County zoning authority

The county planning board shall have authority to prepare, or to cause to be prepared, a zoning ordinance for all or part of the unincorporated area of the county, which ordinance shall include both a map and a text. The zoning ordinance may regulate the location, height, bulk, number of stories, and the size of building; open space; lot coverage; density and distribution of population; and the uses of land, buildings, and structures. It may require off-street parking and loading. It may provide for districts of compatible uses, for large-scale unified development, for the control and elimination of uses not in conformance with provisions of the ordinance, and for such other matters as are necessary to the health, safety and general welfare of the county. The zoning ordinance shall designate districts or zones of such shape, size or characteristics as deemed advisable for all, or part, of the unincorporated area of the county. The regulations imposed within each district or zone shall be uniform throughout the district or zone.

(b) The determination of zones shall be consistent with any officially adopted plans for the area to be zoned. In the development of zoning districts and their boundaries, due consideration shall be given to the adopted plans of municipal planning commissions for extraterritorial planning areas.

(c) The zoning ordinance shall be observed through denial of the issuance of building permits and use permits.

(d) It shall be unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, maintain, or use any land, building or structure in violation of any ordinance of the county quorum court.