N.Y. General City Law 81-A – Board of appeals procedure
§ 81-a. Board of appeals procedure. 1. Meetings, minutes, records. Meetings of such board of appeals shall be open to the public to the extent provided in Article 7 of the public officers law. Such board of appeals shall keep minutes of its proceedings, showing the vote of each member upon every question, or if absent or failing to vote, indicating such fact, and shall also keep records of its examinations and other official actions.
Terms Used In N.Y. General City Law 81-A
- Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
2. Filing requirements. Every rule, regulation, every amendment or repeal thereof, and every order, requirement, decision or determination of the board of appeals shall be filed in the office of the city clerk within five business days and shall be a public record.
3. Assistance to the board of appeals. Such board shall have the authority to call upon any department, agency or employee of the city for such assistance as shall be deemed necessary and as shall be authorized by the legislative body. Such department, agency or employee may be reimbursed for any expenses incurred as a result of such assistance.
4. Hearing appeals. Unless otherwise provided by local law or ordinance, the jurisdiction of the board of appeals shall be appellate only and shall be limited to hearing and deciding appeals from and reviewing any order, requirement, decision, interpretation, or determination, made by the administrative official charged with the enforcement of any ordinance or local law adopted pursuant to this article. Such appeal may be taken by any person aggrieved, or by an officer, department, board or bureau of the city.
5. Filing of administrative decision and time of appeal. (a) Each order, requirement, decision, interpretation or determination of the administrative official charged with the enforcement of the zoning local law or ordinance shall be filed in the office of such administrative official within five business days from the day it is rendered, and shall be a public record. Alternately, the legislative body of the city may, by resolution, require that such filings instead be made in the city clerk's office.
(b) An appeal shall be taken within sixty days after the filing of any order, requirement, decision, interpretation or determination of the administrative official, by filing with such administrative official and with the board of appeals a notice of appeal, specifying the grounds thereof and the relief sought. The administrative official from whom the appeal is taken shall forthwith transmit to the board of appeals all the papers constituting the record upon which the action appealed from was taken.
6. Stay upon appeal. An appeal shall stay all proceedings in furtherance of the action appealed from, unless the administrative official charged with the enforcement of such ordinance or local law, from whom the appeal is taken, certifies to the board of appeals, after the notice of appeal shall have been filed with the administrative official, that by reason of facts stated in the certificate a stay would, in his or her opinion, cause imminent peril to life or property, in which case proceedings shall not be stayed otherwise than by a restraining order which may be granted by the board of appeals or by a court of record on application, on notice to the administrative official from whom the appeal is taken and on due cause shown.
7. Hearing on appeal. The board of appeals shall fix a reasonable time for the hearing of the appeal or other matter referred to it and give public notice of such hearing by publication in a paper of general circulation in the city at least five days prior to the date thereof. The cost of sending or publishing any notices relating to such appeal, or a reasonable fee relating thereto, shall be borne by the appealing party and shall be paid to the board prior to the hearing of such appeal. Upon the hearing, any party may appear in person, or by agent or attorney.
8. Time of decision. The board of appeals shall decide upon the appeal within sixty-two days after the conduct of said hearing. The time within which the board of appeals must render its decision may be extended by mutual consent of the applicant and the board.
9. Filing of decision and notice. The decision of the board of appeals on the appeal shall be filed in the office of the city clerk or the zoning office if such office has been established, within five business days after the day such decision is rendered, and a copy thereof mailed to the applicant.
10. Notice to park commission and county planning board or agency or regional planning council. At least five days before such hearing, the board of appeals shall mail notices thereof to the parties; to the regional state park commission having jurisdiction over any state park or parkway within five hundred feet of the property affected by such appeal; and to the county planning board or agency or regional planning council, as required by § 239-m of the general municipal law, which notice shall be accompanied by a full statement of such proposed action, as defined in subdivision one of § 239-m of the general municipal law.
11. Compliance with state environmental quality review act. The board of appeals shall comply with the provisions of the state environmental quality review act under Article 8 of the environmental conservation law and its implementing regulations.
12. Rehearing. A motion for the zoning board of appeals to hold a rehearing to review any order, decision or determination of the board not previously reheard may be made by any member of the board. A unanimous vote of all members of the board then present is required for such rehearing to occur. Such rehearing is subject to the same notice provisions as an original hearing. Upon such rehearing the board may reverse, modify or annul its original order, decision or determination upon the unanimous vote of all members then present, provided the board finds that the rights vested in persons acting in good faith in reliance upon the reheard order, decision or determination will not be prejudiced thereby.
13. Voting requirements. (a) Decision of the board. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision twelve of this section, every motion or resolution of a board of appeals shall require for its adoption the affirmative vote of a majority of all the members of the board of appeals as fully constituted regardless of vacancies or absences. Where an action is the subject of a referral to the county planning agency or regional planning council the voting provisions of § 239-m of the general municipal law shall apply.
(b) Default denial of appeal. In exercising its appellate jurisdiction only, if an affirmative vote of a majority of all members of the board is not attained on a motion or resolution to grant a variance or reverse any order, requirement, decision or determination of the enforcement official within the time allowed by subdivision eight of this section, the appeal is denied. The board may amend the failed motion or resolution and vote on the amended motion or resolution within the time allowed without being subject to the rehearing process as set forth in subdivision twelve of this section.