The Industry’s Most Accurate and Comprehensive Data
After analyzing 1.35+ million pages of zoning text across 90+ million parcels, Land Use Labs has the expertise needed to catch what other data providers miss.
Our products are built from three fundamental components.
Generating Jurisdictions, Zoning Districts and Zoning Slices in a consistent manner using a rigorous methodology has enabled us to capture with unprecedented precision how zoning actually works across the United States — use by use, lot by lot, structure by structure.
Jurisdictions
Before we started our work, no one knew how many jurisdictions could exercise zoning in the U.S.
Our team created the first and only comprehensive dataset identifying all 33,000+ jurisdictions with zoning authority — complete with their geographic boundaries, population and housing unit counts, and land cover statistics. Our analysts locate and analyze the rules for each jurisdiction, one by one.
If you're looking for comparisons of zoning across geographies, including summary stats of zoning regulations in tabular format at the scale of the jurisdiction (and several other geographic scales), you might want our Zoning Tables.
Zoning Districts
For any given jurisdiction, our analysis focuses on identifying and analyzing zoning districts: defined regulated areas within (and sometimes outside) the city, town, county, or other type of jurisdiction administering the zoning code.
We find these districts by painstakingly reviewing the full zoning code: both text and map. Our team digitizes and spatially aligns district boundaries, and encodes regulatory attributes specifying use, lot, and structure requirements into our structured data schema. Throughout, we use a standardized methodology designed to translate complex local regulations and maps into consistent, comparable outputs.
If you need zoning data to conduct regulatory analysis or do certain types of due diligence, Zoning Districts (our premium product) may be what you're looking for.
Zoning Slices
Comparing zoning rules across jurisdictions would be straightforward if districts never overlapped. But they do. Many zoning codes layer base districts and overlay districts on top of one another, so two or more sets of regulations can apply to the same piece of land at once. Ignoring that complexity doesn't simplify analysis. It undermines it.
Zoning Slices are Land Use Labs’s solution to this problem. A Slice is the unique geometric combination of base and overlay districts that reflect how zoning rules actually operate. Our Zoning Slices product applies our tested processes to show regulatory outcomes. The output appears like a stained-glass mosaic, where each Slice represents a distinct set of zoning rules that apply to the underlying land.
If you need zoning data to calculate area statistics, run comparative analyses, or conduct scenario planning, Zoning Slices are what you're looking for.
Our motivation, like yours, is knowledge: we started collecting zoning data to inform the public and support reform — and that’s still our goal. So for us, there are no shortcuts.
We’re committed to accurate information, analyzed and delivered with integrity. Every data point is collected following these three principles.
1. Direct Code Sourcing.
Our analysis is rooted in official zoning codes - the texts and maps published by local jurisdictions. We don’t draw from assessors’ maps, third-party aggregated data, or other unreliable, unofficial sources.
2. Interpretation by Human Experts.
Our dataset is created, verified, and updated by human experts, not AI. Every entry undergoes a multi-step review process by team members with expertise spanning law, geography, planning, and data science.
3. Regular Update Cycles.
Recognizing the value of refreshed zoning data, we continuously monitor, track, and input updates, and we regularly conduct full-state and full-metro area review.
Most prominent zoning providers sacrifice quality. This results in broken, overlapping boundaries and unreliable data.
Our data is triple vetted, ensuring accurate representation of land use. With constant review and data quality checks, our data is ready to fit your needs.
We don’t settle for data slop. Neither should you.
We’re award-winning researchers who can spot data slop a mile away. Check out the “Land Allocation Breakdown” published by Zoneomics. It says only 11.5% of Los Angeles permits residential development. Wait, what? According to our analysis, the city allows people to live on nearly 90% of its zoned land.
We know we’re right because we put in the work analyzing every word in the Los Angeles zoning code. We mapped every district, and we generated Zoning Slices that calculated regulatory truth. We didn’t sit back and ask AI to guess, or generate made-up pie charts.
Check out our products to see what sets our data apart.
