Update: Drafting Land Use Ordinances
You’ll learn about:
- Legal issues in drafting regulations that are often overlooked, and how to recognize them: vagueness and over breadth, delegation of authority, constitutional issues.
- Identifying unclear language, and thinking ordinances through to avoid unintended consequences; How to better organize regulations.
- Writing in plain English; avoiding legalese and plannerese. Remember your audience.
On a daily basis, planners at all levels and in all jobs are called upon to draft, use, and interpret many types of documents. All of these documents and actions have legal implications that can land an issue before a Board of Adjustment, another internal appeals or hearing board, or a judge.
Little time in a planner’s education is often spent on the nuances of good writing, and the importance of clarity. In the day-to-day rush of getting work done, writing may end up rushed as well. The presenters will cover important issues in language usage, legislative drafting, and discuss specific legal issues that come up in the regulatory context, like delegation of authority, and vagueness, definitions, and the importance of findings and legislative history.
The presenters will use examples from their practices to discuss how planners and lawyers approach ordinance drafting differently, and how to achieve clear, enforceable, and defensible regulations.
Attendees will leave with practice tips on how to identify the legal issues, how to evaluate their documents for clarity and logical organization, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls int he drafting process.
Speakers: David Silverman & Kim Mickelson