ABSTRACT
For growing communities, subdivision regulation is an important way of guiding the effects and the appearance of new development. Subdivision regulations provide standards and a set of procedures for dividing land into separate parcels. By regulating the subdivision of land, regulations provide a method for assuring minimum public safety and amenity standards. The regulation of subdivisions, as with all of planning, is based on the police power to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. The purpose of subdivision regulations is to protect future owners or occupants of newly developed land from unhealthy, unsafe, inadequate developments and to prevent current residents from footing the entire bill. Subdivision regulations have rules and standards that are applied when farm land or other vacant or unbuilt property is divided for sale or development. The subdivision process typically includes the following three steps: pre-application conference, preliminary plat submission, and final plat submission.
