Land Use & Zoning
Which government body in a typical Alabama municipality is responsible for hearing variance and special-use permit applications?
AThe City Council
BThe Zoning Board of Adjustment / Board of Zoning Appeals✓ Correct
CThe Planning Commission
DAREC
Explanation
In Alabama, Boards of Zoning Adjustment (or Boards of Zoning Appeals) hear applications for variances, special-use permits, and appeals of administrative zoning decisions. The City Council typically adopts zoning ordinances, and the Planning Commission advises on long-range planning.
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Key Terms to Know
Zoning
Local government regulations that control land use by dividing areas into zones specifying permitted uses, building sizes, and densities.
VarianceOfficial permission to use land in a way that does not conform to the applicable zoning ordinance, granted by a zoning board when strict enforcement would cause undue hardship.
Eminent DomainThe power of government to take private property for public use, with the requirement to pay the owner just compensation.
Adverse PossessionA doctrine by which a person can gain legal title to another's land by openly, continuously, and adversely occupying it for a statutory period.
Math Concepts
State-Specific Concepts
AREC Regulation
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