R-80W zoning applies only to land within the watershed of an existing or planned source of public drinking water, and only to that part of the watershed within its critical area (generally within 1/2 mile plus 300 feet of the water supply source's flood elevation). Its standards are intended to ensure that residential development (and limited nonresidential development) occurs at intensities low enough to minimize pollution of the water supply source from stormwater runoff.

R-40W zoning applies only to land within the watershed of an existing or planned source of public drinking water, and only to that part of the watershed beyond its critical area (generally beyond 1/2 mile plus 300 feet from the water supply source's flood pool elevation). Its standards are intended to ensure that residential development (and limited nonresidential development) occurs at intensities low enough to minimize pollution of the water supply source from stormwater runoff.

The R-80 District is intended to accommodate very-low-density residential development, as either single-family detached or attached dwellings on separate lots.

The R-40 District is intended to accommodate low-density residential development, as either single-family detached or attached dwellings on separate lots.

R-30 zoning is the prevailing zoning classification within the County's jurisdiction. It is intended to accommodate low-density residential development, as either single-family detached or attached dwellings on separate lots.

The R-20 District is intended to accommodate low- to moderate-density residential development, as either single-family attached or detached dwellings on separate lots.

The R-15 District is intended to accommodate low- to moderate-density residential development, as either single-family attached or detached dwellings complexes on separate lots.

The R-10 District is intended to accommodate moderate-density residential development, as either as single-family attached or detached dwellings on separate lots.

The R-5 District is intended to accommodate moderate-density residential development, either as single-family attached or detached dwellings on separate lots, or as single-family attached dwellings or multifamily dwellings on a parcel containing at least 5,000 square feet of land area per dwelling unit

The Highway District is basically a low-density residential district comparable to the R-30 District – but one that allows a wide range of nonresidential uses with a Special Use Permit.

The Mobile Homes District is intended to accommodate the development of a moderate-density residential mobile home park consisting of manufactured housing units on separate "spaces" containing at least 6,000 square feet of land area each, plus developed recreation area.

The Office and Institutional District is intended to accommodate principally office and institutional uses on separate lots.

The General Business District allows principally indoor commercial retail and service uses on separate lots, without special review and subject to few requirements concerning development intensity or design.

The Heavy Commercial District allows both indoor and outdoor commercial retail and service uses, without special review and subject to few requirements concerning development intensity and design

The Industrial-I District allows any manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, processing, storage, and distribution use, as well as associated research and administration uses – except that the storage and/or salvaging of junk is prohibited.

The Industrial-II District allows any manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, processing, storage, and distribution use, as well as associated research and administration uses – and allows the indoor, or screened outdoor, storage and/or salvaging of junk.

The Research Applications District is intended to accommodate research and research application uses that benefit from location in or next to – and a strong association with – the Research Triangle Park.

The Airport-I District allows a wide range of industrial, commercial, agricultural, recreational, and other nonresidential uses – but prohibits any new residential development and most nonresidential development that involves high concentrations of people.

The Airport-II District allows a wide range of industrial, commercial, agricultural, recreational, and other nonresidential uses – but prohibits any new residential development and most nonresidential development that involves high concentrations of people.

The PD, Planned Development district is intended to permit the establishment of areas in which diverse uses may be combined and integrated through careful planning to provide a unified and compatible development.

Classic Mixed-Use districts (CMU) are intended to provide a rich mix of residential, shopping, employment and recreational uses and be surrounded by residential areas adequate in size and population to help support the nonresidential uses within designated activity centers.

Residential Mixed-Use districts (RMU) are intended to encourage unified residential developments that offer a mix of housing types such as apartments, condominiums, townhouses and/or single-family detached homes. This will provide a range of housing opportunities to a diversified economic group while creating a sense of a unified residential development.

The Special Highway Overlay District applies to land adjacent to certain designated major highways. It is intended to help ensure that such land is developed so as to maintain or enhance the natural scenic beauty and wooded character viewed by travelers along the highway, as well as to mitigate the highway's potential adverse impacts on adjacent land uses.

The Resource Conservation Overlay District 1 and 2 applies to land adjacent to and draining into certain water impoundments that the County identified as providing significant wildlife or plant habitat or special recreational opportunities, and is intended to help protect the water quality of the impoundments. The District has been applied to land around only two impoundments: Robersons Pond (northeast of Wendell) and Bass Lake (between Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina).

The Water Supply Watershed III Critical Area Overlay District applies only to land within the watershed of an existing or planned source of public drinking water that is classified as WS-II by the State (e.g., the Little River water supply watershed), and only to that part of the watershed within its critical area (within 2 mile plus 300 feet of the water supply source's flood elevation), and only to land whose underlying zoning is not R-80W or R-40W.

The Water Supply Watershed II Overlay District applies only to land within the watershed of an existing or planned source of public drinking water that is classified as WS-II by the State (e.g., the Little River water supply watershed), and only to that part of the watershed beyond its critical area (beyond 2 mile plus 300 feet from the water supply source's flood elevation), and only to land whose underlying zoning is not R-80W or R-40W.

The Water Supply Watershed Non Critical Area Overlay District applies only to land within the watershed of an existing or planned source of public drinking water that is classified as WS-III by the State (e.g., the Swift Creek water supply watershed), and only to that part of the watershed beyond its critical area (as delineated on the Swift Creek Land Management Plan), and only to land whose underlying zoning is not R-80W or R-40W.

The Water Supply Watershed Protected Area Overlay District applies only to land within the watershed of an existing or planned source of public drinking water that is classified as WS-IV by the State – except the Falls Lake watershed – (e.g., Jordan Lake, Cape Fear (Lillington), and Cape Fear (Sanford) water supply watersheds), and only to that part of the watershed beyond its critical area (beyond 2 mile plus 300 feet from of the water supply source's flood elevation), and only to land whose underlying zoning is not R-80W or R-40W.

The Watershed Protected Area Overlay-2 District applies only to land within the watershed of an existing or planned source of public drinking water that is classified as WS-IV by the State – except the Falls Lake watershed – (e.g., Jordan Lake, Cape Fear (Lillington), and Cape Fear (Sanford) water supply watersheds), and only to that part of the watershed beyond its critical area (beyond 2 mile plus 300 feet from of the water supply source's flood elevation), and only to land whose underlying zoning is not R-80W or R-40W.