Training
New: Planning Board Overview 2025
* Once completed: If you are in need of a certificate please send the request to: Planning@Jeffersoncountyny.gov
Planning Board Overview
Solar Energy Seminar
Rx for your Zoning Law
Airport Land Use Compatibility
SEQRA Basics
Sustaining Your Community Vitality into the Future
Managing Land Use on Highway Corridors
Spot Zone for Use Variance
Planning Boards and Open Question Period
Site Plan and Special Permit Process
Land Use Hot Button Topics
To find other instructional training videos provided by the Jefferson County NY Planning Department please visit: Jefferson County Planning Department YouTube
Additional Training Incentives:
Understanding Land Use in New York: The James A. Coon Local Government Technical Series:
Planning and zoning can sometimes feel like its own language, with equal parts legal code, technical manual, and logic puzzle. The James A. Coon Local Government Technical Series, published by the New York State Department of State, was created to translate that language into clear, useful guidance for local officials and community members.
Named in honor of James A. Coon, a longtime Deputy Counsel to the Department of State who devoted his career to helping communities navigate land use law, the series offers clear, practical guidance on nearly every aspect of municipal planning and zoning. Each guide is written in plain English (with only the occasional legal flourish) and is designed to help local officials, board members, and citizens alike understand how planning and zoning decisions shape our communities.
Below is a suggested reading order, starting with the fundamentals and moving toward the more advanced, specialized, and occasionally arcane corners of municipal regulation.
1. Creating the Community You Want
A perfect starting point for anyone new to planning, this guide explores the basic tools local governments can use to shape their future—from comprehensive planning and zoning to design guidelines and community visioning. Think of it as Planning 101, with an emphasis on collaboration and creativity.
2. Guide to Planning and Zoning Laws of New York State
The backbone of New York’s planning framework. This comprehensive reference contains the actual text of state laws that authorize planning boards, zoning, site plan review, and more. It’s the “rulebook” behind all the other guides and an essential resource for anyone who wants to understand where local authority begins and ends.
3. Zoning and the Comprehensive Plan
This guide explains why every zoning law must be “in accordance with a comprehensive plan”—and what that actually means. It traces the history of zoning, explores landmark court cases, and offers practical insight into how planning and zoning work together to create a community’s blueprint for growth.
4. Evaluating Zoning and Questions for the Analysis and Evaluation of Existing Zoning Regulations
These companion documents help local boards and planners take a hard look at their zoning codes to see what’s working, what’s outdated, and what might be unintentionally holding the community back. They include thoughtful questions, diagnostic tips, and ideas for modernizing local regulations.
5. Administration and Enforcement
Once laws are on the books, someone has to make sure they’re followed. This guide covers the day-to-day work of zoning enforcement officers, code administrators, and municipal boards. It’s a practical resource for ensuring that local regulations are fair, consistent, and enforceable.
6. Conducting Public Meetings and Hearings
A must-read for anyone who has ever sat through (or run) a public meeting. This guide offers tips for keeping meetings orderly, inclusive, and legally sound—while still allowing for productive public input. It’s democracy with a good agenda and a working microphone.
Every zoning law needs a “safety valve,” and that’s where the ZBA comes in. This guide walks through the board’s powers, responsibilities, and procedures, from interpreting zoning maps to granting variances, while reminding members to balance flexibility with fairness.
Once you know what uses are allowed, site plan review determines how they fit on the land. This guide covers the review process for development proposals, including design considerations, access, drainage, and aesthetics. It’s an invaluable reference for planning boards and developers alike.
9. Intergovernmental Cooperation (with Sample Agreement)
Communities don’t exist in isolation. This guide explores how towns, villages, and counties can work together on shared issues such as land use, infrastructure, and resource protection. It even includes sample intermunicipal agreements to help jump-start collaboration.
10. Municipal Control of Signs
Part constitutional law, part community character. This guide tackles the tricky balance between free speech and visual harmony, helping municipalities regulate signs and billboards without running afoul of the First Amendment or overwhelming the landscape.
11. Local Laws and Agricultural Districts
For rural communities, this guide is indispensable. It clarifies how New York’s Agricultural Districts Law interacts with local zoning and what municipalities can (and can’t) regulate when it comes to farming and farm-related uses.
12. Municipal Regulation of Manufactured Housing
Once known as “mobile homes,” manufactured housing is a vital and increasingly sophisticated part of New York’s housing mix. This guide demystifies the federal and state standards that govern these homes and offers sound advice for local regulation and park management.
13. Governmental Immunity from Zoning
Ever wonder whether a county facility, school district, or state agency has to follow local zoning? This guide explores the doctrine of governmental immunity and explains when and why certain public entities may be exempt from local land-use controls.
Sometimes, communities need to hit pause. This guide explains how to legally adopt a temporary moratorium on development while updating plans or regulations. It’s about taking a “time out” without stepping out of bounds.
15. Controlling Junk
Proof that not every land use issue is glamorous. This practical guide helps municipalities tackle problems with junkyards and abandoned vehicles in a way that’s fair, enforceable, and aesthetically sound.
