For the purpose of promoting health, safety, morals, or the general welfare of the community, the governing body of any city may, subject to the provisions of chapter 54 -21.3, regulate and restrict the height, number of stories, and the size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of lot that may be occupied, the size of yards, courts, and other open spaces, the density of population, and the location and use of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence, or other purposes. The regulations may provide that a board of adjustment may determine and vary the application of the regulations in harmony with the regulations' general purpose and intent and in accordance with general or specific rules contained in the regulations. The governing body of a city may establish institutional controls that address environmental concerns with the department of environmental quality as provided in section 23.1-10-16. 40-47-01.1. Extraterritorial zoning - Mediation - Determination by administrative law judge - Definition. 1. a. A city may, by ordinance, extend the application of a city's zoning regulations to any quarter quarter section of unincorporated territory if a majority of the quarter quarter section is located within the following distance of the corporate limits of the city: (1) One mile [1.61 kilometers] if the city has a population of fewer than five thousand. A city that has exercised its authority under this subdivision has joint zoning and subdivision regulation jurisdiction from one -half mile [.80 kilometer] to one mile [1.61 kilometers] with the other political subdivision. (2) Two miles [3.22 kilometers] if the city has a population of five thousand or more, but fewer than twenty -five thousand. A city that has exercised its authority under this subdivision has joint zoning and subdivision regulation jurisdiction from one mile [1.61 kilometers] to two miles [3.22 kilometers] with the other political subdivision. (3) Four miles [6.44 kilometers] if the city has a population of twenty -five thousand or more. A city that has exercised its authority under this subdivision has joint zoning and subdivision regulation jurisdiction from two miles [3.22 kilometers] to four miles [6.44 kilometers] with the other political subdivision. b. Any section or portion of a section of unincorporated territory within the area of joint zoning and subdivision regulation jurisdiction in which a plat or site plan has been presented before May 1, 2009, remains subject to the zoning designations and the regulations in place on May 1, 2009, unless changed as allowed under this section. c. The extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction and authority to receive applications and issue permits under this section may be changed by written agreement between the city and the other political subdivision. 2. Joint jurisdiction is jurisdiction in which the other political subdivision has jurisdiction to receive applications and issue permits and impose administrative fees for applications and permits. In addition, under this jurisdiction the other political subdivision may adopt, modify, and enforce any zoning designation or regulation and approve any subdivision plat or regulation. For a decision to be final, the other political subdivision shall give written notice to the city. The city may request negotiation as to any decision made by the other political subdivision under the other political subdivision's jurisdiction within thirty days of notice. If negotiation is not requested, the decision of the other political subdivision is final. If the governing body of the other political subdivision and the city do not come to an agreement as to the disputed zone or subdivision regulation within thirty days of request for negotiation, the dispute must be submitted to a committee for mediation. The committee must be comprised of one member appointed by the governor and two members of the governing body of the other political subdivision and two members of the governing body of the city. The governor's appointee shall arrange and preside over the meeting and act as mediator at the meeting. A meeting may be continued until the dispute has been resolved or until the mediator determines that continued mediation is no longer worthwhile. If the mediation committee is unable to resolve the dispute to the satisfaction of the governing bodies, the dispute must be resolved by the board of county commissioners. 3. Notwithstanding subsection 2, in any section or portion of a section of unincorporated territory in which there would otherwise be joint jurisdiction and in which a plat or site plan has been presented before May 1, 2009, the city has jurisdiction to receive applications and issue permits and impose administrative fees for applications and permits relating to zoning and subdivision regulation. In addition, under this jurisdiction the city may adopt, modify, and enforce any zoning designation or regulation and approve any subdivision plat or regulation. For a decision of the city made after May 1, 2009, to be final, the city shall give written notice of the decision of the governing body of the political subdivision that would otherwise have jurisdiction. The governing body may request negotiation as to any decision made by the city under the city's jurisdiction within thirty days of notice. If negotiation is not requested, the decision of the city is final. If the city and governing body of the political subdivision that would otherwise have jurisdiction do not come to an agreement as to the disputed zoning or subdivision regulation within thirty days of the request for negotiation, the dispute must be submitted to a committee for mediation. The committee must be comprised of one member appointed by the governor and two members of the governing body of the other political subdivision and two members of the governing body of the city. The governor's appointee shall arrange and preside over the meeting and act as mediator at the meeting. A meeting may be continued until the dispute has been resolved or until the mediator determines that continued mediation is no longer worthwhile. If the mediation committee is unable to resolve the dispute to the satisfaction of the governing bodies, the dispute must be resolved by the board of county commissioners. 