Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)
A zoning board of appeals is a municipal board empowered to hear and decide appeals and to grant variances under applicable zoning enabling statutes. Town Law §267 establishes the zoning board of appeals framework and defines core variance types.
- Where it applies
- New York State
- When it comes up
- Entitlement; appeals; variance relief
- Property types
- All (outside NYC; NYC uses BSA)
In practice
In many NYS municipalities, ZBA decisions and planning board decisions can be interdependent, creating sequencing risks (site plan vs variance vs SEQRA lead agency).
Read more in the Knowledge Base
Related terms
Zoning and Land Use
- Air Rights
- Area Variance
- As-of-right Development
- Authorization
- Base Height
- Base Plane
- Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA)
- Building Envelope
- Bulk
- Certification
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.