Board of Adjustment
The Tama County Board of Adjustment consists of members appointed by the Board of Supervisors. All members of the Board are residents of Tama County that live in the Unincorporated areas of the County. Board members are appointed to five-year terms.
Jurisdiction
The Board of Adjustment has the authority to grant Variances, grant Conditional Use permits, and review appeals against decisions by the Zoning Administrator. Administratively, the Board of Adjustment is a forum of last resort; the only appeal from the decision of the board of adjustment is to the court system.
If you think you may need a Variance or Conditional Use Permit, please contact the Zoning Administrator for an application form. The fee for a Variance or Conditional Use Permit Hearing with the Board of Adjustment is $200.00, payable at the time the application is submitted.
Variances
A variance is a minor exception to the existing zoning rules to allow a landowner to do what is generally forbidden by the ordinance.
Conditional Use Permits
In each zoning district two broad classes of land uses are explicitly identified:
- Permitted uses, which are those listed by the ordinance as being allowed by right in any location, and
- Special exceptions (Conditional Uses), which are listed by the ordinance as being permissible only at the discretion of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Special exceptions (Conditional Uses) are generally unique uses that are out of character with permitted uses.
Appeals
Zoning Administrators are given the authority to make many decisions relating to the interpretation and implementation of the Zoning Ordinance. If a landowner is dissatisfied with a Zoning Administrator’s decision, the landowner has a right to appeal the decision to the Board of Adjustment. The board’s role is to review the Zoning Administrator’s interpretation of the ordinance and the given facts, based on the purpose and intent of the regulations, and render a decision affirming or overturning the Administrator’s determination.
