Renting an office space would seem, at first glance, to be a rather straightforward transaction. You find the office space for rent that you like, you sign a lease, you move your company into that office space, and life is good. However, you would be amazed how often a business owner signs a lease on a desirable office space for lease, only to find out their business cannot be conducted in that particular area.
It is such a simple procedure to check on the zoning; it’s a wonder why it isn’t done more often. A reputable real estate broker should know this information immediately, and should share it with clients immediately; still, problems have occurred in the past and, for sure, they will occur in the future.
We are Paddock Place Office Suites, serving the Greater Fort Worth area with affordable and conveniently located shared office space. Call us at 817-439-3224 for more information on coworking space.
All right let’s talk about zoning.
Office space and various types of zoning.
Get ready for a quick lesson in zoning categories. The main ones you need to be aware of are:
- Residential (primarily deals with housing i.e. single household, apartments, etc.)
- Commercial (places of business i.e. retail, office buildings, nightclubs, hotels)
- Industrial (manufacturing plants, warehouses, etc.)
- Agricultural (restricts development so the area remains mainly agricultural in nature)
- Rural (almost always found in farming and ranching communities.)
- Combination (zoning which allows a combination of any of the above)
Please note that the actual wording may vary from city to city and from state to state.
That all seems fairly obvious, and in 99% of the situations it is, but that last category, combination can be a bit tricky.
Let’s talk about office space which falls under the combination zoning.
What about if you have an office in your warehouse? What if you have a business in your residential home? What if you grow herbs, for sale, in your backyard? What zoning covers those situations?
That question cannot be answered in this article simply because different communities have different zoning laws and different interpretations of those classifications. That is why it is so important that you follow the advice in the next section.
Check zoning laws before leasing any office.
Again, this is incredibly easy to do. Simply call the local planning authority, give them the address of the office space in question, and ask them what zoning laws cover that address. If your business does not fall under the proper zoning, move on, because changing zoning is a job for the City Council, and you probably don’t want to go down that rabbit hole. And any business which falls under the combination zoning needs to be approved, in writing, by the authorities, just to keep things legal in case it is questioned at a later date.
A final word about Paddock Place Office Suites.
Paddock Place Office Suites is located in the Fort Worth Design District of North Fort Worth. This is coworking space at its best, office space rented by the months, starting at $550 per month, utilities included. Call us and arrange for a tour of this very affordable alternative to leasing office space.
