Land Use, Zoning and Planning Lawyers in Kendall, Florida
The laws governing how land can and cannot be used in Kendall, Florida are fairly complex, and can be confusing to laypersons. This should provide a basic overview.
Localities typically divide their jurisdictions into segments, referred to as "zones," on which particular types of use are permitted. For example, one area of a town might be zoned for residential use, a nearby one for commercial use, and areas on the outskirts zoned for industrial use. This practice is called "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 laws generally acknowledge the necessities of things like factories, sewage treatment plants, and stockyards, but recognize that such activities shouldn't be conducted in residential areas.
What if My Property Violates Kendall, Florida's Zoning Laws?
Suppose you find that some condition on your land is in violation of Kendall, Florida'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.
Of course, simply fixing a zoning violation isn't always affordable or easy, and may interfere with your planned use of your property. For example, you might have just undertaken a significant remodeling of your home, and later found out that some small part of it technically doesn't conform to Kendall, Florida's zoning laws. If this happens to you, you can apply to your local zoning board for what's known as a "variance." This is simply a decree by the zoning board that the particular rule your property violates no longer applies. The Supreme Court has held that local zoning boards have to grant variances when the violation is very minor, and enforcing the ordinance would be unduly burdensome and not in the public interest.
You are also protected if your land is currently in full compliance with local zoning regulations, but the area where your land sits is re-zoned, and your property is suddenly not in compliance with the new zoning regulations. Generally, these new regulations cannot be used to force you to change existing conditions on your property. No laws can be applied retroactively, under the U.S. Constitution. Of course, if you make any improvements on your land after the law changes, you'll have to comply with the new law.
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How Can a Kendall, Florida Attorney Help?
If you suddenly become involved in a zoning dispute with your local government, it's essential to seek competent legal representation. The counsel of an experienced Kendall, Florida real estate attorney can make it much easier for you to act within the law to use your own property as you wish, or at least be as free as possible to make improvements to your land.
There are 204 Real Estate, Housing & Property Law cases posted in Kendall
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Life in Kendall
Kendall is a small suburb of Miami, Florida. It is a quick drive to Downtown Miami and the Miami International Airport. Some popular schools located in Kendall include Kaplan University and Nova Southeastern University.Being so close to Miami, Kendall residents have access to the large legal force in Miami. In other words, Kendall residents can seek the aid of small, mid-size, and large law firms located in Miami for all their legal needs. These firms train excellent attorneys with sharp minds and ambition, who are devoted to providing excellent legal services.
Many people who want to take advantage of the work force in Miami, yet do not want to live in the "daily city grind" call Kendall their home. Some famous residents include Janet Reno and OJ Simpson!
