Planning & Zoning

The Guthrie County Planning & Zoning Ordinance was adopted to preserve and promote the public health, safety, peace, comfort, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare of the citizens of Guthrie County.

The ordinance was adopted in order to achieve the following objectives identified in the County Comprehensive Plan:

• To preserve and promote the general health, safety, and welfare of the County through strategic planning and development documents, regulations, and initiatives which provide for and utilize citizen involvement in order to provide a high quality of life for its population.
• To allow only agricultural uses or those uses incidental to agriculture on designated agricultural land.
• To allow residential and other non-agricultural uses to be developed only on land which is capable of supporting them.
• To encourage commercial and industrial development within the incorporated areas of the county in order to utilize municipal infrastructure such as water and sewer.
• To promote and preserve the conservation of all waterway, river, and drainage systems within the County as a means of preventing soil erosion, to promote passive recreation, to preserve wildlife habitat, and to regulate development within the county’s designated floodplain areas.
• To promote the preservation of critical areas of ecological, geological, historical, and environmental significance. This shall be achieved through the identification of such areas, informing the public of their significance and promoting private or public retention or acquisition for the sole purpose of their preservation and protection.
• To promote the development of shelter belts, soil erosion stabilization methods and habitat areas and to preserve the natural areas of the county for future generations.
• To encourage coordination and cooperation between Guthrie County and the incorporated cites located throughout the county, especially within a two mile radius of each corporate limit where powers and responsibilities are shared.