{"id":50180,"date":"2026-06-14T21:43:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/?post_type=glossary_term&p=50180"},"modified":"2026-09-21T17:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T14:22:01","slug":"variance","status":"publish","type":"glossary_term","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/glossary\/variance\/","title":{"rendered":"Variance"},"content":{"rendered":"

A variance is a formal exception that a local zoning board grants, letting an owner or developer depart from a specific requirement of the zoning ordinance. Owners commonly seek one over setbacks, height limits, parking minimums, or lot coverage rules that make a project impractical as written.<\/p>\n

Getting a variance means showing hardship and showing that the deviation will not harm surrounding properties or the public interest. The process runs through an application, public hearings, and approval from the zoning authority. A variance is specific to the property, and it runs with the land.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A variance is a formal exception from zoning requirements granted by a local zoning board, allowing deviation from rules such as setbacks or height limits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","glossary_category":[8649],"class_list":["post-50180","glossary_term","type-glossary_term","status-publish","hentry","glossary_category-property-zoning","wpautop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVariance | CRE Glossary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What a zoning variance is in commercial real estate: how owners obtain an exception from ordinance requirements by showing hardship at public hearings.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/glossary\/variance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Variance\" \/>\n<meta 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