Zoning is an important way to divide land in a municipality into specific zones for residential areas, commercial areas and others. Zoning laws can be very specific, creating locations for utility lines, adding restrictions on accessory buildings or even limiting the number of rooms in a property.
Nearly every major urban area in the United States has zoning laws, which is important for you to understand if you plan to open a business and buy property. The property you choose needs to be zoned for commercial purposes, and it may need to have other planning permissions before you can set up your business.
What should you do if you want to open a business in a new property?
The first thing to do is to find out about the zones in the area and where your business is legally allowed to be operated. Once you find property in that zone, yuo should ask about planning that is taking place and any building regulations that there are. For example, if you want 10 rooms in a bed and breakfast, you don’t want to find out that the restrictions limit you to five.
Zoning laws have to be reasonable, and there is an opportunity for you to seek assistance if you want to change the zone of a property or if you disagree with certain restrictions. Your attorney can help you take your case to court if you’d like to challenge the zoning regulations that affect your business or potential purchase so that you know what you can and cannot do in the future.
