Zoned out: taking the Amish to court.

• Author: Taylor, Jeff A.
• Position: Amish of Huntsburg Township, Ohio - Brief Article

AS FAMILY FARMING loses its allure both socially and economically, the Amish of Huntsburg Township, Ohio, have turned to their woodworking skills to generate income. It's work that allows entire families to share in the enterprise and still maintain their core low-tech beliefs.

Enter Huntsburg's zoning laws. Township rules say home-based woodworking shops cannot exceed 1,000 square feet of floor space. The Amish quickly realized this was not big enough for a full-time woodworking business and tried to get exemptions for shops of 4,000 square feet.

Local planners would have none of it, though no residents of the town actually objected to the larger shops...