Zoning Justice Project Cases
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Connecticut family takes legal action after town threatens to ban them from having hikers on property
Connecticut family takes legal action after town threatens to ban them from having hikers on property.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Washington Physical Therapist Sues Leavenworth for the Right to Run a Small In-home Practice in Her Own Home
The town of Leavenworth, Wa. banned Nicole Bulow’s quiet, home-based physical therapy practice — while permitting nearly identical home businesses like massage therapy and salons. Now she's fighting back.
Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Retiree’s Construction of Dream Home Blocked by Nonsensical Zoning from City After Decades of Planning
Art Yatsko has been working towards a dream for the last 20 years. But as Art was ready to begin construction, he was told he could no longer build a modest single-family home in his neighborhood—it had been rezoned, along with every other open lot of land in his neighborhood.
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Lighthouse Sues Wenatchee for Shuttering Soup Kitchen to Satisfy Politically Connected Complainers
Lighthouse Christian Ministries is suing after Wenatchee officials revoked the soup kitchen's permit without warning, shutting down a vital resource that served 75-100 people daily.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Swim Instructor Sues After City Changed Its Tune and Banned Her Backyard Business
Libby Souder legally taught swim lessons in her backyard for years, then Columbia, S.C. changed its tune and banned her business.
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Maine Family Sues to Keep Chickens After City Ban
A family is using Maine's first-in-the-nation Right to Food amendment to challenge a small town ordinance effectively bans backyard chickens.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Home Auto Shop Owners File Constitutional Challenge After Township Threatens to Shut Business Following Dispute with Township Supervisor
A Pennsylvania man who has operated an auto repair business on his 16-acre property for 24 years faces shutdown from the township zoning board.
Code Enforcement | Fines and Fees | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Albuquerque Bookstore Owner Partners with IJ to Defend Right to Provide Safe, Private Shelter
Gil Kerley, owner of Quirky Used Books & More in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sought to address the city’s worsening homelessness crisis by providing a safe and private space for homeless people…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
She Spent Her Life Savings to Open a New Salon, Zoning Is Dashing Her Dreams
In Clayton County, Georgia, government officials blocked Khalilah Few from opening her natural hair salon—simply because they didn't think it’s the “right fit” for the neighborhood.
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Institute for Justice Sues Blaine, Minn., Over Illegal Denial of Permit for Family’s Backyard Home to Aid a Family in Need
A couple sought to build an accessory dwelling unit to rent at below-market rates to a family in need, but Blaine, Minnesota, unlawfully denied their permit.
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
With Winter Coming, the Institute for Justice Sues Kalispell, Montana, to Keep Warming Shelter Open
The Flathead Warming Center—an emergency shelter in Kalispell, Montana—suffered a cruel blow as winter approaches. On September 16, 2024, the Kalispell City Council voted 6-3 to revoke the Warming Center’s permit,…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Hair Braider Sues After City Blocks Her Business for Providing Too Much Competition with Existing Shops
In America, the government doesn’t get to pick winners and losers in the marketplace. Businesses compete, and the consumer ultimately decides which services or products they want. The idea that anyone…
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Michigan Couple File Lawsuit Against Brooks Township For Violating Michigan Constitutional Right To Open Business
A Michigan couple fight Brooks Township's ban on new cemeteries, enacted specifically to stop them from opening a conservation burial ground on their own property.
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
North Carolina Animal Sanctuary Fights Back Against Crushing Zoning Restrictions
Kimberly Dunckel founded Fairytale Farm Animal Sanctuary to rescue and care for animals on her 3.33-acre property, but Winston-Salem officials ordered her to close her sanctuary to the public.
First Amendment | Sign Codes | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
High school art class painted donut mural for bakery, town demands their work be painted over
Leavitt's Country Bakery Owner Sean Young filed a federal lawsuit against the town of Conway, after town officials demanded he paint over a mural that was created by local high school students last summer.
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Zoning Justice Project
Lawsuit Challenges Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability Law—A Law That Makes Building Housing Unaffordable
Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability law is making it unaffordable to build housing.
Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Auto Shop Fights City to Save U-Haul Business
A South Carolina town changed its zoning regulations and ordered a small automotive business to stop renting U-Hauls. The owners are now fighting back.
First Amendment | First Amendment Retaliation | Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Meridian Woman Fights City’s Ban on Living in Tiny Homes on Wheels, Which Has Left Her Homeless
Chasidy Decker is a native to the Boise area who wants to live in the tiny home that suits her.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Home day care provider sues city after officials shut her down over complaints from golfers
Bianca King is a single mother with two young children. Until recently, she was able to raise her 2-and 4-year-old kids while making a living running a small day care out of her home. But on Feb. 9, city officials—citing concerns of a group of nearby golfers (including former Mayor Joe Bain) that they could hear and see children playing in her backyard—shut her down. Today, she joined forces with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a lawsuit in state court challenging Lakeway’s near total ban on running a home business.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Mechanic Challenges City of Pasadena's Mandatory Parking Minimum
Azael Sepulveda recently purchased a new mechanic shop, but the city of Pasadena will not let him open until he provides 28 parking spaces, which he does not need. Azael has partnered with IJ to challenge is unconstitutional parking minimum.
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Georgia Nonprofit Fights City’s Ban on Small Homes
Tiny House Hand Up is a nonprofit that builds affordable tiny homes for people in Calhoun, Georgia. But the city of Calhoun’s unconstitutional ban on building tiny homes has prevented THHU from helping people in Calhoun achieve their dream of homeownership. But the organization is fighting back with IJ’s help
Housing Abundance and Affordability | Private Property | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
Sierra Vista, Arizona, Residents Sue City to Keep Their Homes in Place
Under the guise of “zoning,” the city of Sierra Vista, Arizona is threatening to kick residents out of their homes in the middle of a pandemic. With IJ’s help, these residents are fighting back to save their homes.
Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter | Zoning Justice Project
North Carolina Shelter Sues for Right to Offer Private Charity on Private Property
The town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina attempted to block the only homeless shelter in the county from opening its doors at a new location, relying on bogus claims that the shelter would be “unharmonious” with the neighborhood. After the shelter joined with IJ, a federal district court agreed they should be allowed to open.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
IJ Takes on the Fight for Owners’ “Right to Rent” in Wilmington, N.C.
Dennis and Peg Schroeder have invested substantial money in their home and chose to rent it out as part of their retirement plan. The city of Wilmington is trying to deprive them of their right to rent their own property. Dennis and Peg are standing up for their property rights, with IJ’s help.
Economic Liberty | Food Freedom | Private Solutions to Public Problems
Neighbors Challenge County’s Burdensome Regulations on Little Free Pantries
Thanks to a lawsuit she filed with IJ, Kathy Hay can now share food with her neighbors in Asotin County, Washington, using a “little free pantry” in her backyard. Before the lawsuit, Kathy wasn’t allowed to use the little blue cupboard in her backyard to help feed members of her impoverished community without obtaining government approval and following a list of unnecessary demands from the county health department.
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property | Private Solutions to Public Problems | Right to Shelter
Akron Homeless Advocate Sues for Right to Shelter the Homeless
Sage Lewis is using his commercial property to build a community for those experiencing homelessness, with the hope of helping them transition from the streets to permanent housing. The city of Akron is attempting to use its zoning code to shut him down, but he has joined with IJ to fight back.
Economic Liberty | Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Nashville Home-Based Businesses Challenge Burdensome Restrictions
Lij Shaw and Pat Raynor both run successful businesses within their own homes – one a recording studio, the other a hair salon. But one day, the city of Nashville threatened them with fines unless they shut their businesses down. Instead, they teamed up with IJ to vindicate their rights to use their homes to earn a living.
Private Property | Small and Home-Based Business | Zoning Justice Project
Land Grab in Dallas
Food Freedom | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
An Affront To Gardeners Everywhere: Miami Shores Forces Homeowners To Destroy Their Front-Yard Vegetable Garden
Miami Shores Village, Fla.’s unconstitutional ban on front-yard vegetable gardens prohibits homeowners from growing vegetables in their front yards. But trees, fruit and garden gnomes are just fine.