Land Use, Zoning and Planning Lawyers in Columbus, Ohio
In Columbus, Ohio, 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.
Municipal governments which practice zoning typically follow a similar scheme: the town or city is divided up into "zones," or areas in which particular types of use are permitted. For example, the downtown area might be zoned for commercial and office use, and perhaps for large, multi-unit apartment buildings. The surrounding areas will typically be zoned for residential and small-scale commercial use, and the outskirts zoned for manufacturing and other heavy industry.
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 Columbus, Ohio's Zoning Laws?
You have quite a few options if you find that a planned or current use of your property violates Columbus, Ohio's zoning regulations.
First of all, and most simply, the owner could just fix the violation. If the violation isn't very significant, and fixing it wouldn't cost very much, this is probably the best and easiest option.
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 Columbus, Ohio'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.
Also, if the zoning laws covering your property have changed, and some aspect of it is now violating the new rules, these changes can generally not be enforced against you, because it would be unfair to apply a new law retroactively.
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How Can a Columbus, Ohio Attorney Help?
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 Columbus, Ohio attorney.
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Life in Columbus
Columbus is the largest city in the State of Ohio. It's also the Ohio State Capital and seat of Franklin County government. Consequently, you're going to find nearly every kind of case in the area should be filed with Ohio State or Franklin County Courts in Columbus. Columbus lawyers are familiar with local court cases like personal injury, divorce, and criminal cases while many others focus on Federal cases link bankruptcy and U.S. Immigration Court cases.It's not only lawyers and politicians in Columbus; this #1 up-coming tech city was also named Business Week's best place to raise a family in the United States. But the singles scene is Columbus is renown as well. Men's Health Magazine ranked Columbus as the second most sexually satisfied city in the United States and Marie Claire Magazine declared it the 18th best place for a woman to find a good date.
Business is the major propellant behind Columbus' popularity. Five Fortune 500 companies call Columbus home: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, American Electric Power, Limited Brands, Big Lots, and Momentive Specialty Chemicals. Columbus is consistently named one of the top 10 U.S. cities in which to conduct business. In 2009 alone, Columbus metropolitan businesses profited over $90 billion. The diverse Columbus economy offers everything from education, banking, energy, defense, and research to logistics, medical, steel, technology, and hospitality. No matter what you business may be, it seems Columbus is the place to go.
USA Travel Guide named the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium the best in the United States adding to the popularity of Columbus as a tourist destination. Top-notch public transportation connecting Columbus' various universities and colleges to the neighborhoods and city attractions. The Ohio Judicial Center is an outstanding of Art Deco style architecture while the Wexner Center and Nationwide Plaza designed by Peter Eisenman offer a contemporary charm all their own.
