Land Use Labs has created classifications for types of nonresidential uses, which are collected in the “most common nonresidential use permitted” field used in our Zoning Districts and in our Zoning Use Maps. We ascertain the most common nonresidential use using our professional judgment after reviewing the name of the district, description of the district, and zoning use table.

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 farms (including marijuana production facilities), feed lots, animal processing, slaughterhouses, and related warehouse/storage; and excluding housing.   

  • This classification is used if the only industrial uses allowed are agricultural-industrial uses.

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

  • Districts with 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 manufacturing, industrial parks, open industrial uses, wholesale/distribution, warehouse/storage, car sales/service, Agricultural-Industrial uses, Mining/Extractive uses, Transportation uses, and Utility uses.

  • Light industrial uses are defined differently in different jurisdictions, but generally include less-intensive, less-noxious, and smaller-scale manufacturing uses and 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 categories.  

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

• Mining/Extractive (mining):  Heavy industrial uses associated with extractive activities, including mines, quarries, oil fields, related warehouse/storage facilities, and related processing facilities. 

  • This classification is used if the only industrial uses allowed are mining or extractive uses.

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

  • This classification is rarely chosen, though it is sometimes seen in rural areas with short zoning codes. 

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

• Mixed – Specified Commercial Uses (commercial):  Some combination of Cultural/Entertainment/ Tourist, light industrial (see definition above), Institutional/Government, Office, and Retail/Service, uses.  

  • This classification is used for those districts, including many downtown and mixed-use districts, allowing an array of uses. 

• Office (office):  Office and professional uses, including office buildings, office parks with minimal retail and no manufacturing facilities, and 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 and not government or academic institutions, including both laboratories and offices; excluding college/university facilities, which are logged as Institutional/Government. 

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

• Retail/Service (retail):  Uses exclusively serving consumer demand, including shops, salons, banks, tailors, marijuana dispensary/retail; and excluding districts only allowing car sales/service uses, which are logged as Industrial. 

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

• Transportation (transport):  Uses (sometimes considered industrial uses) related to all forms of transportation, including airports, marinas, ports, rail yards, transit facilities, and gas stations. 

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

  • This classification is used 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 power plants, incinerators, recycling, sewage treatment, telecommunications, solar, or wind facilities. 

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