2023 Utah Code › Title 10 - Utah Municipal Code › Chapter 9a - Municipal Land Use, Development, and Management Act › Part 8 - District Court Review › Section 801 - No district court review until administrative remedies exhausted -- Time for filing -- Tolling of time -- Standards governing court review -- Record on review -- Staying of decision.

Effective 5/4/2022
10-9a-801.
No district court review until administrative remedies exhausted -- Time for filing -- Tolling of time -- Standards governing court review -- Record on review -- Staying of decision.
(1) No person may challenge in district court a land use decision until that person has exhausted the person's administrative remedies as provided in Part 7, Appeal Authority and Variances, if applicable.
(2)
(a) Subject to Subsection (1), a land use applicant or adversely affected party may file a petition for review of a land use decision with the district court within 30 days after the decision is final.
(b)
(i) The time under Subsection (2)(a) to file a petition is tolled from the date a property owner files a request for arbitration of a constitutional taking issue with the property rights ombudsman under Section 13-43-204 until 30 days after:
(A) the arbitrator issues a final award; or
(B) the property rights ombudsman issues a written statement under Subsection 13-43-204(3)(b) declining to arbitrate or to appoint an arbitrator.
(ii) A tolling under Subsection (2)(b)(i) operates only as to the specific constitutional taking issue that is the subject of the request for arbitration filed with the property rights ombudsman by a property owner.
(iii) A request for arbitration filed with the property rights ombudsman after the time under Subsection (2)(a) to file a petition has expired does not affect the time to file a petition.
(3)
(a) A court shall:
(i) presume that a land use regulation properly enacted under the authority of this chapter is valid; and
(ii) determine only whether:
(A) the land use regulation is expressly preempted by, or was enacted contrary to, state or federal law; and
(B) it is reasonably debatable that the land use regulation is consistent with this chapter.
(b) A court shall presume that a final land use decision of a land use authority or an appeal authority is valid unless the land use decision is:
(i) arbitrary and capricious; or
(ii) illegal.
(c)
(i) A land use decision is arbitrary and capricious if the land use decision is not supported by substantial evidence in the record.
(ii) A land use decision is illegal if the land use decision:
(A) is based on an incorrect interpretation of a land use regulation;
(B) conflicts with the authority granted by this title; or
(C) is contrary to law.
(d)
(i) A court may affirm or reverse a land use decision.
(ii) If the court reverses a land use decision, the court shall remand the matter to the land use authority with instructions to issue a land use decision consistent with the court's ruling.
(4) The provisions of Subsection (2)(a) apply from the date on which the municipality takes final action on a land use application, if the municipality conformed with the notice provisions of Part 2, Notice, or for any person who had actual notice of the pending land use decision.
(5) If the municipality has complied with Section 10-9a-205, a challenge to the enactment of a land use regulation or general plan may not be filed with the district court more than 30 days after the enactment.
(6) A challenge to a land use decision is barred unless the challenge is filed within 30 days after the land use decision is final.
(7)
(a) The land use authority or appeal authority, as the case may be, shall transmit to the reviewing court the record of the proceedings of the land use authority or appeal authority, including the minutes, findings, orders, and, if available, a true and correct transcript of the proceedings.
(b) If the proceeding was recorded, a transcript of that recording is a true and correct transcript for purposes of this Subsection (7).
(8)
(a)
(i) If there is a record, the district court's review is limited to the record provided by the land use authority or appeal authority, as the case may be.
(ii) The court may not accept or consider any evidence outside the record of the land use authority or appeal authority, as the case may be, unless that evidence was offered to the land use authority or appeal authority, respectively, and the court determines that the evidence was improperly excluded.
(b) If there is no record, the court may call witnesses and take evidence.
(9)
(a) The filing of a petition does not stay the land use decision of the land use authority or appeal authority, as the case may be.
(b)
(i) Before filing a petition under this section or a request for mediation or arbitration of a constitutional taking issue under Section 13-43-204, a land use applicant may petition the appeal authority to stay the appeal authority's land use decision.
(ii) Upon receipt of a petition to stay, the appeal authority may order the appeal authority's land use decision stayed pending district court review if the appeal authority finds the order to be in the best interest of the municipality.
(iii) After a petition is filed under this section or a request for mediation or arbitration of a constitutional taking issue is filed under Section 13-43-204, the petitioner may seek an injunction staying the appeal authority's land use decision.
(10) If the court determines that a party initiated or pursued a challenge to a land use decision on a land use application in bad faith, the court may award attorney fees.
Amended by Chapter 355, 2022 General Session