Salt Lake City Land Use Litigation Attorney
Larsen & Rico’s land use and condemnation practice focuses on obtaining governmental approvals for property use and challenging — or defending — governmental development decisions, including condemnation and eminent domain matters. With the considerable resources and legal staff available to local, state and federal agencies and departments, working with an experienced group of land use and condemnation trial attorneys is more important than ever, particularly with recent judicial decisions providing more power to those governmental entities than ever before. Our litigators have the understanding, insight and relationships with valuation experts, accountants, surveyors and others to properly appraise and value property and obtain a satisfactory solution.
With a wealth of knowledge and skill in land use and condemnation issues, Larsen & Rico advocates for clients before state and federal administrative agencies, in administrative proceedings and in state and federal courts across the country. Clients come to us with difficult situations that require a firm hand and a fierce attitude for zoning issues, conditional use permits, plat approvals, building permits and master plan development approvals. They also come to us for our experience in negotiating and litigating improvement agreements, completion security contracts, municipal development agreements and other agreements with local and state governments. We advocate for our clients in a variety of land use claims, including governmental takings, conflict of interest lawsuits, nuisance claims and zoning appeals.
Our Condemnation and Eminent Domain Practice
Our country may be one that strongly values ownership of real property — but we’re also a nation that wants access to roads, electricity, sewers and other benefits of modern life. Larsen & Rico represents both private landowners and public agencies in eminent domain cases. When working on behalf of governmental parties, public utilities and other public entities, we seek to acquire land for public use and determine just compensation for such property. We similarly represent private individual and entity landowners in defending their property from condemnation proceedings, seeking full and fair compensation for the taking — and often resisting the condemnation in its entirety.
In addition, when privately owned land is unusable because of regulation or government action, we litigate against the government to force it to purchase the unusable land in a process known as inverse condemnation. Our aggressive and strategic representation of our clients’ needs — and the experience and dedication to back it up — means we’re ready to fight for your interests regarding a condemnation, planning board meeting, trial or any other bloodsport.