The Fort Mill housing moratorium is now in effect. Here’s what that means
A new Fort Mill housing moratorium is now in effect.
Fort Mill Town Council voted unanimously on Monday to prohibit the town from accepting or processing new projects that include residential construction. Those decisions include rezonings that would allow new homes or apartments.
The moratorium doesn’t apply to new home or apartment construction that’s already been approved by the town, or is underway.
The moratorium runs through the end of the year. Town officials expect to complete updates to several land use plans by then, which could change rules for how Fort Mill accepts or approves new residential development.
Council members described the moratorium as a pause on new home growth last month, when a unanimous vote gave initial approval to the decision finalized Monday. The only change to the moratorium since that first vote was a clarification on traffic impact analysis statements.
Traffic analysis documents are the first step in submitting a project to town planners for consideration. Any project that submitted traffic work prior to Monday’s vote will be eligible to continue.
Fort Mill population growth
The moratorium comes during a sustained growth period for the town.
In 1990, Fort Mill had 4,930 residents. The town was three quarters the size of York, and Rock Hill had nearly nine times as many people as Fort Mill. Then, backed by strong schools and access to jobs in nearby Charlotte, Fort Mill grew.
As of last summer Fort Mill had more than 36,000 residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released last month. Fort Mill is nearly four times larger than York and half the size of Rock Hill.
Among the three dozen largest cities and towns in the Charlotte metro region, Fort Mill’s 48% growth since 2020 is more than three times the rate of any other community. That growth only accounts for people within town limits.
Unincorporated areas like Baxter and Carowinds that have Fort Mill addresses have been driving York County growth for decades, too.
Nationwide, Fort Mill ranks No. 15 for highest growth rate since 2020 for cities and towns with 20,000 or more people. Fort Mill is ranked No. 91 for highest growth among communities of all sizes.
Homebuilding moratoriums, like developer impact fees and special tax districts, have come up several times in the past as options for curbing the fast pace of new construction. York County Council proposed a temporary housing moratorium for unincorporated Fort Mill in 2016.
That effort failed by a 4-3 vote in May of that year, on the second of three votes needed to implement that moratorium.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 9:11 AM.
