Land Use Labs has created classifications for types of nonresidential uses, which are shown in the “most common nonresidential use permitted” field used in our Zoning Districts, Zoning Rasters, and other products. We ascertain the most common nonresidential use by extracting the name of the district, description of the district, and allowable uses from the zoning text, then using our professional judgment to assign a classification.

Here are the classifications we use (with abbreviations used in our products in parentheses):

• Agricultural-Industrial (agind):  Large-scale, commercial agricultural uses, whether indoors or outdoors, including any of the following: farms (including marijuana production facilities), feed lots, animal processing, slaughterhouses, and/or related warehouse/storage; and excluding housing.   

  • cThis classification is selected if the only industrial uses allowed are agricultural-industrial uses.

• Cultural/Entertainment/Tourist (culture):  Uses involving people gathering or recreating, including any of the following: restaurants, bars, nightclubs, performing arts centers, concert venues, sports stadiums, hotels/motels, commercialized boardwalks, large amusement parks, water-activity parks, breweries/distilleries/wineries open to the public, and/or adult uses.  

  • Districts with both Cultural/Entertainment/Tourist uses and Retail/Service uses (such as shops and salons) are logged as Mixed – Specified Commercial Uses. 

  • Districts primarily providing low-impact recreational opportunities on open space, beaches, or fields are logged as Open Space/Light Recreation.

• Industrial (industrial):  Heavy and light industrial uses, including any of the following: manufacturing, industrial parks, open industrial uses, wholesale/distribution, warehouse/storage, and/or car sales/service; and/or any two or more of the following: Agricultural-Industrial uses, Mining/Extractive uses, Transportation uses, and/or Utility uses.

  • Light industrial uses are defined differently in different jurisdictions, but generally include small-scale manufacturing uses and/or small-scale wholesale/distribution facilities, where the products and activities are intended to serve consumers as opposed to serving other industrial entities. 

  • Districts only allowing (respectively) agricultural-industrial, mining/extractive, transportation, or utility uses are logged in their respective classifications.  

• Institutional/Government (gov):  Uses operated by large institutions, whether public or private, including any of the following: colleges, universities, government facilities, military facilities, hospitals and other institutions of care, assisted living facilities and other institutional residential settings, correctional facilities, schools, and/or private clubs not open to the public. 

• Mining/Extractive (mining):  Heavy industrial activities that aim to extract rocks, minerals, gases, oils, and other natural resources from the ground, including any of the following: mines, quarries, gas fields, oil fields, fracking fields, and/or pits, whether above-ground, below-ground, or underwater; along with related warehouse/storage facilities and/or related processing facilities. 

  • This classification is selected if the only industrial uses allowed are mining and/or extractive uses.

• Mixed – Any/All Nonresidential (general):  A catch-all classification that by definition encompasses all nonresidential uses.  

  • This classification is rarely selected, though it is sometimes seen in rural areas with short zoning codes that allow “all uses” or “all other uses.” 

• Mixed – Industrial-Commercial Uses (indcom):  Some combination of both Industrial (either heavy industrial alone, or heavy and light industrial) and one or more commercial uses. 

• Mixed – Specified Commercial Uses (commercial):  Two or more of the following classifications: Cultural/Entertainment/ Tourist, light industrial (one specified type of Industrial use, defined above), Institutional/Government, Office, and/or Retail/Service.  

  • This classification is selected for many downtown and mixed-use districts that allow an array of uses. 

• Office (office):  Office and professional uses, including one or more of the following? office buildings, office parks with minimal retail and no manufacturing facilities, and/or small-scale medical offices; excluding hospital office buildings and college/university office buildings, which are logged as Institutional/Government.

  • Districts only allowing research/tech-related offices are logged as Research/Tech.

• Open Space/Light Recreation (protected):  A variety of uses involving no or minimal disturbance to land or providing passive and some low-impact active recreation, including conservation land, floodplains, wetlands, parks, campgrounds, trails, nature centers, sports fields with minimal associated infrastructure, beaches, recreational vehicle (RV) parks not used for full-time residency, community gardens, farmers’ markets, and small urban farms; excluding stadiums (or other sports facilities with significant buildings or structures), commercialized boardwalks, and large amusement or water-activity parks, which are logged as Cultural/Entertainment/Tourist. 

• Research/Tech (tech):  Uses related to research and technology, associated primarily with private companies, including laboratories and/or offices; excluding government and college/university research and tech facilities, which are logged as Institutional/Government. 

  • This classification is selected if the only office uses allowed are research- or tech-related uses. 

• Retail/Service (retail):  Uses exclusively serving consumer demand for goods and services, including one or more of the following: retail stores, grocery stores, salons, banks, tailors, dry cleaners and/or marijuana dispensary/retail; and excluding districts only allowing car sales/service uses, which are logged as Industrial. 

  • Districts with both Retail/Service uses and Cultural/Entertainment/Tourist uses (such as restaurants) are logged as Mixed – Specified Commercial Uses. 

• Transportation (transport):  Uses primarily related to all forms of transportation, including one or more of the following: airports, marinas, ports, rail yards, transit facilities, vehicle charging stations, and gas stations; along with related warehouse/storage facilities and/or related processing facilities. 

  • Districts allowing both marinas and Retail/Service or restaurant uses are logged as Cultural/Entertainment/Tourist. 

  • This classification is selected if the only industrial uses allowed are transportation-related uses. 

• Utilities (utility):  Heavy industrial uses associated with utility-company or public-service-company activities, including any of the following: power plants, incinerators, recycling, sewage treatment, battery storage, telecommunications, transmission facilities, solar facilities, and/or wind facilities; along with related warehouse/storage facilities and/or related processing facilities. 

  • This classification is selected if the only industrial uses allowed are utility uses.