Mount Prospect Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Mount Prospect, IL

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Illinois

The laws governing how land can and cannot be used in Mount Prospect, Illinois are fairly confusing, and can be confusing to laypersons. This should provide a basic overview.

Municipal governments which practice zoning normally 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 normally be zoned for residential and small-scale commercial use, and the outskirts zoned for manufacturing and other heavy industry.

There are a lot of rationales and purposes for zoning laws. In general, they're based in common sense: chemical plants shouldn't be constructed next to daycare centers, pig farms should not be constructed in the middle of a residential neighborhood, and other simple principles similar to that. Zoning laws, by keeping conflicting land uses separate, make life easier for all parties, ensuring that property values will be preserved, and that necessary industries can be conducted where they will not bother anyone.

Zoning laws don't exist just to protect residential use - it also protects persons 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 Mount Prospect, Illinois

If something on your property is in violation of a Mount Prospect, Illinois zoning law, the landowner has various options.

First, and perhaps most apparently, you can correct the violation. If the violation is relatively minor, and correcting it would not cost you much or be a substantial burden, this might be the best way to go.

Sometimes, however, a landowner wants to make improvements on their property which might constitute a slight violation of Mount Prospect, Illinois's zoning laws. In this case, the owner can apply for a variance - an official agreement from the local government to not enforce a particular zoning regulation. Usually, variances are granted when the violation is quite minor, and, enforcing the letter of the zoning law would not do much to advance its broader purpose.

Moreover, 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 Mount Prospect, Illinois Attorney Do?

If you find yourself facing zoning or other land use issues, it's crucial to have good legal advice. A knowledgeable Mount Prospect, Illinois 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.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Mount Prospect

Mount Prospect is located in Cook County, Illinois. It is located about 20 miles northwest from downtown Chicago. Around 55,000 people call Mount Prospect home.

Some famous people who have lived in Mount Prospect include Ian Brennan, Lee DeWyze, Jennifer Morrison, and Brian Gregory.

Some of the top employers include Caremark Rx, Bosch Tools, MetLife, Cummins-Allison, Wal-Mart, Rauland-Borg, and the school district.

Being so near to Chicago, Glenview residents have the benefit of taking advantage of the strong legal force in Chicago. Chicago is home to many top law firms that train excellent attorneys to handle any and every legal matter.

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