Property ownership comes with both rights and responsibilities — both of which can be hemmed in by zoning regulations.
Understanding how zoning works can help you make better choices when you’re investigating the next piece of real estate you want to buy whether you intend to build a home, develop it for commercial use or open a new business.
What kinds of zoning are there?
Zoning regulations can be imposed by the state or local government, so there are numerous complex codes possible. In broad terms, zoning is often broken down the following ways:
- Residential
- Commercial
- Industrial
- Agricultural
- Mixed-Use
Even within those zoning designations there are many variations. Residential real estate zones can be divided into one-family homes, multi-tenant buildings (like apartments or condos), mobile home parks, co-ops and more — and those zones can each contain even more specific variations. For example, an R-1 one-family residential zone has different requirements than a R-1A or R-1B one-family residential zone that could affect your plans.
Can you fight city hall?
Where zoning is concerned, there may be more flexibility than you realize. Zoning that’s overly restrictive can be challenged and variances can often be obtained to allow property owners to bend the rules a little when their actions pose no detriment to the public benefit.
If you’re facing a zoning issue, it’s important to prepare your appeal to the proper authorities carefully and present it in a way that is most likely to accomplish your goals. Put your zoning problem in the hands of a capable attorney here in Lawrenceville.
