Zoning ordinances regulate land use policies for a city, county, or government unit by establishing permitted uses and dividing regions into zones. They distinguish between incompatible land uses and address public safety concerns. Zoning ordinances are constantly amended to reflect changing beliefs and can only be changed when the owner requests a modification.
A zoning ordinance is the formal codification of land use policies for a city, borough, county, or other government unit. The goal of a planning ordinance is to establish the permitted uses for land covered by the ordinance and to distinguish between different types of uses that may be incompatible. In addition to defining specific types of land use, zoning ordinances also usually divide a region into “zones” where certain types of permitted use can occur, which explains the name.
Historically, once land was purchased, people could largely do with it as they pleased. Someone could build a house, set up a tannery, start a factory, or use an area for agriculture. Over time, cities began enforcing building restrictions in order to protect public safety, and by the early 1900s, several cities had created zoning ordinances specifically to address various types of land uses.
Within a planning ordinance, the law usually distinguishes between residential, high-density residential, commercial, light industrial, industrial, agricultural, and other types of land use. The law provides clear definitions, which usually include the amount of square footage that can be built within a specific zone and the types of business that can take place in each zone. In a conventional residential neighborhood, zoning is usually designed to create a low to medium density, which could include duplexes and single family homes. Conversely, commercial or high-density residential might allow for many more units within the same space.
When a zoning ordinance is made, it usually reflects the fact that people find certain types of businesses to be in conflict. For example, a factory would not be a welcome addition to a residential neighborhood, while in a live-work neighborhood that included mixed commercial and residential zoning, an office tower might be seen as a source of conflict. Zoning ordinances are designed to separate different types of use to prevent conflicts.
These ordinances may also preserve some aesthetic ideals, such as the desire to keep structures in residential neighborhoods below three stories tall, and public safety concerns may also be addressed in some cases. For example, a zoning ordinance may mandate that specialized street lights be installed in business districts so that it’s safer to be outside at night.
Zoning ordinances are constantly being amended to reflect changing beliefs about how land should be used and how communities should deal with changing social norms. The most recent version is usually on file with local government offices and, as a general rule, a property’s zoning can only be changed when the owner requests a zoning change, in which case the owner will usually need to submit evidence to support the modification in a public hearing.
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