Ogden Zoning Attorney

Find the right Zoning Planning & Land Use attorney in Ogden, UT

Zoning Planning & Land Use Law in Utah

Ogden, Utah 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.

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

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.

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 many legal disputes that would be inevitable if they were closer to a residential area.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Ogden, Utah

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

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.

However, it isn't always practical or affordable to correct a minor violation of a zoning law. For example, 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 Ogden, Utah'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 particular provision of a zoning law to a single violation. These aren't always granted, but generally 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.

Also, if the zoning laws covering your property have changed, and some aspect of it is now violating the new rules, these changes can generally not be enforced against you, because it would be unfair to apply a new law retroactively.

What Can A Ogden, Utah 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 Ogden, Utah real estate attorney to help.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Ogden

Ogden is located in Weber County, Utah. It has a population of 82,825 people per the 2010 census. It is one of Utah's most important cities and in 2010, Forbes Magazine voted Ogden the sixth best place for families to settle in.

Ogden is known for its beautiful history and historic attractions. Such attractions include Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel, DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts, Historic 25th Street, Eccles Avenue Historic District, Jefferson Avenue Historic District, the Junction, Peery's Egyptial Theater, Union Station, Snowbasic and Treehouse Children's Museum. As is obvious, Ogden is a great place for families to visit; there is something for everyone!

The legal force is also present in Ogden via various small firms and law offices run by competent attorneys practicing in any and every legal area of practice. Therefore, Ogden residents do not have to travel far to take care of their legal needs.

Some famous people who have called Ogden home include Hal Ashby, Val A. Browning, Wataru Misaka, Gedde Watanabe, Tanoka Beard, Byron Scott, Colby Bockwoldt, and Brent Scowcroft.

Overall, Ogden is a wonderful place for people to visit and families to call home!

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