Amanda Howard, Esq.
If you’re thinking about starting your healthcare practice from the ground up or purchasing an established practice and its real estate, zoning and use issues should be on your mind. It’s critical to understand what activities are allowed to be done, and perhaps more importantly, what activities are NOT allowed to be done on your soon-to-be property and the restrictions your building may be subject to. To figure these things out, you can research appropriate building codes and zoning information on your county’s property appraiser website and use interactive maps or obtain a zoning report or request a letter from your local planning and zoning office, which will summarize existing code requirements and highlight areas of potential non-compliance. In cases where a particular zone does not permit healthcare facilities, a zone change may be possible (but that’s a topic for another time).
Some questions that are important to ask in determining whether a particular property is suitable for your practice are as follows:
- Is zoning impacted by county or city regulations?
- What is your type of practice defined as under county or city zoning regulations?
- Which districts or areas permit your type of healthcare practice?
- Must your practice be outside of residential areas?
- Is your practice limited to a certain amount of square feet?
- Is your building subject to certain aesthetic requirements?
- Is there a setback requirement for your building?
- Can the services you provide only be provided during certain hours?
- How much parking is your practice allotted?
These questions may never cross a buyer’s mind. However, not knowing their answers and others may cause a major headache during the closing process and potentially even kill a deal to purchase a property. That’s why it’s important to get advice from a professional.
Get Help
As a boutique law firm dedicated to supporting the healthcare community, our goal is to help healthcare professionals comply with all laws so that they can be safe in their profession and practices.If you would like to learn more about zoning and use issues and get advice on how to proceed, contact us at Florida Healthcare Law Firm to set up a consultation today.