FORSYTH COUNTY -- A moratorium put in place last month on residential properties zoned during a specified time period will likely extend to nearly the end of the year.

On Thursday, Forsyth County commissioners voted 5-0 to extend a moratorium on the acceptance of land disturbance permits for single family residential Res-3 properties that was originally adopted on Aug. 8 to Dec. 7.

Last week, the ban was lifted for properties zoned on or after July 18, 2013 seeking land disturbance permits and any developments that have fully paid for sewer reservation agreements with the county.

“My point in drafting it this way was to give every constitutional consideration we could to protect the integrity of what the county wanted to do with the rights of the property owners,” County Attorney Ken Jarrard said.

The moratorium was approved to halt developments not meeting current standards as the county works to remove the section of the unified development code that allowed them through a loophole.

According to the code, lots zoned between Nov. 1, 2007 and July 18, 2013 must be a minimum of 14,500 square feet — the minimum is 10,000 square feet for those zoned between July 18, 2013 and Oct. 2, 2014, and those zoned before Nov. 1, 2007 have a minimum of 9,000 square feet.

Res-3 zonings now have a minimum lot size of 14,750 square feet.

Moratoriums can be lifted before they expire if the board takes action.