Torrance Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Torrance, CA

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in California

The laws governing how land can and cannot be used in Torrance, California are fairly complex, and can be confusing to laypersons. This should provide a basic overview.

Local governments will usually divide the city or town into sections, called "zones," each of which is designated for a particular use, such as residential homes, commercial businesses, agriculture, manufacturing, etc. This process is known as "zoning."

Zoning serves several different purposes - but it its main one is to increase or preserve property values by ensuring that conflicting uses don't result in legal disputes. Obviously, if you bought a house in a residential neighborhood, and your neighbor could simply convert his property into a steel mill, your property's value as a residential lot would decrease significantly.

Zoning also serves the interests of industry, as well as residents. By ensuring that there are places where heavy industry can take place, well-planned zoning regulations will ensure that industrialists are free to practice their trade, and that residents will not be disturbed by those activities, which makes industry more efficient by helping it avoid costly nuisance lawsuits.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Torrance, California

Suppose you find that some condition on your land is in violation of Torrance, California's zoning laws. In cases like this, you have quite a few options.

The most obvious solution is to correct the problem, so your property is no longer in violation of local zoning laws. If the violation is minor, and correcting it would not be very costly, this is likely the best way to go.

What if, however, you've invested a significant amount of time and money into making an improvement on your property, only to find that it violates your local zoning laws in some minor way? In this case, you can apply for a variance. This is essentially an exception to the zoning rules. If declining to enforce these rules would not harm anyone, and would not do much to advance the purpose of Torrance, California's zoning laws, a variance will usually be granted.

Further, if you have been living on your property for a long time, and made improvements on it that complied with the zoning laws in effect at the time, a new zoning law that would be violated by your current use of your property, the new law cannot be enforced against you. The U.S. Constitution bars the passage of "ex post facto," or retroactive, laws. Once the laws take effect, however, you'll have to comply with the new zoning laws with respect to any new improvements you want to make on your property.

What Can A Torrance, California Attorney Do?

If you are in the process of physically altering your property, you are almost certain to face some issues having to do with local zoning laws. If you find that zoning laws are making it very difficult to use your property as you see fit, you may have legal recourse, usually in the form of a variance. Of course, your chances of success in any zoning dispute will be immeasurably increased if you have the help of a qualified Torrance, California attorney.

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Life in Torrance

Torrance, California is a city located in the southwestern region of Los Angeles County. Within city limits, Torrance has over 1.5 miles of unbroken beachfront, to which most of its 145,000 residents have access.

Torrance can trace its early history to a 1784 Spanish land grant. Wealthy landowners established several large ranches in the area that would eventually become Torrance.

Modernly, Torrance is a vibrant, environmentally-conscious community. It is home to one of the very few wetlands situated in an urban area. They are set aside as a nature preserve, which was once set for oil drilling. The efforts of conservationists and Torrance, California environmental lawyers prevented this from happening, however.

Many foreign corporations have their American headquarters in Torrance, including Toyota and Honda. These companies employ a large number of people in a wide range of professions, including local Torrance, California lawyers who represent the interests of their employers in the United States.

If you live in Torrance, California, and find yourself in need of legal services, it's very likely that there's a Torrance, California attorney who can help you out.

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