ZoneCo

What ZoneCo does

ZoneCo, LLC is a private professional services firm founded in 2020 by Sean Suder and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm provides consulting services to municipal governments (cities, towns, counties) focused on zoning and land-use regulation. Its service portfolio spans code diagnostics, comprehensive code updates and rewrites, comprehensive plan implementation, small area plan implementation, corridor districts, historic preservation ordinances, and public engagement. A secondary revenue stream consists of fee-based training sessions for planning and zoning board members delivered at the firm's Over-the-Rhine Training Center in Cincinnati. ZoneCo explicitly operates as an advisory firm and does not develop software, platforms, or algorithms; technology is not part of its offering.

The firm is staffed by a small interdisciplinary team of approximately seven core professionals combining lawyers (licensed in OH, KY, DC), city planners, urban designers, and historic preservationists. Multiple team members bring prior senior municipal-government experience: the founder served as Chief Counsel of Land Use and Planning for the City of Cincinnati (2010-2014), and senior staff include the former Director of Planning, Neighborhoods & Development for the City of Dayton and the former Hamilton County Director of Planning + Development. Several team members hold prestigious credentials such as Chambers USA Band 1 ranking (Sean Suder, 2019-2026), AICP Fellow (FAICP), and elected positions within the American Planning Association and the Congress for the New Urbanism. The firm also supports University of Cincinnati DAAP co-op students.

ZoneCo's business model is project-based consulting plus per-seat training. Engagements are typically won through RFP processes with government entities and are quoted per scope; consulting project pricing is not publicly disclosed. Training sessions are priced at $299 per person for half-day and $495 per person for full-day in-person sessions, capped at 12 attendees. Business development is driven by thought leadership — speaking at APA and CNU conferences, published articles in trade publications, professional organization leadership, and direct outreach. ZoneCo documents work in 22+ U.S. states, with award-winning projects including the Gaithersburg, MD zoning ordinance (2024 Maryland Governor's Award), South Bend, IN (2021 Driehaus Award), and Boston, MA Article 80 modernization.

Name

ZoneCo

Legal name

ZoneCo, LLC

Website

https://thezoneco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ZoneCo is a Cincinnati-based professional services firm providing zoning and land-use consulting to municipal governments across the United States. Services include code diagnostics, comprehensive rewrites, plan implementation, corridor district work, historic preservation ordinances, and board training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Zoning and Land Use Consulting Services

akta.pro primary industry

Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

ADU Permitting, Zoning & Code Compliance (HSAPAMAG), Facility Siting, Permitting & Land-Use Regulatory Compliance (Multi-media Permitting, Zoning/Entitlements Support) (EUAHABAH)

Keywords

• Zoning code consulting
• Land use planning
• Municipal code rewrites
• Comprehensive plan implementation
• Historic preservation ordinances

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Zoning Code Consulting and Professional Services: ZoneCo generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements with municipal clients. Services include zoning code diagnostics, code updates and rewrites, comprehensive plan implementation, small area plan implementation, corridor districts, historic preservation ordinances, and public engagement. Revenue is earned through negotiated government contracts, typically scoped per project and billed by the engagement.
2. Training Sessions: ZoneCo offers fee-based planning and zoning board and commission training sessions led by Sean Suder. Half-day training sessions are priced at $299 per person (12 persons max), and full-day sessions at $495 per person (12 persons max). Sessions are conducted in-person at ZoneCo's Over-the-Rhine (Cincinnati) Training Center.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ZoneCo is a zoning and land-use consulting firm that engineers human-engineered, clear, consistent, user-friendly, equitable, resilient, and defensible zoning codes for U.S. municipalities. Its core services include code diagnostics, full code updates and rewrites, comprehensive plan implementation, small area plan implementation, corridor district zoning, historic preservation ordinances, and public engagement. The firm also delivers fee-based in-person training for planning and zoning boards at its Cincinnati training center.

