zoning

noun

zon·​ing ˈzō-niŋ 

: the act or process of partitioning a city, town, or borough into zones reserved for different purposes (such as residence or business)

also : the set of ordinances by which such zones are established and regulated

voted to change the town's zoning

zoning laws

Examples of zoning in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If the developer ultimately goes ahead and requests zoning permits, the pre-application talks aren’t part of the hearings or deliberations. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026

Because of the zoning, the developer didn’t need permission to build the data center. —Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 16 May 2026

There are no state-level restrictions capping development, no permitting regimes that take years to navigate, and no zoning codes that effectively wall off new construction to protect the property values of existing homeowners. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 May 2026

The budget proposal also still includes dozens of layoffs, elimination of the Office of Child and Youth Success and cuts to homeless services, zoning investigators and facilities maintenance. —Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for zoning

• boning
• cloning
• coning
• droning
• groaning
• honing
• loaning
• moaning
• owning
• phoning
• stoning
• toning

Legal Definition

zoning

noun

zon·​ing

: municipal or county regulation of land use effected through the creation and enforcement of zones under local law