Pottstown Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Pottstown, PA

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Pennsylvania

Pottstown, Pennsylvania 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.

"Zoning" is the process by which a local government makes laws determining how individual pieces of land within its jurisdiction can be used. Usually, towns or cities are segmented off into "zones," each one being designated for a specific type of use. Examples of typical zoning categories are single family residence, commercial, multi-unit housing, or industrial.

The purpose of zoning is to preserve property values, and make towns and cities more livable. For instance, without zoning laws, a company might be able to purchase a vacant lot next to your house and build a noisy, smelly, dirty factory on it.

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 Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Zoning laws are often quite extensive and meticulous, and it's very possible that your property in Pottstown, Pennsylvania contains some minor zoning violation that you don't know about. If this happens to you, you have significant legal protections.

Initially, and perhaps most obviously, you can correct the violation. If the violation is comparatively minor, and correcting it would not cost you much or be a significant burden, this might be the best way to go.

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 Pottstown, Pennsylvania's zoning laws to the letter would not, in this case, advance their purposes.

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. Generally, 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 Pottstown, Pennsylvania Attorney Do?

If you want to make improvements to your property, apply for a variance, or contest a zoning regulation as being applied to you retroactively, you have a right to do so, including some constitutional protections. However, your chances of prevailing in a zoning dispute will be markedly improved if you hire an experienced Pottstown, Pennsylvania real estate attorney to help.

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Life in Pottstown

Pottstown is a Montgomery County, Pennsylvania borough that is located just 40 miles from Philadelphia and 20 miles from Reading. The area was planned in 1752 and named for the founder, John Potts. Originally dubbed Pottsgrove, the boundaries of Pottstown were extended and it was renamed. Today, Pottstown is the epicenter of one of the most productive farming and dairy regions in the State of Pennsylvania. Pottstown was once interested in iron and steel mills, machine shops, and other manufacturing plants of textiles and goods such as bricks, hosiery, silks, shirts, nails, and furnaces. The borough rests on a total of 4.9 square miles but plays host to 21,900 residents. Pottstown is governed in a city manager form with a mayor and seven-member borough council. The residents are reasonably diverse both ethnically and economically. Most households utilize the transportation and education systems offered by Pottstown, Montgomery County, and Pennsylvania.

Pottstown Area Rapid Transit Inc. offers low cost public transportation throughout Pottstown and surrounding communities. Pottstown also offers two small airports and a passenger rail service called SEPTA. There's lots of options when it comes to schools in Pottstown. Pottstown residents, depending on where they live, are sent to the Pottstown School District, Pottsgrove School District, and Owen J. Roberts School District. There are also nine private institutions, both grammar school and high school, serving the area too. The Montgomery County Community college is the only institution of higher learning. A number of lawyers also live in Pottstown Borough. Pottstown lawyers can help you navigate any legal questions you may have and are well acquainted with the local court systems and procedures.

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