Building Within Legal Boundaries
Zoning codes govern what kind of structures can be built on a plot, and how far those structures must be set back from the street or property lines. Codes also govern how high a building can be in a particular area. To maximize profits, builders have been known to ignore zoning maps and build homes too close to neighboring properties. This leads to costly legal entanglements with neighbors or local governments when it is discovered that a portion of a home was built on land the homeowners didn’t have the right to use. Typically, builders who violate the zoning code did not receive the proper permits prior to starting construction, or they did not build in accordance with the permits that they did receive. This kind of rogue construction is negligent and illegal. These violations can be incredibly difficult to fix, because you can’t just move a home a few inches or take a few feet off of the top. In the worst-case scenario, code violations can result in perfectly sound homes being torn down and rebuilt at great expense. If your home has been built in violation of zoning codes, you should not be on the hook for the cost of remediating your builder’s negligence.