Opinion ID: 2546361
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Conditional Use Permit Standards

Text: [¶ 37] The landowners argue that the county's conditional use permit process is unconstitutionally vague and violative of substantive due process because it contains inadequate standards for the guidance of permitting officials. Citing Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc., 467 U.S. 947, 964 n. 12, 104 S.Ct. 2839, 81 L.Ed.2d 786 (1984), they contend that a zoning ordinance is invalid if it leaves too much to the discretion of local officials. Rather, the landowners suggest that standards must be precise and objective. See Lady J. Lingerie, Inc. v. City of Jacksonville, 176 F.3d 1358, 1362 (11th Cir.1999), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1053, 120 S.Ct. 1554, 146 L.Ed.2d 459 (2000). In particular, the landowners decry what they describe as the county's unbridled discretion first, to either approve or deny a conditional use permit, and second, to impose any special condition or requirement the county deems necessary. [¶ 38] The district court granted summary judgment to the county on this issue, and we will affirm that decision. While it is true that the discretion of permitting officials may not be unbridled, it is also true that they must be allowed to act with a certain amount of discretion, exercised reasonably, as opposed to arbitrarily or capriciously. Prudential Trust Co. v. City of Laramie, 492 P.2d 971, 974 (Wyo.1972). In that regard, the county's zoning resolution contains the following guidance in limiting the conditions that may be placed on a conditional use permit: Pursuant to the regulations hereinafter set forth, certain uses may be permitted by Conditional Use Permit within the stated Zone Districts and may be subject to special conditions or requirements deemed necessary by the County. To insure that the Conditionally Permitted Use does not unreasonably impose adverse impacts on the health, safety, and general welfare of the County or on adjacent or nearby properties or residents, the County may impose certain special conditions including but not limited to the following:  Duration of use  Extension of the C.U.P.  Hours of operation  Site and/or building improvements  Parking requirements  Sewer and water requirements In addition, the pre-printed application form, itself, contains a list of potential requirements: site plan, boundary survey, hazardous materials inventory, topographic map, grading and drainage plan, soil engineering tests, plans and elevations of proposed structures, structural blue prints, engineer-approved foundation designs, engineer-approved public right-of-way and road construction plans, range management plan, nutrient management plan, hillside management plan, proof of access onto a county road, proof of ownership, proof of connection to public sewer and/or water system, and other. [¶ 39] From these materials, we know that the guiding purpose of the conditional use permit process is the health, safety, and general welfare of the county. And from the statutory construction maxim, ejusdem generis, we also know that other requirements must be of the same nature as those printed on the application form. [14] Consequently, the county is limited to the imposition of permit conditions that are designed to promote the health, safety, and welfare of its inhabitants, and that are similar in nature to those listed above. These are sufficient guidelines to prevent the county from acting arbitrarily or capriciously in the administration of the conditional use permit system.