Councils of Government, or "COGs", are voluntary association of local governments both urban and rural. There are 16 Regional Councils in North Carolina, each unique in how they operate within their designated regions and in what they are able to provide in the way of stormwater resources. Planning Departments at COGs often help create, coordinate, and implement joint regional decisions, provide management, planning and technical services, identify and solve short and long-term problems, bring together local elected officials on a regular basis, and promote regional issues and cooperation among members.
The Piedmont Triad Regional Council is authorized by state law to operate in a 12-County regions that spans three river basins: The Yadkin-Pee Dee, Roanoke, and Cape Fear. Stokes, Surry, Yadkin, Forsyth, Davie, and Davidson are PTRC Counties in the Yadkin-Pee Dee river basin and the High Rock Lake watershed. The PTRC's Regional Planning Department coordinates and implements joint regional planning decisions, provides management, planning and technical services, identifies and solves short and long-term problems, brings together local elected officials on a regular basis, and promotes regional issues and cooperation among members.
Centralina Regional Council provides service for Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly and Union Counties. Centralina works with local governments on both current and long-term planning, assisting with zoning, ordinance revisions and related land use issues. Centralina staff can step in and temporarily assist with planning functions when governments lack the resource capacity and will also help with planning and zoning projects such as complex rezoning cases.