Purchasing or leasing a piece of commercial real estate is a significant investment for businesses. This may be the place where most of your business activities take place. It might be the headquarters that your employees work out of.
However, choosing a piece of commercial real estate isn’t just as simple as picking a spot and operating right away. In some cases, zoning restrictions may apply. Zoning restrictions are laws, generally put in place by local municipalities, that govern how land can be used in certain locations. Here’s how zoning laws could impact your business:
Restricting the purposes of a commercial building
In some cases, zoning laws may restrict the types of business activities that may be conducted within a certain geographic location. For example, the types of business activities conducted may be restricted to those that are in keeping with other businesses in the area. So, a manufacturing plant may not be permitted in an area that mainly has office buildings.
Regulating the activities of a business
Zoning laws can also regulate the daily activities of businesses. For example, you may only be permitted to have a car park that holds a certain number of vehicles. This restricts the number of visitors that you can have on a daily basis. Zoning laws may also regulate the noise levels in a specific area.
Before committing to a commercial real estate deal, it’s important to look into the zoning laws in the area. These laws can have a significant impact on your business operations. To reduce the risk of facing zoning restrictions, it will be beneficial to obtain as much legal information as possible.
