Land use that predates the current zoning ordinance and violates the current zoning ordinance is known as?

• A. Nonconforming use
• B. Variance
• C. Special-use permit
• D. Conditional use

Answer: (A)

A nonconforming use formed when a land use existed before the current zoning rules and continues even though it doesn’t meet those rules. Because it predates the ordinance, the use is allowed to continue but typically with limits—such as not expanding the building or increasing the intensity of the use, and potentially losing the status if the use is abandoned or the structure is destroyed and rebuilt under new standards. Variances, special-use permits, and conditional uses, by contrast, involve permissions to deviate from or authorize specific uses under conditions, not grandfathered uses that already existed before the current zoning.