upholstery, craft industry less than
3000 sq. ft.
• Cemetery
• Church
• Civic club
• Community center
• Conference or training center
• Crematorium
• Custom meat cutting, processing
and sales, excluding slaughtering
• Data pole
• Day care center
• Equipment sales and service
• Farm machinery sales/service
• Financial services
• Fire, police, and rescue facility
• Funeral home
• Garden center
• General store, convenience store
without motor fuel sales
• Homeless shelter
• Hotel, motel
• Laundromat
• Library
• Medical care facility
• Motor vehicle rentals
• Office, administrative, business, or
professional
• Park
• Park and ride lot, of 50 or fewer
spaces
• Pet, household
• Post Office
• Printing service
• Public Use/Public Facility
• Public utility lines, other
distribution or collection facilities
• Public utility lines, water or sewer
• Radio station, excluding tower
• Restaurant
• Retail sales and service
• School
• School of special instruction
• Shopping center
• Telecommunications tower,
attached
• Veterinary practice, animal hospital
Accessory structures are also allowed, subject to the requirements of Sec. 10-41 (1).
What uses are allowed with a Special Use Permit?
Some uses are allowed in the GB district with the permission of the Board of Supervisors through the Special Use Permit process
(applications available from the Planning Department). These include:
• Amateur radio tower greater than 75 ft.
• Assembly of electrical, electronic devices, greater than
3000 sq. ft. floor area
• Boarding house
• Buildings greater than fifty (50) feet in height
• Contractor’s service establishment
• Feed and seed store and mill
• General store, convenience store with motor fuel sales
• Golf driving range, miniature golf and similar outdoor
recreation
• Kennel, commercial
• Livestock market
• Mini-warehouse
• Night club
• Outpatient mental health and substance abuse center
• Park and ride lot of more than 50 spaces.
• Public utility plant, water, sewer, other
• Public utility substation
• Recreation establishment
• Recycling facility
• Repair shop, automotive
• Service station
• Shooting range, indoor
• Stone engraving and sales
• Telecommunications facility, micro wireless
• Telecommunications facility, small cell
• Telecommunications tower, freestanding
• Transition house
• Travel Center
• Truck, trailer, heavy equipment sales, service, rental, and
repair
08/2022
Building and Lot Requirements
Minimum Lot Area:
Lots sharing an access drive connected to a VDOT road:
20,000 sq, ft.
Lots not meeting the shared access criteria: 1 acre.
(Exceptions are granted for public utility, public water, or
public sewer installations and must be in accordance with the
Montgomery County Subdivision Ordinance.)
Lot Access:
Whenever possible, lots shall be accessed from a shared
access drive connected to a road in the Virginia Department
of Transportation (VDOT) system. Access roads shall be
hard-surfaced roads designed by a Professional Engineer to
accommodate projected volumes, loads, and vehicle types
and approved by the Zoning Administrator with the Fire
Marshall, Lot access for GB uses shall avoid impacting
residential subdivisions with primary access and through
traffic.
Maximum Floor Area Ratio: 0.40
Total Impervious Coverage: 85% of gross site area
Maximum Coverage by Buildings: 40%.
Minimum Width:
Seventy five (75) feet for lots sharing access with another
lot; one hundred and fifty (150) otherwise. Width
requirements for public utility or public water or sewer
installations shall be accordance with the Montgomery
County Subdivision Ordinance.
Minimum Yards:
• Front: 50 feet when opposite of a residential district;
35 feet otherwise.
• Rear: 40 feet when adjacent to a residential district;
10 feet otherwise.
• Side: 40 feet when adjacent to a residential district;
10 feet otherwise.
Maximum Building Height:
Fifty (50) feet. (Exception by SUP.)
Use Limitations
Screening & landscaping: In addition to landscaping and buffering requirements in the Ordinance, outside storage areas for
materials, equipment, or trash are accessory uses and may not exceed 40% of the building area, must be located in side or rear
yards adjacent to building, and must be screened from view of adjacent streets and adjacent land.
Off-street parking & loading: Must be provided in accordance with §10-44 and is permitted in the required setback. Parking
requirements differ by size and type of use.
Indoor/outdoor operations: All repair and service operations must take place within a completely enclosed building, unless
permission for outside operations is specifically allowed by SUP approved by the Board of Supervisors.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Montgomery County Planning & GIS Services
755 Roanoke Street Suite 2A, Christiansburg, VA 24073
CALL 540-394-2148 | EMAIL mcplan@montgomerycountyva.gov
VISIT www.MontgomeryCountyVA.gov/Planning
A zoning permit and/or site plan may be required to proceed with the uses listed on this data sheet. See section 10-53 of the Montgomery County Code, or
call the Planning Department, to determine the required development approvals.
This sheet is intended to only be a guide for development regulations in this zoning district. Please see Chapter 10 of the Montgomery County Code for the
specific regulations. The full texts of the zoning and subdivision ordinances are available at the Planning Department Webpage or at www.municode.com.