A local government instrument that governs land use and safety is called a/an?

• A. Ordinance
• B. Regulation
• C. Statute
• D. Decree

Answer: (A)

Local governments regulate land use and safety by enacting ordinances. An ordinance is a local law passed by a city or county council that sets rules for how land within its borders can be used (such as zoning, setbacks, and subdivisions) and establishes safety requirements (like building codes and fire safety measures). These rules are designed to protect health, safety, and welfare and to guide development in the community.

This is the best choice because it specifically refers to the locally enacted legal instrument used to control development and safety practices within a municipality. A regulation is typically a rule issued by an agency to implement a statute and can operate at various levels, a statute is law enacted by a state or national legislature, and a decree is an official order from a sovereign or high authority—none of which capture the local, land-use–and–safety focus as precisely as an ordinance.