Glossary
Zoning and land use terms, explained
The vocabulary of zoning and development, in plain English — what each term means, why it matters on a real project, and where it tends to cause trouble.
Buildable area
The portion of a lot where a structure can actually be placed once setbacks, easements, and site constraints are subtracted. It is usually much smaller than the lot itself.
Conditional use
A use that a zoning district allows only after a discretionary review and approval, rather than by right. The reviewing body can attach conditions or deny the request.
Development standards
The measurable requirements a zoning ordinance applies to development — setbacks, height, coverage, FAR, parking, landscaping, and lighting. They govern the form of a project rather than its use.
FAR (Floor Area Ratio)
The ratio of a building's total floor area to the area of the lot it sits on. FAR caps how much building a site can hold, independent of how tall or wide it is.
Lot coverage
The share of a lot covered by buildings or other structures, expressed as a percentage. It limits a building's footprint rather than its total floor area.
Nonconforming structure
A building that was lawful when built but no longer meets current dimensional standards — usually setbacks, height, or coverage. It may remain, but the rules on altering or rebuilding it are strict.
Nonconforming use
A land use that was lawful when it began but no longer conforms to current zoning. It may generally continue, but usually cannot be expanded, and is often lost if it stops for long enough.
Overlay district
A mapped layer of extra zoning rules that sits on top of the underlying base district without replacing it. Property in an overlay has to satisfy both sets of rules.
Setback
The minimum required distance between a building and a property line. Setbacks are measured from each lot line separately — front, rear, and side — and together they carve out the area of a lot you are actually allowed to build on.
Site plan review
The process a city uses to check a proposed development's layout against its zoning and development standards — building placement, parking, access, landscaping, drainage — before construction is approved.
Variance
Permission to depart from a specific zoning standard, granted only when strict application would create a hardship arising from the property itself. It is relief from a rule, not permission for a new use.
Zoning compliance
The state of a property or proposal satisfying every zoning requirement that applies to it — use, dimensions, parking, and any overlay standards — as verified against the city's adopted ordinance.
Zoning district
A mapped area of a city where one common set of rules governs what can be built and how the land can be used. Every parcel sits in one, and the district is the starting point for almost every zoning question.