Zoning Ordinance
Categories: Regulations
Zoning ordinances help shape cities. They’re why some areas have buildings that are “shorter” than they’d be without zoning ordinances. They’re also why some areas have less traffic and noise pollution than they would otherwise. If you don’t know the zoning ordinances where you live, you probably don’t even know what things would look like sans ordinance (maybe in a parallel, anti-zone-ordinance universe).
Zoning ordinances are regulations that specify how certain properties in designated “zones” can be used. They’re usually different when it comes to residential zoning ordinances and commercial ordinances.
What happens if zoning ordinances are violated? Yup, penalties. The way-too-long-to-really-read zoning ordinance rules also include ways that people or businesses can try to get granted variances from the norms, and how hearings should go. While it can be frustrating to deal with seemingly nit-picky zoning ordinances, they’re the reason historical areas have been preserved, and help protect cities from market forces making unpleasurable changes to residential and commercial areas.
How annoyed you are with them probably depends on which side of the table you’re on.