Greenwich, CT Land Use Attorneys

Experienced Connecticut Zoning and Appeals Lawyers

The attorneys in the Land Use Department of Ivey, Barnum & O'Mara, LLC advise clients on the subdivision, development, and use of both commercial and residential property and prepare and present applications to administrative agencies, including:

• Planning and Zoning - approval and permits
• Zoning Board of Appeals - variances and special exceptions
• Inland wetlands and watercourses
• Architectural and historical preservation and review boards for several title insurance companies

We also represent clients before state and federal administrative agencies and courts on appeal.

We work closely with clients, architects, engineers, and project managers in an effort to maximize client satisfaction, whether a project involves a small addition to a residence or the construction of a large commercial facility. We assist diverse commercial clients such as schools, hospitals, auto dealerships, and retailers with their acquisition, expansion, and development projects.

Our land use attorneys are supported by in-house title search personnel who assist in establishing parties' interest to a property, determining restrictions or allowances pertaining to use of the land (easements, real covenants, etc.), and researching whether there are liens or assessments in existence on a property.

Our attorneys handle land use litigation in all courts for matters involving:

• Easement law — to define the scope and interpretation of public or private easements and rights of way, including litigation of terms and provisions of express written easements; establishing, defending, or challenging easements implied by law; and prescriptive easement litigation to legally recognize and continue an unwritten but established use of adjoining property.
• Adverse possession — to establish, defend, or dispute rights of ownership acquired by twenty years of exclusive, open, notorious, non-permissive use, including in rural, suburban, and urban areas.
• Title disputes and discrepancies — to clarify and resolve complex title issues that can impair real estate transactions or development. Using due diligence, we initiate or defend quiet title and try title actions, filing suit to have the court definitively resolve title disputes in our clients' favor and extinguish missing interests or other encumbrances.
• Partition actions — handling actions to divide property or compel buyouts when joint owners cannot agree on how to use the property.
• Right-of-way disputes and boundary disputes — fighting for the interests of homeowners and other landowners in dispute with adjacent owners over boundaries and property use: lot line disputes, intruding fences, encroaching structures, setback encroachments, and obstructed views.
• Nuisance and trespass litigation — helping landowners enjoy their property free from unlawful intrusion by others, including unwanted travel and passage over land, illegal removal of trees, vegetation, and soil from property, and unlawful discharge of water or other substances onto land.

Attorneys in the Land Use Department often collaborate with the Real Estate and Litigation departments to provide the best possible representation to clients in the purchase, lease, or improvement of property and in any disputes over ownership or use of property, including use by easement or license and claims of adverse possession and trespass. Contact us today for assistance with your land use/zoning issues.