City of Charlotte
COVID-19 Updates
The City of Charlotte is actively monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic to plan for possible impacts to city services and to protect the health and safety of residents, visitors and city employees. Service impact details will be updated as new information becomes available.
City of Charlotte service impacts
Last updated 3/26/2020;12:30 p.m.
Stay at Home Order
Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte have issued a Stay at Home Order beginning Thursday, March 26, 2020 at 8 a.m. in order to further combat the spread of COVID-19 in our community. This order directs all Mecklenburg County residents to shelter at home and limit movements outside of their homes beyond essential needs. This order is valid through April 16, 2020, but will be regularly reviewed and evaluated and may be revised, amended, or extended accordingly, based upon recommendations by the Mecklenburg County Public Health Director and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management. Learn more about the order.
Learn more about the local, state and federal resources available to help small businesses withstand the impacts of COVID-19.
City-operated buildings will be closed to the public indefinitely beginning Wednesday, March 18. The following facilities will remain open at this time:
-
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) stations
-
Charlotte Fire Department (CFD) stations
-
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
-
Charlotte Area Transit System stations, including the Charlotte Transportation Center
CharMeck Responds
The CharMeck Responds Coalition is a unified response to the COVID-19 crisis for the purpose of coordinating volunteering and donation efforts. Led by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office, the coalition is made up of faith partners, nonprofits, businesses and other community organizations in the greater Charlotte area.
Small business resources
Learn more about the local, state and federal resources available to help small businesses withstand the impacts of COVID-19.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD)
The CMPD is responsible for enforcing orders prohibiting mass gathering of 50 or more people and excessive pricing. Residents are asked to report non-emergencies online instead of calling 9-1-1. Residents should only call 9-1-1 to report emergencies. Review the CMPD enforcement page for more information about mass gatherings, excessive pricing and how to report a non-emergency.
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)
Starting on Wednesday, March 25, CATS will make the following modifications to transit service to accommodate the current need for demand.
CATS will operate a temporary modified schedule, fare free, until further notice. No passes will be available for purchase and all ticket vending machines and fare boxes will be taken out of service.
Bus
CATS Local fixed-route and community circulator buses will operate on a Saturday schedule Monday through Saturday. Buses will operate normal Sunday service on Sundays. The route 290-Davidson Shuttle will not operate.
CATS Express routes will operate two trips in the morning and afternoon, Monday through Friday. The 41X-Steele Creek Express, 61X-Arboretum Express, 65X-Matthews Express and 88X- Mountain Island Express will not operate due to complementary local routes in those areas.
CATS asks that riders exit buses through available rear doors. More information is available on the CATS modified service webpage.
Light Rail
The LYNX Blue Line will operate on a Sunday schedule.
Paratransit
CATS’ Special Transportation Services (STS) operations will be limited to life-sustaining trips only. Life-sustaining trips include those to medical facilities and grocery stores.
Riders with questions or concerns should email TellTransit@charlottenc.gov. For time-sensitive issues, riders should call 704-336-RIDE (7433).
Charlotte Water
The in-person payment counters will be closed at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center and West Service Center effective March 18. The drive-thru payment center on 600 East Trade St. will remain open, and the drop boxes at 600 East 4th St. will be available for our customers to make payments. Charlotte Water will not disconnect water for non-payment of any account type until further notice. Accounts that have been disconnected will be re-connected.
Currently, inspection services will continue as scheduled. During this adjustment, please direct all plan review, inspection and permit fees by mail to: 600 East Trade Street, Suite 20, Charlotte, NC 28202. Please be patient as review times and response times may be longer than anticipated. For any questions with Installation and Design Services (IDS) and impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic please, contact Mike Garbark at ??‹704.432.5797 .
Charlotte City Council
The Charlotte City Council meeting scheduled for Monday, March 23, has been canceled. The city continues to work on virtual meeting solutions that would satisfy North Carolina’s open meeting laws.
Charlotte Fire
The Charlotte Fire Department will suspend foster home inspections, fire station tours and event appearances until further notice.
Solid Waste Services
IF YOU HAVE DISPOSAL ITEMS FROM A QUARANTINED HOME please double bag your garbage and place your recyclables in the garbage as well until your quarantined period is over.
Effective Monday, March 23, City Solid Waste Services will only collect garbage and recycling. Yard waste and bulk item collection will be suspended for 30 days or until further notice. Garbage and recycling will continue to be collected as scheduled.
Beginning Monday, March 30, recyclables will not be collected outside the recycling cart. All materials, including cardboard, must be loosely placed in the recycling cart. Cardboard must be cut or torn, not folded, into pieces small enough to fit loosely in the cart.
Planning, Design and Development
Effective at 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, The City of Charlotte will be under a stay-at-home order. City staff will continue to conduct plan review, permitting and field inspections as allowed by that order. The City is committed to maintaining City land development and rezoning services while ensuring safety and well-being of staff and customers.
Please read the following for more information regarding land development and rezoning processes.
-
Staff will be reviewing plans and answering questions remotely. Customers are asked to reach out to staff primarily by email. If a call is needed, customers can use these numbers
-
Planning, Design, and Development Department: (704) 336-2205
-
CLT Development Center: (704) 336-6692
-
-
All meetings will be conducted virtually
-
CLT Development Center staff and rezoning teams are currently teleworking.
-
Inspection teams will continue to be in the field fulfilling their responsibilities
-
City and County Inspectors are continuing to practice physical distancing on job sites. In areas where it is not possible to maintain 6 feet of distance, the inspector may ask for the work area to be inspected to be cleared while he or she conducts the inspection.
-
All Land Development Pre-Submittal and Urban Conceptual Meetings will now be held virtually. A site plan and agenda must be provided to staff before the customer’s scheduled meeting (minimum of two days). If customers choose to cancel their meeting, they are asked to let staff know as soon as possible. When possible, the city requests that customers host these virtual meetings.
-
All Rezoning pre-submittals will be conducted through virtual conferencing.
-
Rezoning Plan Comment discussion meetings will be held virtually. Customers are asked to provide a brief agenda/list of discussion items two days in advance so staff can coordinate as appropriate.
-
Plan review fees may be mailed, delivered by Courier or Federal Expressed/UPS to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St. in Charlotte. For additional information regarding land development fees, please contact the CLT Development Center or the Planning, Design and Development Department. Staff will continue to review plans with the understanding that there may be delays in fee submittals. Plans will be submitted to gateway if the only outstanding requirement is fee payment. The expectation is that fees will be paid upon plan approval.
-
City of Charlotte Land Development staff will be allowed to enter the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center and Suttle Avenue to complete tasks that cannot be completed remotely.
-
Staff will sign mylars weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mylars will be mailed to Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center, Attn: CLT Development Center, 600 E. Fourth Street and include a prepaid return address label.
-
New surety postings, estimates, reductions and releases are being reviewed and processed.
What you should know about COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and Mecklenburg County Public Health (MCPH) ??‹will continue to provide health updates as the situation evolves. The MCPH has also established a public health COVID-19 hotline for anyone to call with questions at 980-314-9400.
??‹??‹If you believe you are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection due to travel or potential exposure and you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough, or shortness of breath please call your health provider or the health department and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms. Your healthcare professional will work with your local and state's public health department and the CDC to determine if you need to be tested. If you are having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1.
