People who testify or submit written comments at public hearings on city or town zoning ordinances must declare whether they were paid to do so, and board of adjustment members and zoning hearing officers must disclose ties to entities appearing before them and are disqualified if they served as a board member or officer of that entity in the past 5 years.
Official title: public hearing definition; hearing officer
- September 12, 2026
What changes
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NowAnyone who gives testimony or submits written comments at a city or town zoning ordinance public hearing must declare whether they received compensation in any form to testify or submit the comments.
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NowA member of a city or town board of adjustment must disclose whether they have been a board member or officer of any entity that appears before the board.
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NowA board of adjustment member is disqualified from participating in any matter involving an entity where they served as a board member or officer in the 5 years before the hearing date.
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NowA municipal hearing officer must disclose whether they have been a board member or officer of any entity appearing before them, and is disqualified from hearing any matter involving an entity where they served as a board member or officer in the 5 years before the hearing date.
Who it affects
- People who testify or submit written comments at public hearings on city or town zoning ordinances
- Property owners and developers involved in municipal rezoning, variances and zoning appeals
- Members of city and town boards of adjustment
- Municipal zoning hearing officers
- City and town governing bodies and planning commissions
What you need to do
If you testify or submit written comments at a public hearing on a city or town zoning ordinance, you must declare whether you were paid in any form to do so.
What the law doesn't answer
- How or in what form the compensation declaration must be made (spoken, written, or on a form)
- What happens if a person does not declare compensation or declares it falsely
- Whether testimony from someone who was paid is treated differently
- What counts as an 'entity' or 'officer' for the disqualification rules
- Who enforces the disclosure and disqualification rules for board members and hearing officers
- Whether the disclosure rule applies to county zoning hearings (the text covers municipal zoning only)
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.