Zoning laws as they relate to commercial real estate

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People who are exploring property or land purchase options available to them for future commercial business use, must first do their due diligence to learn if the property or land they are interested in is indeed zoned for commercial purposes. Also, just because a piece of property or land is zoned commercial, does not necessarily mean that any and all types of business can be carried out on said property. Many times, there are types of or acceptable use restraints put on commercial properties as well as building placement and size restrictions to follow. All of these codes coincide with the local and state Commercial Zoning Laws and must be strictly followed in the event you decide you want to operate a business from the property.

Furthermore, individuals or corporations must also be aware of the local and state zoning laws as they pertain to making renovations to any existing properties. Everyone must do their homework when embarking on renovations if order that the renovations meet all zoning codes and ordinances.  In the end, time spent up front learning the zoning ins and outs, will translate into dollars saved and stress averted.

If you do run into trouble when purchasing a commercial property or when you are renovating a commercial property, it would behoove you to seek the services of an expert land use attorney or a real estate attorney. They are well equipped at navigating the legal avenues as they relate to local and state zoning laws. Many times, entrepreneurs enter into real estate or building contracts without a thorough knowledge of zoning ordinances and building and land use codes and find themselves up the creek without the proverbial paddle so to speak. If that happens, have no fear, the land use attorney can many times apply for a property use variance for you that would allow you to receive a special exception to the local zoning laws and codes. Also, there are also conditional use permits that can be issued as a permit to use a specific piece of commercial real estate for a specifically stated use.

When seeking any type of variance to an existing commercial zoning regulation or code, it is a good idea to seek the support of your local community. The process of changing zoning regulations or obtaining a variance is a difficult one, but the process would certainly be made easier with the support from your friends in the community. Especially if many of those friends represented businesses that would be impacted one way or another from a zoning change or variance.

Remember, zoning regulations are created for the good of the public and are usually updated and amended as the population and demands in the area change. Zoning is usually categorized in the following areas: residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and recreational. In addition, some of these categories may be further defined by specific criteria as is found in the industrial area that will usually have a subcategory that states which area is zoned industrial and which area is zoned light industrial. Zoning laws have been put in place to protect society from overdeveloping any one area and to further help us to define and restrict land or property use within a city, township, municipality, county, and state.

Believe it or not, zoning laws are there for society’s protection, although it may not seem that way at times. Usually we only here the horror stories about individual’s battling the zoning board for a change in the current zoning laws and we do not stop to reflect on the fact the very reason the laws were established in the first place was to preserve our nation’s greatest resource….our land.

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Comments

  1. It is true that many entrepreneurs enter into real estate contracts without knowledge of zoning ordinances. In many cases, these type of entrepreneurs faces lot of problem because of their this decision.

  2. Yes, you have written a very important and interesting thing here. Before choosing a plot, always check whether the property is available for commercial purpose or not. Yes the kind of business is also need to be thinking prior taking the property. It will avoid any further future problems. To know more about Local and State zonal Laws, one should consult a Law practitioner in that locality. It will be helpful. Commercial Properties are rising these days faster than ever and anyone can check out my blog to see the latest commercial properties in Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon which are currently the hotcake in real estate.

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