Opinion ID: 2598275
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Local Land Use Planning Act and the Twin Falls County Zoning Ordinance

Text: Chisholm contends that the Local Land Use Planning Act (LLUPA), I.C. § 67-6501 et seq., requires a public hearing process and other procedural protections when LCO permits are issued. Chisholm argues that, without a public hearing on SFLLC's permit, his property rights and values were threatened. Chisholm asserts that LCO permits should not be excluded from coverage by LLUPA because the LLUPA was established to provide procedural standards for land use planning and for the protection of property rights. Chisholm asserts that SFLLC's application for a permit was controversial in that many area residents contested SFLLC's prior application, and therefore a public hearing was required. Further, Chisholm contends that at the time SFLLC applied for its permit, the Twin Falls County Zoning Ordinance (TFCZO) did not empower the administrator to issue an LCO permit, but only authorized the administrator to review and reject applications. In response, both SFLLC and the County argue that the County had an affirmative legal duty to grant SFLLC's permit. LLUPA requires the County to develop a comprehensive plan and zoning districts, which the County has done. The County contends that its ordinance provides for principal permitted uses, which include LCOs in compliance with the ordinance. The County maintains that because an LCO is a permitted use under the County's ordinance, granting the permit is merely a ministerial duty, if the LCO application meets certain specifications. The County notes that the only LLUPA section mentioning animal feeding operations was enacted after SFLLC's permit was approved. See I.C. § 67-6529. Additionally, the County argues that the statute only reveals the legislative intent with regard to large-scale animal operations; the statute provides that counties/boards are to define animal operations, as the County did in this case. The County contends that in adopting the ordinances, it allowed administrative approval of small LCOs with minimal standards within the ARP zone. Although the TFCZO does not proscribe how sub-threshold LCOs are approved, the County has interpreted its ordinance to mean that the zoning administrator has authority to approve as well as to deny applications. The County has construed its ordinance to allow the administrator to review sub-threshold LCO applications and approve the application if it meets the requirements of the ordinance. The County points out that the County Commissioners' resolution in May, 2001, further reflects this intent and interpretation of the ordinance. It is well established that an applicant's rights are determined by the ordinance in existence at the time of filing an application for the permit. Payette River Property Owners Ass'n v. Board of Comm'rs of Valley Co., 132 Idaho 551, 555, 976 P.2d 477, 481 (1999) (citing South Fork Coalition v. Board of Comm'rs, 117 Idaho 857, 860-61, 792 P.2d 882, 885-86 (1990)). The rationale behind the rule is that to permit retroactive application of an ordinance would allow a zoning authority to change or enact a zoning law merely to defeat an application, which would result in giving immediate effect to a future or proposed zoning ordinance before that ordinance was properly enacted. Id. at 555, 976 P.2d at 481 (citing South Fork Coalition, 117 Idaho at 861, 792 P.2d at 886). In 2000, at the time of SFLLC's application, I.C. § 67-6529 [3] provided: No power granted hereby shall be construed to empower a board of county commissioners to enact any ordinance or resolution which deprives any owner of full and complete use of agricultural land for production of any agricultural product. Agricultural land shall be defined by local ordinance or resolution. I.C. § 67-6512 establishes that zoning ordinances are to provide notice and hearing procedures for the processing of applications for special or conditional use permits. A special use permit can be granted if the proposed use is conditionally allowed by the ordinance. I.C. § 67-6512. I.C. § 67-6519 requires that the zoning ordinances establish a procedure for processing a permit required or authorized under the LLUPA in a timely manner. The LLUPA, however, does not mention LCOs. The TFCZO, at section 8-6A-2, provides that an LCO is a principal permitted use for land located within the ARP zone. SFLLC's property is located in the ARP zone. TFCZO Livestock Confinement Operations are defined in Chapter 6, Article C of the TFCZO. The ordinance, TFCZO 8-6C-2(B), provides that owners must file an application for an LCO permit with the administrator on a form prescribed by the Commission, and details the minimum requirements for a permit. The administrator may request additional information from the applicant if needed. The administrator is responsible for reviewing all applications to determine the qualifications of the applicant and for denying the application and recommending the appropriate action to be taken by the applicant if an applicant does not qualify. TFCZO 8-3-1(C)(10). The ordinance also lists restrictions that may be placed upon new and expanding LCOs. TFCZO 8-6C-2(D). One of the relevant restrictions is that the Commission is to review permits for LCOs in the ARP zone in excess of 3,000 AUE. TFCZO 8-6C-2(D)(1)(a). Another restriction is that the applicant is to give notices to any property owners within one mile of the proposed location so that written comments from those property owners may be accepted and considered by the Commission. TFCZO 8-6C-2(D)(1)(d). LLUPA empowers counties to enact zoning ordinances, which Twin Falls County has done. LLUPA requires that a procedure be established for permits required or authorized by the Act, including special and conditional use permits. I.C. §§ 67-6512, -6519. Before a final decision is rendered by the Commission, notice and a hearing are required. I.C. § 67-6519. In this case, the County has specified that an LCO is a principal permitted use within the ARP zone, in which SFLLC's land is located. TFCZO 8-6A-2. The ordinance further specifies other uses that are deemed conditional within that zone. TFCZO 8-6A-3. An LCO is not a special or conditional use that requires a specified application procedure under LLUPA, including notice and hearing before the Commission. The TFCZO does not expressly allow or proscribe the administrator from granting LCO permits. The ordinance explicitly allows the administrator to review applications and deny them and does not address the administrator's authority to approve applications. TFCZO 8-3-1(C)(10). The County has interpreted its ordinance, however, and established that sub-threshold LCO applications are to be submitted to the administrator, which reviews the applications and, if the requirements are met, approves the application. The County has affirmed its interpretation by passing a resolution ratifying all sub-threshold LCO permits issued by the zoning administrator. Because there is a strong presumption favoring the validity of the actions of zoning boards, which includes the application and interpretation of their own zoning ordinances, this Court defers to the County's interpretation. Howard v. Canyon County Bd. of Comm'rs, 128 Idaho 479, 480, 915 P.2d 709, 711 (1996). The interpretation of its ordinance by the Twin Falls County Commissioners is not capricious, arbitrary or discriminatory. Rural Kootenai Org., Inc. v. Board of Comm'rs, 133 Idaho 833, 842, 993 P.2d 596, 605 (1999). This Court holds that neither the applicable provisions of LLUPA nor the TFCZO require a notice and hearing before the Commission for sub-threshold LCO permits in Twin Falls County. The County's interpretation of its ordinance allowing the administrator to approve sub-threshold LCO permits is reasonable and is not capricious, arbitrary or discretionary. This Court concludes that SFLLC's permit was properly issued by the zoning administrator under the TFCZO without a notice or hearing before the Commission. With this conclusion, the Court holds that there was no jurisdiction for the district court to review Chisholm's case. As no notice before the issuance of a permit is required, Chisholm had no basis to petition the court for judicial review to address the question of lack of notice. Further, Chisholm is not entitled to declaratory judgment relief because he is not challenging the ratification of SFLLC's permit by the Board of County Commissioners. This Court need not address the remaining issues, concerning Chisholm's affidavit, standing, timeliness, exhaustion of administrative remedies and equitable remedies.