Real Estate Analysis: Environments and Activities: Real Property Regulations

Monday, April 16, 2012

Real Property Regulations

Building Codes and Subdivision Regulations

Cesar Garcia

Building codes and subdivision regulations are crucial to be implemented in our homes, offices, schools, stores, factories, or places of entertainment. Safety must be assured to protect the public from any disasters due to fire or structural collapse. These subdivisions regulations and building codes provide minimum construction and subdivision development standards. Without these building codes being enforced many disasters could occur.

In early America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson encouraged the development of building regulations to provide for minimum standard that would ensure health and safety. Since then regulations and codes have been set throughout the United States each varying from state to state. Regulations vary from coverage from fire, and structural safety to health, security, and conservation of energy. In order for the codes to be effective the understanding and cooperating relationship between building officials and the groups they serve.

Building codes must be responsive to the government’s need to protect the public.

A subdivision is the division of a parcel of land into number of lots, blocks or sites as specified in local ordinances, law, rule of regulation, with or without streets or highways, for the purpose of sale, transfer of ownership, or development. A subdivision occurs whenever any parcel of land is made into two or more parcels. This could include a tract of land that is 200 acres split into two 100 acres, or four 50 acre parcels, or one 200 acre parcel. One historical purpose of creating subdivision regulations was to maintain better records of land ownership and property boundaries. By using subdivision units of land were easier to define.

Nowadays subdivision regulations are still used for the same purpose; they are also used to help insure that newly developed land is properly developed with adequate access to public utilities and facilities. Once the land is developed and constructed, the government becomes responsible for maintain the public infrastructure. Local government can influence the overall character of the subdivided land. For example, if a community doesn’t want to sprawl, they may set maximum lot sizes or regulations regarding building character within their subdivision control ordinance. Building codes are implemented in every state and are enforced differently depending on the conditions that take place in the area. For example building in Los Angeles, buildings are to withstand earthquakes because this is an area where these natural disasters occur. In New Orleans building codes will focus more on withstanding hurricanes and flooding occurrences, rather than for withstanding earthquakes. Every area has their building code standards which are enforced to ensure the safety of the public.

In conclusion building codes and subdivision regulations are important to assure the construction of buildings is safe for people to inhabit. These building codes ensure the minimum construction standards or requirements. Building codes require construction techniques and materials to prevent fire and building collapses. Subdivision regulations require minimum standards in subdivision design and construction. These are important real property regulations that affect every living person because without these disasters could occur.