What is the purpose of a "grandfathered" law?

Answer 1

It allows a condition that existed before the law was passed to remain unchanged. As an example, if the county changes zoning in an area to only allow 1 house per acre, any house that is already built that does not comply because they are on a smaller lot would be grandfathered in. The county is not going to make people tear down the houses just because of the zoning change.

Answer 2

Grandfathering a law is a way of making a change that will effect all future actions, without forcing the change on others who had acted in good faith and in accordance with the laws at the time they did something.

An example - You pass a law saying that all houses must be set back 50 feet from a street. But there are several houses already built that are only 40 feet back. You can not make the homeowner move the house, it was perfectly legal to have been only 40 feet back when it was built. So you are Grandfathered, meaning that the law does not apply to you.


Another example - You pass a law saying that you have to have a sprinkler system in all warehouses. But there are older warehouses that did not need to have a sprinkler system installed when they were built. The law is Grandfathered for these warehouses. They will not have to add the sprinklers to stay open.

A final example of a law that is only partially Grandfathered.

You buy an old house that has the old style knob and spool type wiring, and fuses instead of breakers. The main wiring does not need to be brought up to the current laws ratings for MOST of the regulations. But you do have to upgrade the outlets in the bathrooms, kitchen and outside; with ground fault outlets. The rest of the wiring can stay true to the older codes, as long as it is in good repair. Later you decide to remodel the kitchen, you will have to upgrade all the wiring in the kitchen to meet the new code (law) when you remodel, but again, the rest of the house does not need to be upgraded.

Answer 3

The purpose of the grandfathered law is for example all new homes have to have energy efficient air conditioners minimum seer13. Well those are very expensive so they have a cut off date and anything sooner that that date would be grandfathered, until they have to be replaced.

Answer 4

Grandfather clauses refer to the exclusion of certain people (those born before the law was enacted) from a certain law. For example:

People may be "grandfathered" to receive new benefits they are not otherwise entitled to. For example, if a company has a pension plan that after a certain date improves to include additional or superior benefits, those who have already retired may be "grandfathered in"; they may be granted the same improvements to their existing pension plan. Thus to some extent new rules are retroactively applied: not to past payments, but to past acquirements of rights to future payments.

Answer 5

hi