Brantley / Rural Georgia Burn-Zone Density Moratorium — Action Template

Status: Template only — not legal advice. Have county counsel review before adoption.

I. What already exists (so you are not starting from zero)

Gap: No Georgia statute, county ordinance, or public petition currently implements a rural burn-scar multifamily moratorium. This template fills that gap.

II. Ten steps a reader can take in Georgia

1. Map the scar and the eighty-seven (or current) structures

• Use Brantley County GIS / tax assessor parcels overlapping the Hwy 82 fire perimeter.
• Publish a public spreadsheet: parcel ID, owner of record, pre-fire use, insurance status, LLC acquisitions, permit status.
• Why: Moratorium campaigns win on parcel-level transparency, not forum arguments.

2. File open-records requests (Georgia Open Records Act)

Request from Brantley County (Planning & Zoning, Commissioners, County Manager):

• All multifamily, apartment, or upzoning applications inside the burn perimeter since April 20, 2026.
• Any developer inquiries, site plans, or pre-application meetings.
• County recovery plan documents mentioning density, workforce housing, or rezoning.
• Why: You need paper before the first permit hits the agenda.

3. Ask for a commission agenda item — moratorium resolution

• Target: Brantley County Board of Commissioners (and parallel counties if multi-county coalition).
• Bring unified speakers: DEW skeptics + believers + landowners + fire survivors.
• Ask for first reading of the resolution in Section IV below.
• Speaking tip: Lead with 22,600 acres / ~87 homes / zero reported civilian deaths — selective scar, not apocalypse — and “we are not for sale.”

4. Launch a county petition (paper + online)

• Goal: 5–10% of registered voters in Brantley (or statutory threshold your county counsel cites).
• Use Section V petition text.
• Partner with existing Citizens United networks (per WTOC) rather than starting a rival faction.

5. Contact state legislators — support moratorium authority, oppose preemption

• Brantley is in Georgia House District 177 / Senate District 3 (verify current boundaries).
• Ask legislators to oppose revival of HB 1315-style moratorium caps for declared wildfire disaster counties.
• Ask for a simple enabling clause if county counsel says state law blocks county moratoria beyond 180 days: disaster-recovery counties may enact burn-scar density moratoria for up to ten years subject to annual public hearing.

6. Contact U.S. House / Senate (constituent services, not fire chief)

• Ask for FEMA / HUD / USDA rebuild guidance letters supporting owner-occupied single-family recovery and local zoning sovereignty in disaster counties.
• Do not center DEW — center disaster capital and rezoning.

7. Start a permit watch monthly meeting

• Same night each month: review new permits, LLC deed transfers, auction listings.
• Invite skeptics and believers — moratorium is the unity issue.
• Record minutes; post publicly.

8. Media — local first

• Pitch: “County-sized fire, gym-sized home count — why are we talking about lasers instead of what gets built next?”
• Offer the print handout PDF.

9. Pre-buttress against HB 1315-style arguments

• Counter: “A ten-year burn-scar moratorium is not a rolling permit delay — it is disaster-recovery character protection with annual public review.”
• Counter: “Streamlining single-family rebuild for owners is not the same as inviting multifamily investors.”

10. If county says no — interim urgency ordinance + referendum

• Ask counsel whether an interim zoning ordinance (90–180 days) can freeze upzoning and multifamily while a referendum is prepared.
• Use Section VI referendum question.

III. Draft — County Commission Resolution

RESOLUTION NO. _____

A RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON HIGH-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE BRANTLEY COUNTY HIGHWAY 82 WILDFIRE RECOVERY PERIMETER

WHEREAS, beginning on or about April 20, 2026, the Highway 82 wildfire burned approximately twenty-two thousand six hundred (22,600) acres in Brantley County and destroyed approximately eighty-seven (87) residential structures, constituting a catastrophe affecting rural homesteads and community character; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners finds that expedited approval of high-density multifamily residential development within the wildfire recovery perimeter would conflict with orderly disaster recovery, strain evacuation routes and rural infrastructure, and risk displacement of existing residents through investor-led consolidation; and

WHEREAS, the County supports owner-occupied single-family reconstruction at prior footprint for properties damaged or destroyed in the wildfire, and seeks to prevent post-disaster upzoning from altering the rural character of the recovery area without direct voter approval; and

WHEREAS, this moratorium is adopted pursuant to the County’s planning and zoning authority and the public health, safety, and welfare powers of Brantley County, Georgia;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of Brantley County, Georgia:

Section 1. Definitions.

