Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
10 Oct 2005 06:05 PDT
Andy,
The planning process is very much a local process here in the US, but
there are certainly similarities across the country, as well.
In a few rural areas, there may be very minimal planning requirements.
But in most populated jurisdictions, a permit (or permits!) is
generally needed to construct any sort of substantial structure,
especially if it is to be inhabited (as opposed to, say, a storage
shed).
A formal set of plans must be approved, and the contruction itself
inspected at several stages for code compliance for the electrical,
plumbing, structural, etc.
Most jurisdictions have land-use restrictions -- residential-only
construction, or height restrictions, and so on.
Many locations use a variance system, where builders can apply for a
variance to the above restrictions to, say, build a 4-story building
in a zone normally restricted to 3-stories. The variances can indeed
become very political, especially if opposed by the local community.
The most stringent -- and perhaps most political -- of all zones are
specialized districts, like historical preservation districts, where
there are many additional steps to the approval process before an
existing historical structure can be modified.
The approvals and permits can easily take six months, or much longer.
That's the overview in a nutshell. What sort of additional info do
you need to make for a complete answer to your question?
Let us know.
pafalafa-ga
