Building a business location is part of the American dream. Following this process allows you to create the exact working space you want in the style you prefer. But before you start thinking about paint colors, hiring a general contractor, and designing blueprints, you should understand the permitting process. Below, BHI General Contracting, a construction company in Cincinnati, OH, explains some important distinctions between building and zoning permits to help you grasp these concepts.

Zoning & Building Permits Are Distinct in These 3 Ways

1. Purpose

When you file a zoning permit, you intend to change the way a land can legally be used. For example, you may want to turn a piece of raw land into a commercial zone so you can start a dentist practice. Building permits, on the other hand, are applications to create a regulation-specific structure. These documents only discriminate between commercial and residential structures in their occupancy regulations.

2. Safety Standards

Zoning permits do not speculate on the safety of the land in question. Instead, they denote what the area can be used for. Building permits, however, deal with the structural integrity and occupation potential for buildings. Many general contractors apply for both licenses at the same time to go through legal processing within the property municipality. Some cities do not require additional zoning permits, as these are included with the building permit. Defer to your local government on this query.

3. Automobile Interactions

How and where you want to use vehicles on the property will affect the zoning. If you are creating a business, the zoning will include rules about how many parking spaces your general contractor must create and how people will access the property. The building permit, on the other hand, will not stipulate this factor. Instead, it will include rules on garage height and safety measures to ensure parking structures are up to code.

Business owners looking to create commercial spaces will have the help of knowledgeable general contractors in the building and zoning permit process. To work with the friendly experts at BHI General Contracting, call (513) 330-5686. Visit the website to learn about their impressive projects from tenant finished pizza joints to ground-up strip mall centers, restaurants, and medical practices. The team offers high-quality, on-budget builds that fit their promised timelines.