Zoning

A zoning ordinance assigns every parcel in a jurisdiction to a district — agricultural, residential, commercial, and many finer shades — and sets the uses allowed there, minimum lot sizes, setbacks from property lines, and limits on height and density. The city or county that adopts it is the authority on what it means.

Not all land is zoned. Some rural counties, especially in Texas and parts of the South and West, have little or no zoning outside city limits, though subdivision, septic, and floodplain rules still apply.

Why it matters

Zoning decides whether your plan is allowed at all: a second home, a barn, a few rental cabins, a business. Check the district against the current ordinance text, not only the label, and ask the planning office about anything unusual. Look the parcel up by its parcel number to be sure you are reading the right one.