Opinion ID: 2278741
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Town's Ordinance

Text: The superior court ruled that section III, 4, A, section III, 4-a, A and section III, 4-a, B of the Town's ordinance are preempted because they establish setback requirements that are more stringent than those contained in RSA chapter 155-E. If these sections purported to regulate excavations that do not require a permit, then, consistent with our holding in Arthur Whitcomb, they would be preempted. However, the ordinance expressly provides that it appl[ies] solely to commercial excavations over which the Planning Board has authority under RSA 155-E. Excavation for a land-owner's personal use of material on the same land where it is excavated, as well as those excavations exempted from permits under RSA 155-E:2 and:2-a, are exempt from these regulations. Thus, by its own terms, the ordinance applies only to excavations requiring a permit. By limiting itself in this way, the ordinance fits snugly within the scope of permissible municipal regulation under RSA chapter 155-E. It follows that the more stringent requirements set forth in the ordinance are not preempted and the superior court erred in reaching a contrary conclusion.