Cities and villages in Ohio have the power of self-governing because this is a home rule state. One effect of this is that each local government has the ability to set zoning regulations as it sees fit. The exception to this is that townships and counties don’t have this ability and must follow state statutes. Because of the variations present in the state, people who are considering investing in real estate must ensure they can use the parcel for the intended purpose.
There are different types of zoning laws that might occur in this state. Typically, the zoning for a specific parcel will note if it can be used for residential, commercial or industrial purposes. Within these are subzones that dictate more about the type of use that’s allowable. For example, a residential zone might be sub-zoned for only a single-family unit or for a multifamily unit.
When your intended use of the property matches something allowable by the current zone, it is a permitted use. You don’t have to seek out approval for your usage. If this isn’t the case, you may need to seek a variance if there isn’t already a nonconforming use allowance on the property that extends to you.
Some properties are mixed use, which means they are approved for more than one purpose. An example of this is when there is a business on a lower floor and apartments on the upper floor of a building.
The zoning and land use requirements are important to consider when you purchase a property. You don’t need to buy real estate only to find out that you can’t use.