4. If a quarter quarter section line divides a platted lot and the majority of that platted lot lies within the quarter quarter section, a city may apply its extraterritorial zoning authority to the remainder of that platted lot. If the majority of the platted lot lies outside the quarter quarter section, the city may not apply its extraterritorial zoning authority to any of that platted lot. 5. A city exercising its extraterritorial zoning authority shall hold a zoning transition meeting if the territory to be extraterritorially zoned is currently zoned. The city's zoning or planning commission shall provide at least fourteen days' notice of the meeting to the zoning board or boards of all political subdivisions losing their partial zoning authority. The purpose of the zoning transition meeting is to review existing zoning rules, regulations, and restrictions currently in place in the territory to be extraterritorially zoned and to plan for an orderly transition. The zoning transition meeting must take place before the city's adoption of an ordinance exercising extraterritorial zoning. 6. If two or more cities have boundaries at a distance where there is an overlap of extraterritorial zoning authority under this section, the governing bodies of the cities may enter into an agreement regarding the extraterritorial zoning authority of each city. The agreement must be for a specific term and is binding upon the cities unless the governing bodies of the cities agree to amend or rescind the agreement or unless determined otherwise by an administrative law judge in accordance with this chapter. If a dispute arises concerning the extraterritorial zoning authority of a city and the governing bodies of the cities involved fail to resolve the dispute, the dispute must be submitted to a committee for mediation. The committee must be comprised of one member appointed by the governor, one member of the governing body of each city, and one member of the planning commission of each city who resides outside the corporate city limits. The governor's appointee shall arrange and preside over the meeting and act as mediator at the meeting. A meeting may be continued until the dispute has been resolved or until the mediator determines that continued mediation is no longer worthwhile. 7. If the mediation committee is unable to resolve the dispute to the satisfaction of the governing bodies of all the cities involved, the governing body of any of the cities may petition the office of administrative hearings to appoint an administrative law judge to determine the extraterritorial zoning authority of the cities in the disputed area. A hearing may not be held until after at least two weeks' written notice has been given to the governing bodies of the cities involved in the dispute. At the hearing, the governor's appointee who mediated the meetings under subsection 6 shall provide information to the administrative law judge on the dispute between the cities involved and any proposed resolutions or recommendations made by a majority of the committee members. Any resident of, or person owning property in, a city involved in the dispute or the unincorporated territory that is the subject of the proposed extraterritorial zoning, a representative of such a resident or property owner, and any representative of a city involved, may appear at the hearing and present evidence on any matter to be determined by the administrative law judge. A decision by the administrative law judge is binding upon all the cities involved in the dispute and remains effective until the governing bodies of the cities agree to a change in the zoning authority of the cities. The governing body of a city may request a review of a decision of an administrative law judge due to changed circumstances at any time ten years after the decision has become final. An administrative law judge shall consider the following factors in making a decision under this subsection: a. The proportional extraterritorial zoning authority of the cities involved in the dispute; b. The proximity of the land in dispute to the corporate limits of each city involved; c. The proximity of the land in dispute to developed property in the cities involved; d. Whether any of the cities has exercised extraterritorial zoning authority over the disputed land; e. Whether natural boundaries such as rivers, lakes, highways, or other physical characteristics affecting the land are present; f. The growth pattern of the cities involved in the dispute; and g. Any other factor determined to be relevant by the administrative law judge. 8. For purposes of this section, the population of a city must be determined by the last official regular or special federal census. If a city has incorporated after a census, the population of the city must be determined by a census taken in accordance with chapter 40-22. 9. When a portion of the city is attached to the bulk of the city by a strip of land less than one hundred feet [30.48 meters] wide, that portion and strip of land must be disregarded when determining the extraterritorial zoning limits of the city. This subsection does not affect the ability of a city to zone land within its city limits. 10. For the purposes of this section, a section or a quarter quarter section is as determined in the manner provided by 2 Stat. 313 [43 U.S.C. 752]. When appropriate, the phrase "quarter quarter section" refers to the equivalent government lot. 11. As used in this section, "other political subdivision" means a political subdivision, not including another city, which would otherwise have zoning or subdivision regulation jurisdiction.
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