Property Research

Answering Land Use Questions

Call or e-mail the Planning & Development Department with questions about permitted land uses, zoning, subdivision, land use planning, or other land development issues. We'll answer as many questions as possible right away, but some questions might require extensive property research.

A question such as, "May I build a house on my property in the A-1 zone?" is not as easy to answer as it may sound. A minimum of 35 acres is generally required for a residential home to be built in the A-1 district; however, there are exceptions to this rule which require additional research to determine whether a parcel qualifies for residential development. To determine if a property meets an exception, complete and submit an Property Research application, which can be found on our Applications and Permits page.

Property research costs $30 per parcel, and takes up to a week to complete. To apply, complete and submit an Property Research application, which can be found on our Applications and Permits page.

We'll be happy to complete the research for you, but if you're in a hurry you might find it quicker to view the Land Development Regulations and use our research forms to find some of the information on your own.

LESA

Property research may require the calculation of a LESA score. LESA is a point system that evaluates a site’s suitability for agricultural use in relation to soil productivity and locational, economic, and governmental factors. A property's LESA score may determine if it qualifies for an exemption to the 35-acre minimum lot size required for dwellings in the A-1 Agricultural Zoning District and may be required to allow a rezoning to non-agricultural zoning district or for certain conditional use permits. More information on the LESA system, including a sample LESA worksheet used to calculate the score, can be found on our LESA Page