Since the time you are planning for your home you must have heard the term zoning for a thousand times. In fact the blueprint of your house depends on the zoning and thus it is better to understand the term as a whole before you proceed with it. So what exactly is zoning? Zoning is a term commonly used in urban planning for an active system of land-use regulation in various parts of the world, including North America. The primary goal of zoning is to differentiate uses of land that are believed to be incompatible. In general zoning is used in the United States as a permitting system to prevent new development from harming existing residents or businesses. Local authorities such as counties or municipalities thus commonly control zoning. Although the actual nature of the zoning can be determined by state or national planning authorities.