Question: Can zoning laws be used to limit group houses?

Answer: This is a complex issue and cannot be resolved specifically without the assistance of a local real estate attorney.

In 1995, for example, the Supreme Court ruled in a case involving Oxford House, a non-profit organization that provides group housing for alcoholics, that the city of Edmonds, WA could not enact zoning regulations limiting the number of people who could live in a single residence. The case applies particularly to individuals and groups covered under the Fair Housing Act.