Land Use

Find out about the most significant environmental regulations to help protect and improve your city’s natural resources.

Learn about land use ordinances to establish zoning and subdivision regulations, and basics of city land acquisition.

Learn the procedures for incorporating, consolidating, and dissolving cities and the related procedures of concurrent annexation and detachment.

Learn the framework of municipal subdivision regulation, a basic building block in city land use and development plans.

Learn the basics of why and how cities engage in land use planning and regulation.

Learn the nature of a city’s decision-making authority and the legal standards associated with variances, conditional use permits, and nonconformities.

Keep your land use ordinances up to date in key areas to avoid land use problems and claims.

Explore how to create a written explanation of a land use decision to make defensible decisions.

Design a sign ordinance for your city that meets First Amendment requirements for protecting various forms of speech.

Learn about variances as a way cities may allow an exception to part of their zoning ordinance.