Course Description

Welcome to the Law of Land Planning

This course focuses on the interplay between land use planning and the law. In other words, it explains how the work that cities and counties do in the area of land use is shaped and controlled by the law.

To understand this interplay, you will be introduced to how legal authority is established, divided, and created in the United States and the states.

The first section of the course will also take a more in-depth view of the judicial system in Colorado, examining the role of various courts and how law develops through the application of precedent. Finally, it will examine the roles various levels of government, and divisions of local government, play in the land use planning process.

The second section covers the next step: how land use laws are enforced and applied. The planning and zoning regulations that local governments enact would be meaningless if they could not be effectively enforced.

On the other hand, legal limitations placed on government land use power would be meaningless if the people affected by those regulations did not have a mechanism for ensuring governmental restraint. As second section explains, courts and the judicial system are critical to both enforcement and restraint.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

Define the sources of law that are applicable to land use planning.
Identify the various levels of regulatory authority that are applicable to land use.
Discuss the various functions of local government in the land use context, including administrative, legislative, and quasi-judicial.
Recognize the different types and levels of courts.
Identify the role of case law.

The course contains numerous multiple choice exams, and interactive exercises, and is completed with a multiple choice final exam.

Approved States: CO

What State Can I Purchase This Course?

Colorado