Live/work is a strange animal which combines residential and commercial use, and is at once neither and both. It is intrinsically mixed use, in ways that fly in the face of planning regulations and building codes. Definitions of live/work use are far from standardized; for this and other reasons, most jurisdictions have elected to reinvent the wheel when it comes to regulating live/work.

The Live/Work Institute advocates adoption of definitions of the different types of live/work -- live/work and work/live -- and the three proximity types -- live-with™, live-near™ and live-nearby™. Once standard definitions are universally adopted, more consistent codes should follow. The Live/Work Institute is initiating projects to integrate live/work building code into the Model Codes, beginning with the Uniform Building Code. One thing is clear: integration of zoning and building regulations is absolutely necessary, partly because live/work is inherently both a mixed use and a mixed occupancy, and partly because of its status as an emerging land use and building type.