Auto Accident Law 101

Auto Accident Law 101

When Zoning Laws May Affect Your Renovations

Everett Cook

Zoning laws refer to the restrictions and regulations each municipality places on the types of structures that can be built on their land, as well as what they can be used for. The United States has had zoning laws since 1916, when New York City passed the country's first major zoning ordinance. Ever since, zoning codes play a huge role in the development of cities. They can, however, also be a big pain for the average home or building owner hoping to make improvements. Here are a two property changes that will be affected by zoning laws.

Building another structure on your property.

Whether your building is residential or commercial, there are rules regulating how close another structure may be to the primary building on your lot. This means if you are looking to add a detached garage to your property, you must make sure your lot is big enough to accommodate the city's zoning codes for building proximity.

Another consideration commercial properties must make is whether or not your building has special regulations. A common commercial regulation has to do with how much off street parking is required for each business. Any addition that takes up too much customer parking space may not be legal.

Adding an attached addition to a home or commercial building poses the same sort of issues. Zoning laws dictate how large a building can be on any given property, both in height and overall size, and where certain things can go. These restrictions are called Zoning Ordinance Bulk Requirements, and they will vary by city

Changing the use of your property.

There are 5 typical areas of zoning law: residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and recreational. Each property is zoned by the city to fit into one of these broad areas. However, property owners sometimes wish to change the use of their building. When this happens, a zoning change needs to take place.

Zoning changes are difficult to acquire and may take the help of legal counsel. To obtain a zoning change, you will usually have to submit an application and fee, followed by a hearing. The extent of this process is determined by the extent of the change. For instance, if you have a residential property, but you hope to add a commercial business to your home, you must file for a zoning change permit called a variance or conditional use permit. A variance is a request to deviate from the current zoning code, as long as the property owner can prove the current codes present a difficulty in making use of the property. A conditional use permit is similar to a variance, but is granted if the property owner can provide evidence that the change holds a public interest.

If you are having issues with any zoning law, contact a real estate attorney today for legal advice. 


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Auto Accident Law 101

After being involved in a serious auto accident with a drunk driver, I struggled heavily with getting the driver's insurance company to open a claim. When the insurance company started pushing back, I knew I needed to do something. I spent a lot of time digging through the laws surrounding auto accident claims so that I knew what my legal rights were. I even talked with an auto accident attorney. I created this site to teach others about what I learned, including my court experience. I hope it helps you to determine how you should proceed with your auto accident case.

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