Land Use Regulation

This course will address legal and regulatory issues that arise during the process of developing land, such as using land for commercial, residential, agricultural, industrial, or other land uses. Land use law has common themes in all states, and we will address these themes by reading materials and cases from many states. Students will learn how local governments obtain authority to regulate land use and how these governments plan for the growth of a municipality and regulate that growth. We will also explore the processes that landowners and developers follow to obtain local or state government approval for land development projects and the legal tools used by opponents of land use change.