Saugus Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Saugus, MA

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Massachusetts

The laws that regulate how land can be used, and what structures can be built on individual pieces of land in Saugus, Massachusetts can sometimes be a bit convoluted. This article will not make its reader an expert, but should serve as a good introduction to the subject.

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

Local governments have several different reasons for enacting zoning laws, ranging from ensuring that residential areas are peaceful and quiet, to protecting property values. For example, 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 several legal disputes that would be inevitable if they were closer to a residential area.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Saugus, Massachusetts

If something on your property is in violation of a Saugus, Massachusetts zoning law, the landowner has many options.

First, and perhaps most evidently, you can correct the violation. If the violation is relatively minor, and correcting it would not cost you much or be a considerable 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 Saugus, Massachusetts'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. Typically, variances are granted when the violation is extremely minor, and, enforcing the letter of the zoning law would not do much to advance its broader purpose.

Additionally, 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 Saugus, Massachusetts 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 Saugus, Massachusetts 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 Saugus

Saugus, Massachusetts is a city in Essex County. It has a population of about 26,000 people, and is part of the greater Boston area.

Saugus was first settled by Europeans in 1629, during the main boom of colonization of New England. The settlers then founded the Saugus Iron works, which operated from 1646 to 1668, which was the first integrated Iron Works in North America. The original site of the iron works is now in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is now U.S. Highway 1 goes through Saugus, and was built in 1806, making it one of the first public roads in the U.S. With the advent of automobiles, this pre-existing road was widened, and during the early history of the automobile, Saugus was an important center for the early adopters of the technology.

Modernly, Saugus is somewhat of a suburb of Boston, but it has definitely retained its own distinct character and lifestyle, and has a quiet, small town feel to it. This means that people who prefer this lifestyle, but have a job in the larger city of Boston, or simply like to visit the city sometimes, can have the best of both worlds.

If you live in Saugus, Massachusetts, and are in need of legal counsel, you shouldn't have any trouble finding him or her. A Saugus, Massachusetts attorney can solve just about whatever legal issue you might face.

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