Field Guide to Zoning Laws & Ordinances
(Updated January 2011)
Zoning laws are found in virtually every municipality in the United States, affecting land use, lot size, building heights, density, setbacks, and other aspects of property use. This page features links to articles, books, and websites that will provide you with information on the concept of zoning, zoning's impacts on property values, and related topics. (F. Heller, Manager, Virtual Library & Archives)
Zoning Basics
Zoning 101, (Zoning Matters, 2001).
What about Zoning Restrictions? Current and future zoning designations should be a prime consideration for land buyers, regardless of whether the land will be developed immediately or held as an investment, (Real Estate 101 - REALTOR.COM).
Zoning, (Wikipedia).
Zoning Law FAQs, (FreeAdvice.com).
Understanding zoning ordinances, (Public Management, Nov. 1999). Q
Impacts of Zoning
Hot Property: How Houston gets along without zoning, (BusinessWeek, Oct. 1, 2007).
Unintentional redlining? Zoning ordinances and the living wage, (Real Estate Issues, Fall 2007). Q
In a city that can't plan, neighborhoods bear the brunt, (Philadelphia Business Journal, June 29, 2007).
Off limits: Zoning is one of the most powerful tools that municipalities wield to control where homes get built..., (Builder, Jan. 2005). Q
Cost and benefit of land use regulations: A theoretical survey, (Journal of Real Estate Literature, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2003). Q
The impact of zoning on housing affordability, (Federal Reserve Bank of New York - Economic Policy Review, June 2003).
The price of zoning, (ORER Letter, Summer 1991).
The economic theory of zoning: A critical review, (Land Economics, Aug. 1990). Q
Zoning Boards & Legal Issues
How to cope with zoning boards, (SmartMoney).
How to research local zoning laws, (eHow.com).
Buyer Beware: Today's distressed market puts a premium on due diligence, (CIRE Magazine, May-June 2009).
Comments on the probability of rezoning, (Real Estate Issues, Fall 2007). Q
Overcoming zoning opposition, (Commercial Investment Real Estate Journal, Jan./Feb. 2002).
The appraiser's role in zoning litigation, (Appraisal Journal, July 1998). Q
The ABCs of zoning: Preparing for municipal planning and zoning commission hearings, (Commercial Investment Real Estate Journal, Summer 1995).
Zoning Reform
The evolution of zoning since the 1980s: The persistence of localism, (Dartmouth College Department of Economics, 2010).
Form-based codes, (NAR Growth Management Fact Book, 2008).
SmartCode, (Planning Wiki).
Form-based code, (Planning Wiki).
Saving the world through zoning, (Planning, Jan. 2008). Q
'Form-based' zoning appears to take shape, (Houston Business Journal, Apr. 27, 2007).
Smart codes, smart places: What do you do when your development codes won't let you build or maintain the kind of town you want? You make new rules, (On Common Ground, Summer 2004).
Modernization of zoning: A means to reform, (Appraisal Journal, Apr. 2002). Q
Useful Websites
MuniCode.com Online Library, (Municipal Code Corporation). - Directory of zoning and other municipal ordinance codes for many U.S. towns, cities, and counties.
Zoning Maps for 50 most populated cities/metro areas in the US, (Crenex.com).
eBooks & Other Resources
eBooks.realtor.org
The following ebooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:
The Complete Guide to Zoning: How Real Estate Owners and Developers Can Create and Preserve Property Value (Adobe eReader)
Books, Videos, Research Reports & More
The resources below are available for loan through Information Central. Up to three books, tapes, CDs and/or DVDs can be borrowed for 30 days from the Library for a nominal fee of $10. Call Information Central at 800.874.6500 for assistance.
Zoning reform through form-based codes, (National Association of REALTORS®, 2003). VIDEO VT425
The citizen's guide to zoning, (American Planning Association, 1983). NAC 765 Sm4
Do municipal zoning ordinances really influence property values? A literature review and suggested research design, (Southern Methodist University, Jan. 1987).
A survey of zoning definitions, (American Planning Association, Dec. 1989). NAC 765 Am3s
Field Guides & More
These Field Guides and other resources in the Virtual Library may also be of interest:
Field Guide to Inclusionary Zoning
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The inclusion of links on this Field Guide does not imply endorsement by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR makes no representations about whether the content of any external sites which may be linked to this Field Guide complies with state or federal laws or regulations or with applicable NAR policies. These links are provided for your convenience only and you rely on them at your own risk.
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