• “High-density residential development” means any development proposing three (3) or more dwelling units per lot, any multifamily structure, or any upzoning from agricultural or single-family rural districts to a district allowing apartment-scale density.
• “Wildfire recovery perimeter” means the area mapped by the County and identified as the Highway 82 fire burn scar as of May 2026, as may be updated by GIS and filed with the Clerk.

Section 2. Moratorium. For a period of ten (10) years from adoption, or until superseded by voter referendum, the County shall deny or defer applications for high-density residential development within the wildfire recovery perimeter, except as provided in Section 3.

Section 3. Exceptions.

• Owner-occupied single-family rebuild on the same parcel at or below the pre-fire dwelling footprint, subject to ordinary building codes and wildfire resilience standards.
• Public safety, utility, or emergency infrastructure required for recovery, with commission approval after public notice.
• Any project approved by binding referendum of Brantley County voters pursuant to Section 6.

Section 4. Transparency registry. The County shall maintain a public online registry of: (a) all permit applications inside the perimeter; (b) deed transfers to LLCs or out-of-county buyers; (c) insurance buyout notifications received by the County; updated monthly.

Section 5. Annual review. The Board shall hold a public hearing each January to review moratorium continuation, permit trends, and registry data.

Section 6. Referendum. The Board may submit to voters: “Shall Brantley County allow high-density multifamily housing in the Highway 82 wildfire recovery perimeter?” A no vote extends the moratorium; a yes vote lifts it for areas designated in the ballot language.

Section 7. Severability. If any provision is held invalid, remaining provisions continue in effect.

Section 8. Effective date. This Resolution is effective upon adoption.

ADOPTED this _____ day of ____________, 2026.

IV. Draft — Public Petition (circulate to registered voters)

PETITION TO THE BRANTLEY COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

We, the undersigned registered voters of Brantley County, Georgia, request that the Board of Commissioners immediately:

1. Adopt a ten-year moratorium on high-density multifamily housing and disaster upzoning inside the Highway 82 wildfire recovery perimeter;

2. Prioritize owner-occupied single-family rebuild at prior footprint for fire-affected homeowners;

3. Create a public transparency registry of permits, LLC land acquisitions, and insurance buyouts in the burn scar;

4. Submit to voter referendum any proposal to allow apartment-scale or multifamily development in the recovery perimeter; and

5. Oppose state preemption that would force density increases in our rural disaster county without local consent.

We are not opposed to recovery. We are opposed to investor-led character replacement disguised as humanitarian housing.

V. Draft — Email / letter to County Commissioners

Subject: Request agenda item — Highway 82 wildfire recovery density moratorium

Dear Chair [Name] and Members of the Brantley County Board of Commissioners,

The Highway 82 fire burned over 22,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes in our county. We support our neighbors rebuilding. We do not support high-density multifamily or upzoning inside the burn scar without a public vote.

We request a first reading of a burn-zone density moratorium resolution at your next regular meeting. We attach draft language and a growing petition of registered voters. We ask the County to:

• Moratorium on multifamily / high-density permits in the recovery perimeter (10 years, with annual public review);
• Streamlined permits for owner-occupied single-family rebuild only;
• Monthly public transparency registry of permits and land transfers in the scar.

This issue unites residents who disagree on other questions. We are ready to speak at your meeting on [date].

Respectfully,

[Name, address, phone] [Organization — e.g., Citizens United, neighborhood group]

Attach: moratorium template PDF

VI. Draft — Referendum ballot question

VII. One-page speaker notes (commission meeting)

1. Thank you for recovery work and the one-stop website.
2. Scale: 22,600 acres burned; ~87 homes — huge scar, selective home loss.
3. Unity: We are not here about space lasers. We are here about what gets built next.
4. Ask: Moratorium + registry + owner-occupied rebuild priority.
5. Precedent: California suspended SB-9 duplex rules in LA burn fire-hazard zones — local control in disaster scars is normal.
6. Local voice: “Brantley County is not for sale.”
7. Close: We should be worried. Stay unified. Block high-density housing in catastrophe zones. Don’t get distracted.

Keywords: #Brantley #Georgia #DensityMoratorium #Wildfire #Template #RuralBurnZone #CitizenAction

Last updated: 2026-05-13