Zoning is the control of the use of land and the buildings on that land by government authority, where land is divided into mapped zones within which the use, form and design of property development is permitted and regulated. Zoning segregates uses that are deemed incompatible by the regulating authority and is used to prevent new development from interfering with existing uses and/or to preserve the character of a community. Zoning divides land in municipal areas into residential, commercial, and industrial districts (zones) in order to keep them separate from one another.
Real estate entitlements comprise the approvals, permits and consents from governing and regulatory bodies for the right to develop property for a particular use, including zoning and zoning variances, rezoning, road approvals, land-use permits, building permits, utility approvals and landscaping approvals. It involves gaining control over a site. Since the value of land is a function of the purpose and intensity of use to which it can be put, the value of the land increases once the site becomes entitled.
