Atlanta council votes to require special use permits for self-storage facilities

Atlanta’s City Council adopted Ordinance 26-O-1397 on October 5, 2026, by 11 votes to none, according to the council’s legislative file, which marks the meeting record as draft and lists three members absent and one away. It amends the city’s zoning rules so that self-storage facilities need a special use permit.

The ordinance adds special-permit provisions for secured-storage facilities in commercial districts C-3 through C-5, and for self-storage and secured-storage facilities in the I-1 and I-2 districts. It also covers mixed-use storage facilities of under 100,000 square feet of storage floor area in the MRC district. City planning staff recommended approval. The Zoning Review Board and the neighborhood planning units did as well. The Zoning Committee voted for it unanimously on September 28, and all 15 councilmembers are listed as sponsors.

The recitals say self-storage facilities often span much of a block, draw vehicle and truck traffic, generate few jobs for nearby residents, and can weaken commercial activity along corridors.

The Center for Civic Innovation reported that the mayor paused new self-storage applications through an executive order in June. In July the Council adopted a 180-day moratorium. It said self-storage had been allowed by right in some districts, which, CCI wrote, the ordinance would end.

The file gives no effective date.