Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)
Purpose
A Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is a body established to hear and decide appeals from decisions made by local zoning officials, primarily reviewing requests for variances from zoning ordinances when a property owner faces a unique hardship due to the existing regulations, allowing them to potentially build or use their property in a way that would otherwise not be permitted under the standard zoning rules; essentially acting as a mechanism to ensure fair and case-by-case application of zoning laws while balancing the interests of individual property owners with the community's overall welfare.