Legal Definitions - townhouse

A townhouse (also sometimes called a townhome) is a type of residential dwelling that typically has multiple stories and shares one or more walls with an adjacent, similar home. Often, these homes are part of a larger community or development where residents jointly own and maintain common areas, such as shared green spaces, recreational facilities, or private roads.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a new housing development called "Willow Creek Estates" in a suburban area. It features a long row of three-story homes, each with its own front entrance and a small private patio in the back. Each home in the row shares a side wall with the house next to it. The residents of Willow Creek Estates collectively own and have access to a community park and a walking trail that winds through the development.

  This illustrates a townhouse because these homes are multi-story dwellings that are physically connected by shared walls with neighboring units. The shared ownership and maintenance of the park and walking trail further exemplify a common characteristic of townhouses within a planned community, where residents have a stake in communal amenities.

• In a bustling city neighborhood, a developer converts an old industrial building into a series of modern, two-story residential units called "The Lofts at Grand Avenue." Each unit has its own street-level entrance and a private rooftop deck, but they are built side-by-side, sharing the structural walls between them. The residents also collectively contribute to the maintenance of a shared garbage collection area and a small, communal garden space at the rear of the property.

  These units are townhouses because they are multi-level homes that are physically connected by shared walls. The communal garden and shared maintenance responsibilities for common areas, funded by the residents, align with the typical ownership structure often found in townhouse developments, even in an urban conversion context.