Product overview

ZoneCo is a zoning code consulting firm that offers a suite of professional services centered on zoning code diagnostics, updates, rewrites, and implementation. The company provides Code Diagnostics to identify barriers in existing ordinances, Code Updates and Rewrites for comprehensive modernization, Comprehensive Plan Implementation to translate land use goals into zoning regulations, Small Area Plan Implementation for targeted district solutions, Corridor Districts zoning for commercial corridors, Historic Preservation Ordinances for character protection, and Planning and Zoning Board Training as an educational add-on. The firm's interdisciplinary team combines expertise in law, urban planning, urban design, and historic preservation to deliver human-engineered, clear, consistent, user-friendly, equitable, resilient, and defensible zoning codes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Code Diagnostics Diagnostic analysis of existing zoning codes to identify inconsistencies, overlapping procedures, antiquated definitions, and structural barriers to development; targeted at municipal governments evaluating code modernization.
• Code Updates and Rewrites Comprehensive rewriting and modernization of municipal zoning ordinances to produce clear, consistent, user-friendly, equitable, resilient, and legally defensible codes; for cities, towns, and counties undergoing full code modernization.
• Comprehensive Plan Implementation Translating comprehensive plan goals and future land use maps into concise, implementable zoning regulations for municipal clients.
• Small Area Plan Implementation Targeted zoning solutions for specific neighborhoods, corridors, or districts within a community; for municipal clients implementing neighborhood- or district-scale plans.
• Corridor Districts Zoning solutions for commercial and mixed-use corridors, including context-sensitive standards for height, massing, and frontage; for municipal clients undertaking corridor revitalization.
• Historic Preservation Ordinances Zoning regulations designed to protect and preserve historic architectural heritage while accommodating contemporary building systems; for municipal clients updating preservation frameworks.
• Planning and Zoning Board Training Half-day and full-day in-person training sessions for zoning boards and planning commissions covering Ohio land use law, ethics, public records, and rules of procedure; held at ZoneCo's Over-the-Rhine (Cincinnati) Training Center, priced at $299 (half-day) and $495 (full-day) per person, maximum 12 persons per session, led by Lead Principal Sean S. Suder, Esq.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gaithersburg, MD code approved July 15, 2024 — first comprehensive update since 1965 — won 2024 Maryland Governor's Award.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Code Studio: Code Studio is a planning and urban design firm specializing in zoning and form-based code writing for municipalities across the U.S. It is directly comparable to ZoneCo in service mix (diagnostics, rewrites, comprehensive plan implementation) and in serving similar municipal clients.
• Opticos Design: Opticos Design is a planning and architecture firm focused on form-based codes, missing middle housing, and zoning reform. Like ZoneCo, it leads comprehensive zoning code rewrites and small area plans for cities and towns, often producing graphic-rich deliverables.
• Clarion Associates: Clarion Associates is a land use and zoning consulting firm providing code writing, regulatory reform, and planning services to local governments. Its scope and client base (municipalities seeking modernized codes) closely overlaps with ZoneCo's.
• PlaceMakers: PlaceMakers is a planning and zoning consulting firm that assists cities with form-based codes, zoning diagnostics, and community character work. It is highly comparable to ZoneCo in service offerings and municipal client segment.
• Dover, Kohl & Partners: Dover, Kohl & Partners is a town planning firm known for new town plans, form-based codes, and zoning reform projects across the U.S. It competes with ZoneCo for the same municipal comprehensive code rewrite engagements and CNU-adjacent client base.
• John Fregonese & Associates: John Fregonese & Associates is a planning consultancy that delivers comprehensive plans and zoning/code implementation for municipalities in the Pacific Northwest and nationally. Its service mix and public-sector focus directly parallel ZoneCo's.
• Calfee Zoning: Calfee, Halter & Griswold is a Cleveland-based law firm whose zoning and land use practice advises Ohio municipalities on zoning code matters and represents clients before zoning boards. It is a regional peer serving many of the same Ohio municipal clients as ZoneCo.

Broad incumbents

• Buro Happold: Buro Happold is a global engineering and consulting firm with a planning and urban design practice that advises municipalities on land use, zoning, and master planning. It overlaps with ZoneCo at the zoning/land use planning end but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Sasaki Associates: Sasaki is a design and planning firm whose practice includes master planning, comprehensive plans, and zoning work for cities and institutions. It competes for some of the same large municipal planning engagements as ZoneCo but with a much broader multidisciplinary portfolio.

Emerging players

• Civic League for Regional Development (zoning practice): Smaller regional planning and zoning reform practices and consulting collectives often compete with ZoneCo at the municipal level; some emerging equity-focused zoning consultancies specifically overlap with ZoneCo's Equitable Zoning Initiative positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thezoneco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZoneCo