Severance (land)
Encyclopedia
A severance is the act of severing a piece of land from a larger tract of land. The severed parcel of land becomes a separate lot
.
[Aka.] A hellish topic for an essay.
In many jurisdictions, land use
laws require that severances of land occur in an orderly fashion by way of plans of subdivision
, especially when multiple lots are being created. In order to avoid the sometimes complicated and lengthy subdivision process, some jurisdictions allow severances of a minor nature to proceed without a plan of subdivision, as long as other criteria are met. The approval of such minor severances are often referred to as "consents", and the authority to grant consents is usually given to local planning
bodies such as committees of adjustment
or land division committees. Colloquially
, the term "severance" is often used to solely refer to such minor land divisions rather than to divisions undertaken by way of the more complicated subdivision process.
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
.
[Aka.] A hellish topic for an essay.
In many jurisdictions, land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
laws require that severances of land occur in an orderly fashion by way of plans of subdivision
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
, especially when multiple lots are being created. In order to avoid the sometimes complicated and lengthy subdivision process, some jurisdictions allow severances of a minor nature to proceed without a plan of subdivision, as long as other criteria are met. The approval of such minor severances are often referred to as "consents", and the authority to grant consents is usually given to local planning
Land use planning
Land-use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy encompassing various disciplines which seek to order and regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing land-use conflicts. Governments use land-use planning to manage the development of land within their...
bodies such as committees of adjustment
Committee of adjustment
A Committee of Adjustment, similar to a Zoning Board of Adjustment, is a quasi-judicial body in each Ontario municipality that adjudicates matters related to minor variances to Zoning by-laws and consents to severances of land....
or land division committees. Colloquially
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
, the term "severance" is often used to solely refer to such minor land divisions rather than to divisions undertaken by way of the more complicated subdivision process.