I can not cover every
county so I have decided to pick one county to illustrate the nuances related
to zoning issues. These can be very important if you are buying rural,
undeveloped land. For instance, you might buy a tract of land for recreational
purposes with the intent to subdivide the property later on. As an example,
let’s look at Meriwether County, Georgia. Regulation and Ordinances are
monitored and enforced through the department of Planning and Zoning. There are
several zoning classifications in the county:
R-1 (Residential)
– minimum of 1 acre, requires public water
RD
(Residential) – minimum of 2 acres, must have 200 feet of frontage
LDR(Low
Density Residential)- minimum of 5 acres, must have 200 feet of frontage
RR(Rural
Residential)- minimum of 10 acres, must have 275 feet of frontage
A-1
(Agricultural)- minimum 25 acres, must have 350 feet of frontage
As you can see, there are
requirements related to minimum tract size and amount of road frontage needed
for each classification. If you bought 30 acres that was zoned ‘agriculture’
for the purpose of splitting into 2 tracts, you could run into zoning issues
because there is a 25 acre minimum. Most
counties allow you apply for a zoning variance. These take time and can cost a
few dollars.
If the county is very
populated and has large cities, the zoning issues become a lot more cumbersome
and restrictive. For instances, Troup County which contains Lagrange has more
restrictions than Meriwether County. Troup County zoning regulations have 11
different zoning classifications for
residents. They even have requirements related to minimum square footage.
The take away point, go
into the transaction with your eyes wide open and be sure and use a Realtor who
is knowledgeable about land use issues and zoning!
What about Harris and Muscogee County?
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