Special-use permit
Open-knowledge reference entry
A special-use permit, sometimes known variously as a special permit, special exception use permit, conditional use permit, or some other similar name, is a type of review for certain uses sometimes included within a local government's land use regulations.
Purpose
Land use is governed by a set of regulations generally known as ordinances or municipal codes, which are authorized by the state's zoning enabling law. Zoning ordinances typical list the types of districts and specify the uses permitted in each district. These are often known as permitted or by-right uses. Many ordinances also provided additional uses listed as special or conditional. To establish this type of use, a special-use permit (or conditional-use permit) must be obtained.
An example of a special-use permit may be found in a church applying for one to construct a church building in a residential neighborhood. Although the church building is not a residential building, the zoning law may allow for churches in the residential neighborhood if the local zoning authority may review the impact on the neighborhood. This process grants discretion to the local zoning authority to ensure that an acceptable land use does not disrupt the zoning scheme because of its particular location.
US Zoning Model Act
The Standard State Zoning Enabling Act allows special-use permits based upon a finding of compatibility with surrounding areas and with developments already permitted under the general provisions of the ordinance.
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This entry incorporates text from “Special-use permit” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.