What zoning reviews
Planning and zoning applies the local ordinance to your parcel.
- Permitted use for the district the parcel sits in.
- Setbacks from front, side, and rear property lines.
- Height limits and lot coverage or impervious surface limits.
- Parking, landscaping, and screening requirements.
- Overlay districts such as historic, shoreline, floodplain, or corridor standards.
What the building department reviews
Building review applies the adopted construction codes: structural adequacy, egress, fire separation, energy compliance, accessibility where applicable, and the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing codes. It does not decide whether the use is allowed.
Which comes first
In most authorities, zoning clearance precedes acceptance of the building permit application, and intake staff will refuse a packet without it. Filing for a building permit on a parcel that has not cleared zoning is one of the most common reasons an application is returned unreviewed.
When zoning says no
A zoning denial is not always the end. Depending on the ordinance, the paths forward include a variance from the zoning board of appeals, a special or conditional use permit, a site plan approval before the planning commission, or a redesign that complies by right. Each of the discretionary paths involves a public hearing, published notice, and a calendar measured in weeks or months, which is why they belong in the schedule from the start.
Other approvals that sit alongside both
Depending on the site, you may also need health department approval for a well or septic system, a driveway or right-of-way permit, a soil erosion permit, a floodplain determination, or a utility connection approval. These are separate applications with their own timelines.