This book provides a detailed legal analysis of development regulation. It addresses the types of regulations that may be employed and the scope of legal authority for each. The fourth edition incorporates legal developments through 2023. Topics include:

- Process for ordinance amendments,
- Spot, contract, and conditional zoning,
- Quasi-judicial procedures,
- Special use permits, variances, and appeals of staff decisions,
- Permit administration and enforcement,
- Vested rights and nonconformities,
- Statutory and constitutional limits on regulatory authority, and
- Judicial review of regulatory decisions.