Greg Slipher, Indiana Farm Bureau livestock development specialist, says the job of a county board of zoning appeals (often referred to as the “BZA”) is to approve or deny contingent uses, conditional uses, special exceptions, special uses and variances of standards in regards to zoning.
“The actions of a BZA are quasi-judicial, so its proceedings are like a court,” Slipher said. “An action becomes official when a majority of the entire membership authorizes it.”
The appointment guidelines of persons to a BZA are spelled out in Indiana Code 36-7-4-902. A majority of Indiana’s counties have an area or advisory plan commission. The third option is a metropolitan plan commission, and only Marion, Vanderburgh and Delaware counties are categorized as such.
Depending on the type of plan commission in your county, city or town, the appointment process of BZA members will differ. Below is a summary of the rules for appointing the BZA members as explained in IC 36-7-4-902. The two most common types of plan commissions are:
Advisory – Each division of the advisory board of zoning appeals consists of five members as follows:
Area – Each division of the area board of zoning appeals consists of five members as follows:
These are the two most common types of plan commissions. However, a few counties use alternate structures based on various factors. The full code descriptions of all types of plan commissions are available on the Indiana General Assembly’s website.
(Source: IC 36-7-4-902)