Land Use & Zoning
What is the legal doctrine that protects a property owner's right to continue a use that was lawful when established but no longer conforms to current zoning?
AVested rights doctrine
BNonconforming use doctrine✓ Correct
CPrior appropriation doctrine
DEstoppel doctrine
Explanation
The nonconforming use doctrine protects property owners who established a use lawfully before a zoning change by allowing them to continue the use, subject to restrictions on expansion and rebuilding after major destruction.
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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.
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.
Right of First RefusalA contractual right giving a party the opportunity to match any offer received before the owner can accept it from a third party.
Joint TenancyCo-ownership where two or more people hold equal, undivided interests with the right of survivorship — when one owner dies, their share passes to the surviving owners.
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