---
title: "Summarise the zoning controls that apply to a site"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/summarise-a-council-s-planning-controls-for-a-site/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A12-B7-1-US"
practice_area: "Planning & Environment"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Summarise the zoning controls that apply to a site

> Quote the use, height, and setback controls from the ordinance pages the lawyer names, with the section number printed on the page. Do not say whether a use is allowed.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/summarise-a-council-s-planning-controls-for-a-site/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Planning & Environment](https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Quote the use, height, and setback controls from the ordinance pages the lawyer names, with the section number printed on the page. Do not say whether a use is allowed. |
| What the lawyer must review | Government Code section 65850 authorises a city or county legislative body to adopt ordinances regulating the use of buildings, structures, and land. The summary is an extract of the ordinance in the file. It is not a statement that the project complies. You read the current ordinance, including any overlay or specific plan the section incorporates, before anyone relies on the extract. Opinion 512: a generated citation to a zoning section is checked against the ordinance, not against the model. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Summarise a council's planning controls for a site](https://ailawframework.com/practice/planning-and-environment/summarise-a-council-s-planning-controls-for-a-site.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Quote the use, height, and setback controls from the ordinance pages the lawyer names, with the section number printed on the page. Do not say whether a use is allowed.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Another state grants zoning power in its own statute. California is the opened example.
- Federal permits, including a fill permit under 33 USC section 1344, are not zoning controls.

## Sources

- [California Government Code section 65850 (authority for zoning ordinances)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=65850.) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information/) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Planning certificate (section 10.7): ordering and checking guide (NSW)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/planning-and-environment/planning-certificate-request-and-checking-guide.md) | Form | Green | Guide to ordering a NSW planning certificate under s 10.7(2), with or without the s 10.7(5) advice, and a checking table that walks through each Schedule 2 matter (zoning, contributions, flood, bush… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*