Boulder City Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Boulder City, NV

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Nevada

In Boulder City, Nevada, there are laws which determine what can and can't be done on given parcels of land. These laws get pretty involved sometimes, and aren't always very accessible to laypersons. This article should serve as a good overview of these laws.

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."

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

Zoning laws don't exist just to protect residential use - it also protects people who engage in other types of use of land, by making sure that they are able to do their business, without bothering neighboring landowners, and thereby avoiding legal disputes.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Boulder City, Nevada

Zoning laws are often quite extensive and meticulous, and it's very possible that your property in Boulder City, Nevada contains some minor zoning violation that you don't know about. If this happens to you, you have significant legal protections.

It should be evident that the first option you should consider is to correct the violation. If doing this wouldn't cost you very much, or pose a major inconvenience, you should obviously do this.

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 Boulder City, Nevada's zoning laws, a variance will usually be granted.

Furthermore, zoning ordinances cannot be applied against you retroactively. For example, suppose you built a 3-story house on your property, and your property was zoned to allow 3-story houses to be built at the time of construction. And then, years later, the area you live in is re-zoned, to only allow 2-story houses. Can the local government force you to remove a whole level of your house? Of course not. Applying a law retroactively is unconstitutional. On the other hand, any future changes you want to make to your property will have to comply with the applicable zoning ordinance as it is currently written.

What Can A Boulder City, Nevada Attorney Do?

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 Boulder City, Nevada 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.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Boulder City

Boulder City is a Clark County municipality that is about 20 miles outside of Las Vegas and home to 15,000 residents. Originally constructed as housing for Hoover Dam workers, Boulder City was founded in 1932. To keep workers focused on their work the city prohibited alcohol sales, gambling, and membership in unions. It is one of only two cities in Nevada today that still prohibits gambling and is notoriously known as a speed trap for people passing through to Las Vegas. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of very experienced lawyers in the area. Boulder City lawyers don't only do traffic cases but are actually experienced in many areas of law and practice in many different counties throughout Nevada.  

Money Magazine voted Boulder City the 6th best place to retire in the United States because it has affordable housing, medical care, tax rates, and a great arts and culture life. Boulder City has a total of 202.7 square miles making it the largest city in the State of Nevada. Locals enjoy access to the municipal golf course, pool, racquetball complex, tennis courts, BMX track, hiking trails, and nearby Lake Mead. 

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