On Thursday, Aug.11, Guilford County government announced that it has put up a new web tool that’s meant to provide residents with an easy-to-use, interactive interface to access information on planning ordinances, county codes and more.

The new online portal, called “enCodePlus,” offers 24/7 access to plans, codes, manuals and ordinances – as well as new web tools for developers and planners.

The website can be found through a link at www.guilfordcountync.gov or directly at https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/guilfordcounty-nc/index.aspx.

According to a press release from the county touting the new service, “What makes this portal so useful to Guilford County citizens is that it merges the code back into one location for ease of access for all the county’s ordinances. Fully integrated, the new platform gives users one-click access to the County Code of Ordinances, Area Plans, the County Comprehensive Plan and updates, the new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), and the archive Land Development Ordinance.”

The new platform also includes tools such as a parking needs calculator and a tool that helps assess landscaping requirements.

Guilford County Planning Director Leslie Bell said this week that the site is meant to offer “a user-friendly, integrated platform that makes it easy to navigate the County’s recently-completed Unified Development Ordinance and enhances the ease of doing business in Guilford County.”

The multi-functional website is built with a technology that will also help Guilford County planning administrators and other county staff: It allows county planners to streamline the internal planning and zoning processes and it offers other features that will provide support to public officials, economic developers, business owners, law clerks, attorneys, consultants and zoning administrators.

It will also give the Guilford County Planning Department the ability to modernize planning and zoning ordinances and to streamline code and by-law management.

The enCodePlus platform is described by county planners as a unique web-based technology platform delivering a “full suite of codification, planning, and zoning tools and features.”