What is a Zoning Ordinance?
A police power measure adopted by the local legislative body in which the community is divided into districts or zones for various classes of land use – such as agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial – for the purpose of regulating the use of private land. A map – depicting zoning district boundaries Provisions – prescribing for each district: o How land or buildings may be used o Minimum lot sizes and maximum height and bulk of buildings and other structures o Yard sizes, setbacks and other development standards governing placement of buildings and open space o Permissible density of population to ensure that the “impacts” of any given land use do not exceed acceptable levels. o Rules and procedures – for administering the zoning ordinance, processing zoning amendments, special uses, etc.
A Zoning Ordinance is a means to implement the Master Plan. The Zoning Ordinance divides a municipality into districts and sets forth regulations within those districts of the height and bulk of buildings, the area of a lot which may be occupied and the size of required open spaces, the density of population and the uses of buildings and land.
Based on the Code of Virginia (15.2-2280) a localitys zoning ordinance classifies the territory under its jurisdiction or any portion thereof into districts of such number, size and shape as it may deem best suited to carryout the purposes of this article and in each district may regulate, restrict, permit, and prohibit the following: i. Determine the use of land, buildings & structures and other premises for agricultural, business, industrial, residential, flood plain, and other specific uses; ii. Size, height, area, bulk, location, erecting, construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, maintenance, razing and removal of structures; iii. Areas and dimensions of land, water and air to be occupied by buildings, structures, and uses and courts, yards, and other open spaces to be left unoccupied by uses and structures,       including variations in the sizes of lots based on whether public water/sewer systems are available or used; iv. Excavation or mining of soil
A zoning ordinance is the formal codification of land use policies for a city, district, county, or other unit of government. The goal of a zoning ordinance is to establish permitted uses for land covered by the ordinance, and to distinguish between different types of uses which may be incompatible. In addition to defining specific types of land use, zoning ordinances also usually divide a region into “zones” where certain types of permitted use can occur, which explains the name. Historically, once people bought land, they were largely allowed to do whatever they wanted with it. Someone could build a house, install a tannery, start a factory, or utilize an area for farming. Over time, cities began to put building restrictions in place for the purpose of protecting public safety, and by the early 1900s, several cities had specifically created zoning ordinances to address varied types of land use. Within a zoning ordinance, the law usually distinguishes between residential, high density
A Zoning Ordinance is a set of laws and regulations, which are established to regulate and control the use of land and construction of improvements in a given area or zone. The primary objective of a Zoning Ordinance is to protect the public health, safety, comfort, and general welfare of the people; to protect the character and the stability of the residential, business, public open space, environment, manufacturing and other areas within the Village; to promote the orderly development in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan; and to decrease land use conflict by prohibiting uses, buildings, or structures incompatible with the character of development of intended uses within specified zoning districts.
