Land Use, Zoning and Planning Lawyers in Mckinney, Texas
Mckinney, Texas has laws which govern how individual parcels of land can be used, and how they cannot. These rules aren't always simple, and this article should serve as an introduction to some of the most common issues that homeowners might face, though it is not meant to turn a layperson into an expert.
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.
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.
On the other hand, zoning laws recognize and attempt to accommodate the necessity of factories and other industrial activities. They simply seek to ensure that such activities are conducted in a way that they don't conflict with the rights of adjacent landowners to use and enjoy their property in peace.
What if My Property Violates Mckinney, Texas's Zoning Laws?
You have quite a few options if you find that a planned or current use of your property violates Mckinney, Texas's zoning regulations.
It should be obvious 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.
But what happens if you've invested a large amount of effort and money into improving your land, and you later discover that you've committed some relatively minor zoning violation? You are generally entitled to seek what is known as a "variance" in these cases. A variance is simply when your local government makes a small exception to the zoning rules to accommodate a small violation that would be difficult to fix. A variance will usually be granted if the violation doesn't harm anyone, and enforcing Mckinney, Texas's zoning laws to the letter would not, in this case, advance their purposes.
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.
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How Can a Mckinney, Texas Attorney Help?
If you find yourself facing zoning or other land use issues, it's important to have good legal advice. A good Mckinney, Texas attorney will help you work within the law to ensure that you are as free as possible to make the use of your land that you want.
There are 140 Real Estate, Housing & Property Law cases posted in Mckinney
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Life in Mckinney
McKinney is located in Collin County, Texas. It has a population similar to Plano, Texas. McKinney is home to around 131,100 people.An interesting fact is that in 2007 McKinney is ranked as the second fastest growing city. CNN Money Magazine included it in its list of "Best Places to Live in the U.S."
Top employers include McKinney Independent School District, Wal-Mart, Lattimore Materials, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, Medical Center of McKinney, Torchmark Corporation, and Encore Wire. The legal industry also has a presence in McKinney because many well-established and experienced lawyers have made a home in McKinney. Therefore, residents and businesses have competent attorneys to handle their legal issues.
Overall, this is a great city to visit or live in!
