What is a Zoning Confirmation Letter?
A Zoning Confirmation Letter is a document provided by the Planning Department to verify the zoning of a particular piece of property, any building or code violations on the property, and permitted or conditional uses for the property. A Zoning Confirmation Letter can also confirm if the property is subject to a special permit, use permit, or planned unit development (PUD), and in the case of multifamily housing, whether the apartment license is current for each licensed building. (View a sample letter here)(PDF, 69KB)
How to Apply:
-
To apply for a Zoning Confirmation Letter, submit an application via the online application form and pay the nonrefundable application fee of $45.00 for daycare providers, and $90.00 for all other requests. An application is not considered complete until both the form and fee have been received.
Each application must include the following information:
We also accept VISA, Discover, MasterCard or American Express. If you wish to pay with a credit card, you may call the Planning Department at 402-441-7491.
How long will it take to receive a Zoning Confirmation Letter after completing an application?
The Planning Department strives to complete Zoning Confirmation Letters in less than two weeks, though several factors may delay this process. For any property in which the Building and Safety Department is currently handling a zoning violation, the City will not issue the letter until the violation(s) is corrected. If the violation(s) is not corrected, the application fee will not be refunded. For apartment complexes, the City will not issue the letter until all apartment licenses are current. If the license is not issued, the zoning confirmation application fee will not be refunded. Letters for day care providers often take less than a week as there are rarely issues to resolve.
How many letters do I need?
The application fee covers one letter per premises. One premises may include multiple contiguous lots and multiple apartment buildings. For requests with multiple locations to be confirmed, a separate fee is required for each premises, due to the additional staff time required to research additional properties. For example, if requests come in for an apartment complex of 12 buildings on two contiguous lots, only one fee will be required, even though each building may have a separate address. However, if a request comes in for 12 apartment buildings on multiple separate sites scattered throughout the City, a separate fee will be required for each address.
What is a legal description, and how do I find mine?
A legal description of a property is a written statement that details exactly which property is being referenced and is used in legal documents such as deeds to accurately identify a property for transfer or ownership or to prevent boundary disputes. Legal descriptions typically contain: lot number(s), subdivision name, and block number(s) if the subdivision was created with blocks, although legal descriptions can vary depending on when the property was platted. The legal description of a property or parcel may consist of more than one lot and may also include vacated portions of right of way such as streets or alleys. One way you can find the legal description of your property is by searching for your property on either the Lancaster County Assessor/Register of Deeds website, or the City of Lincoln – Lancaster County Development Viewer.