Gainesville Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Gainesville, FL

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Florida

The laws controlling how land can and cannot be used in Gainesville, Florida are fairly intricate, and can be confusing to laypersons. This should provide a basic overview.

Local governments will normally divide the city or town into sections, called "zones," each of which is designated for a specific use, such as residential homes, commercial businesses, agriculture, manufacturing, etc. This process is known as "zoning."

Local governments have various different reasons for enacting zoning laws, ranging from ensuring that residential areas are peaceful and quiet, to safeguarding property values. For instance, most people wouldn't buy a home in a neighborhood where they knew it was possible for a neighbor to turn their house into a factory.

While zoning laws appear to be geared just toward protecting residents, they also protect industry, by ensuring that they are free to conduct their business without getting caught up in the various legal disputes that would be inevitable if they were closer to a residential area.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Gainesville, Florida

You have quite a few options if you find that a planned or prevailing use of your property breaks Gainesville, Florida's zoning regulations.

First of all, and most simply, the owner could just fix the violation. If the violation isn't very considerable, and fixing it wouldn't cost very much, this is likely the best and simplest option.

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 Gainesville, Florida's zoning laws, a variance will normally be granted.

You are also protected if your land is currently in complete 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. Typically, these new regulations cannot be utilized 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.

What Can A Gainesville, Florida Attorney Do?

If you suddenly become involved in a zoning dispute with your local government, it's necessary to seek competent legal representation. The counsel of an accomplished Gainesville, 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.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Gainesville

Gainesville, Florida is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida. Its population is approximately 125,000 people.

Human habitation of the area that now includes Gainesville, Florida dates back at least 12,000 years. One of the ancient structures left behind by these people is colloquially known as the "Law School Mound." It is a burial mound that sits on the University of Florida Law School's campus, and it is estimated to be over 1,000 years old.

Many Gainesville, Florida attorneys studied law at this university. These lawyers are drawn to Gainesville because of its low cost of living, and business-friendly culture. Gainesville is also known for its promotion of solar energy, which allows private property owners with solar panels on their land to supply excess electricity back into the local power grid, helping people recoup the cost of investing in solar panels, making this environmentally-friendly practice more attractive.

If you live in Gainesville, Florida and are in need of legal advice, chances are good that a local Gainesville, Florida attorney can help.

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