AEC definitions
Zoning is the local law that says what you may build on a parcel and how large it may be: use, height, setbacks, lot coverage, and parking. The building code says how the building must perform once that use and size are allowed. A zoning approval does not issue a building permit, and a building permit does not cure a zoning violation.
Definition
The zoning ordinance and map assign each parcel a district. Overlays add flood, historic, or coastal rules. If the project does not fit the district, the paths are a variance, a special or conditional use permit, or a rezoning, each with its own hearing. Designers draw a zoning envelope early so the building sits inside the legal volume. The site plan is the sheet the planner checks. Entitlement conditions become requirements on the permit set.
In depth
You can design a code-compliant building the zoning map does not allow. Entitlements belong before construction documents are finished, or the CD set will be redrawn.
Conditions of approval, such as a required public path or a limited use, should be printed on the site plan so they are not lost after the hearing.
Height is measured by the ordinance's method, not by the architect's usual datum. Setbacks may step with height. The zoning analysis should show the math the planner will use.
Easements are not setbacks. Both constrain the footprint. Show both.
The building-code occupancy and the zoning use have to be compatible, but they are different lists. A code Group B office can still violate an industrial zoning district.
A change of tenant can be a change of use under zoning even when the building code occupancy stays the same. Check before you lease.
Most ordinances require proof of a hardship tied to the land, not to the owner's preference.
Design the conforming scheme in parallel. Do not bet the schedule on a variance that has not been granted.
Examples
The site plan shows a 20 foot front setback and a height under the district maximum, with the measurement method noted.
A restaurant needs a conditional use in a district that allows retail by right. The hearing happens before the building permit.
A variance is denied. The floor plate is redrawn inside the setback.
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