A version of the following article appeared in the Monday, August 10, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Need to subscribe — or upgrade your Ledger e-newsletter subscription? Details here.
Thousands of duplexes, triplexes and quads filed for (but not necessarily built) since UDO implementation
A triplex under construction on Topping Place (off Barclay Downs Drive, near SouthPark Mall) in 2024. (File photo by Tony Mecia/The Charlotte Ledger)
by Ashley Fahey
It’s been a little more than three years since the city’s Unified Development Ordinance went into effect. One of its signature — and controversial — changes was allowing duplexes, triplexes and quadraplexes to be built in more places across the city.
Since June 1, 2023, when the UDO went into effect, a total of 8,537 duplexes, triplexes and quads have been either submitted or approved through the CLT Development Center, the city government office that reviews development projects, according to an analysis of data provided by the city to The Ledger.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that 8,500-plus such residences have been built since June 2023. In fact, it’s most likely that far fewer have been built, since builders file for projects all the time without actually putting a shovel in the ground. Permitting is a Mecklenburg County function and, therefore, isn’t tracked by the city.
The data obtained by The Ledger is broken out into two categories: Land Development Individual Residential Lot (LDIRL) and Land Development Construction Plans (LDCP). The biggest difference is the scope of the filing, with LDIRL typically used for single-lot or infill projects, while LDCP is usually used for a more substantial development.
Under LDIRL, there have been: 863 duplexes, 128 triplexes and six quads submitted or approved
Under LDCP, there have been: 4,507 duplexes, 2,252 triplexes and 781 quads submitted or approved
It’s unclear exactly how many of these housing types were being built pre-UDO, but it was much more likely to be in the hundreds versus thousands range.