The Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) is a voluntary association of local governments - urban and rural - authorized by state law to:

• Make and implement joint regional decisions; 
• Provide management, planning and technical services to local governments; 
• Identify and solve short and long-term problems best addressed at the regional level; and 
• Bring together local elected officials on a regular basis, giving them an opportunity to form working relationships. 
• Promote regional issues and cooperation among members.

The PTRC is one of the largest regional councils in NC, serving 78 members in and around the Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point metro area, including the following twelve county area:

Alamance | Caswell | Davidson | Davie | Forsyth | Guilford |

Montgomery | Randolph | Rockingham | Stokes |Surry | Yadkin

About Regional Councils

Regional councils exist in some fashion across the US although naming conventions can be different. In some areas they are known as Councils of Government (COGs), Lead Regional Organizations (LROs), or sometimes Planning Commissions or Planning Associations. In NC, each regional council is also designated by a letter. The Piedmont Triad Regional Council is also known as Region G.

NC Multi-County Planning Regions

A brief history of the Regional Council

The Piedmont Triad planning region was initially formed as an eleven county area in 1968, known as the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments. It included Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin Counties, and was based in Greensboro NC. Throughout the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, regional councils were primarily responsible for processing federal grants. In the late 1970’s, federal grant money decreased rather drastically. Regional councils of governments were forced to reevaluate their missions and become more nimble in responding to the needs of their members.

In large part due to the changing role of regional councils, the Piedmont Triad region split into two councils of government in 1979. The five westernmost counties – Davie, Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin – became the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments, and the six eastern counties -- Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham – continued to function as the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments.

In 2001, Governor Easley issued an Executive Order authorizing Montgomery County to be merged into the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments following the dissolution of the Pee Dee Council of Governments. The PTCOG became a 7 county planning region.

In 2010, talks began in earnest about merging the two councils of government in the Piedmont Triad. Local leaders realized that the political boundaries of the two separate COG’s no longer represented the functional and economic structure of the region, and that there needed to be a uniform approach to coordination and planning with the Piedmont Triad region. In an unparalleled show of regional cooperation and initiative, the region was officially reunited in July of 2011. Now, one regional council – the PTRC -- serves the entire 12 county area of the Piedmont Triad region of NC.

Today the Piedmont Triad Regional Council serves its members and the citizens of the region by administering programs related to aging, criminal justice, housing, regional planning, water resources, transportation, SBA lending, information services, personnel administration, recreation and open space, workforce development, and more.