Round Rock Zoning Attorney

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

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Texas

Round Rock, Texas has laws which control 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 frequent issues that homeowners might face, though it is not meant to turn a layperson into an expert.

Municipal governments which practice zoning usually follow a similar scheme: the town or city is divided up into "zones," or areas in which particular types of use are permitted. For instance, the downtown area might be zoned for commercial and office use, and perhaps for large, multi-unit apartment buildings. The surrounding areas will usually be zoned for residential and small-scale commercial use, and the outskirts zoned for manufacturing and other heavy industry.

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 construct 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 Round Rock, Texas

You have quite a few options if you find that a planned or prevailing use of your property breaks Round Rock, Texas'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.

However, it isn't always practical or affordable to correct a minor violation of a zoning law. For instance, suppose you have just spent a large amount of money and effort remodeling a house to turn it into your dream home. You thought you were in total compliance with local zoning laws when you did this, but find out that there is some small, technical violation of Round Rock, Texas's zoning laws. In these cases, you have recourse in the form of a variance. You are entitled to petition the local zoning board to grant you a variance, which is an official decision not to apply a certain provision of a zoning law to a single violation. These aren't always granted, but typically have to be granted if the violation doesn't interfere with anyone else's use of their property, and doesn't thwart the purposes of local zoning laws.

Additionally, zoning ordinances cannot be applied against you retroactively. For instance, 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 reside 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 Round Rock, Texas 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 Round Rock, Texas 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 Round Rock

Round Rock, Texas is a city located in Travis and Williamson Counties. Its population, as of a 2009 Census estimate, is about 100,000. This is up from 60,000 counted in the 2000 Census, making it an extremely fast-growing city.

In 2008, Round Rock was named by Money Magazine as one of the best small cities in the U.S. to live. It placed seventh, overall, out of hundreds of U.S. cities of comparable size. This is largely based on Round Rock's high average income, and explosive job growth. Round Rock also boasts some of the best public education in the state of Texas. Round Rock is the national headquarters of Dell Computer, which employs about 16,000 people in its local facilities.

Round Rock has made it through the recent recession much better than the average American city, thanks to its highly diversified economy.

This means that there is a thriving and diverse legal community in Round Rock. If you need a Round Rock, Texas lawyer, chances are good that you'll be able to find one. Whatever legal issue you may face, now or in the future, there's probably a Round Rock, Texas lawyer who can help.

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