Arlington Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Arlington, TX

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Texas

Arlington, 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.

Local governments will usually 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."

Zoning serves several different purposes - but it its main one is to increase or preserve property values by ensuring that conflicting uses don't result in legal disputes. Obviously, if you bought a house in a residential neighborhood, and your neighbor could simply convert his property into a steel mill, your property's value as a residential lot would decrease significantly.

Zoning laws generally acknowledge the necessities of things like factories, sewage treatment plants, and stockyards, but recognize that such activities shouldn't be conducted in residential areas.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Arlington, Texas

Suppose you find that some condition on your land is in violation of Arlington, Texas's zoning laws. In cases like this, you have quite a few options.

The most obvious solution is to correct the problem, so your property is no longer in violation of local zoning laws. If the violation is minor, and correcting it would not be very costly, this is likely the best way to go.

What if, however, you've invested a significant amount of time and money into making an improvement on your property, only to find that it violates your local zoning laws in some minor way? In this case, you can apply for a variance. This is essentially 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 Arlington, Texas's zoning laws, a variance will usually be granted.

You are also protected if your land is currently in full 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 used 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 Arlington, Texas Attorney Do?

If you are in the early stages of a major construction or remodeling project on your property, especially if it is in a residential area (where zoning laws tend to be most restrictive), you are likely to encounter one zoning law issue or another. Of course, having read this article, you should now be aware that you have rights when it comes to contesting a zoning law as applied to you. While such contests do not always come out on the side of the landowner, the assistance of a good Arlington, Texas real estate attorney will greatly improve one's chances.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Arlington

You'd have to agree with TV show "King of the Hill" when they assert that Arlington, Texas may be heaven. Arlington boomed in Post World War II era nearly doubling its size in one year. The suburbs of downtown Arlington grew so quickly it became known as one of America's Bloomburbs. Today the population is well over 400,000 Arlington residents who enjoy the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys as hometown teams. Arlington also hosted the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. In addition to professional sports, the local colleges and universities in Arlington offer entertainment and tourist attractions. The University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant County College, and Arlington Baptist College all operate campuses in Arlington. Six Flags Over Texas is a nationwide attraction for theme park enthusiasts. It's the original Six Flags Theme Park and was also the first park to offer a mine train coaster, log flume splash ride, and the first free fall (cliff hanger) ride. Six Flags Over Texas has some of the most extreme rides around too. The Titan rollercoaster is the tallest and fastest amusement rides in the state of Texas at 245 feet high and with an 85 mph top speed. Spring Break Out, the Best of Texas Festival, and Fright Fest are a few of Arlington's annual festivals with parades.

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