What are the sources of land use law in the United States?

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Land use law in the United States draws from three broad sources: the Constitution, statutes, and common law. The Constitution provides the overall framework, allocating powers between federal and state governments and protecting core rights that shape how regulation can operate, including property rights and due process protections. Statutes at all levels—federal, state, and local—enact specific land use rules, such as zoning, subdivision approval, and environmental regulations, laying out the authority and procedures communities must follow. Common law comes from court decisions that interpret and apply those rules, resolve disputes over property rights, nuisance, regulatory takings, and other land use issues, and fill in gaps where statutes are silent or ambiguous. International treaties are not primary sources of domestic land use law unless they are implemented through U.S. statutes, while local ordinances and zoning maps are key instruments created under statutory authority rather than separate sources of the law itself.