Columbia Zoning Attorney

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Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Maryland

The laws that regulate how land can be used, and what structures can be built on individual pieces of land in Columbia, Maryland can sometimes be a bit difficult. This article will not make its reader an expert, but should serve as a good introduction to the subject.

Localities usually divide their jurisdictions into segments, referred to as "zones," on which particular types of use are permitted. For instance, 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."

The purpose of zoning is to preserve property values, and make towns and cities more livable. For instance, without zoning laws, a company might be able to purchase a vacant lot next to your house and construct a noisy, smelly, dirty factory on it.

On the other hand, zoning laws recognize and attempt to accommodate the necessity of factories and other industrial activities. They just seek to ensure that such activities are done in a way that they don't conflict with the rights of adjacent landowners to use and enjoy their property in peace.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Columbia, Maryland

Zoning laws are commonly quite extensive and meticulous, and it's extremely possible that your property in Columbia, Maryland contains some minor zoning violation that you don't know about. If this happens to you, you have considerable legal protections.

The most discernible 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 extremely costly, this is likely the ideal way to go.

What if, however, you've invested a considerable amount of time and money into making an improvement on your property, only to find that it breaks your local zoning laws in some minor way? In this case, you can apply for a variance. This is basically 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 Columbia, Maryland's zoning laws, a variance will normally be granted.

Moreover, if you have been residing 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 prevailing 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 Columbia, Maryland Attorney Do?

If you are in the process of physically altering your property, you are almost sure to face some contentions having to do with local zoning laws. If you find that zoning laws are making it very hard to use your property as you see fit, you may have legal recourse, normally in the form of a variance. Of course, your chances of success in any zoning dispute will be immeasurably increased if you have the assistance of a qualified Columbia, Maryland attorney.

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Life in Columbia

Columbia, Maryland is a planned community. It consists of ten independent villages, each with a distinct character. It has a population of almost 90,000 people, and is generally considered a suburb of both Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

The modern community of Columbia, Maryland was established in the 1960s, and the planning of the community involved many ideas that were, at the time, revolutionary. For example, rather than building a large number of cookie-cutter houses with only a few floor plans to choose from,the developers strove for architectural diversity, giving home-buyers much more choice. In addition to city planners, some nationally-renowned experts in the social sciences were deeply involved in the process, bringing in their expertise to make Columbia, Maryland as livable as possible.

Money Magazine has named Columbia, Maryland one of the best places to live in the United States. Each village center in Columbia boasts a central shopping area, designed to be far more aesthetically pleasing than traditional strip malls.

There are plenty of Columbia, Maryland lawyers who specialize in a wide variety of legal fields. Whether you need to make a will, buy a house, or confront any other legal issue, there is a Columbia, Maryland lawyer who can help.

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