Connecticut General Statutes Section 8-4c, effective June 10, 2021, requires all members of municipal planning commissions, zoning commissions, combined planning and zoning commissions, and zoning boards of appeals to complete at least four (4) hours of training by January 1st of each year. This requirement became effective on January 1, 2023.

Anyone who is a member of a municipal land use agency as of January 1, 2023 must complete four (4) hours of training by December 31, 2023, then must complete four (4) hours of training once every term (or once every four (4) years if terms are longer than four (4) years) the individual is a member of the municipal land use agency.

Members elected or appointed to a land use commission or board after January 1, 2023 must complete four (4) hours of training by one year of the date the individual was appointed or elected and then must complete four (4) hours of training every term (or every four (4) years if terms are longer than four (4) years).

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In other words, once completing the initial four (4) hours of training in the first year, members of municipal land use agencies will only be required to complete four (4) hours of training once every four (4) years, averaging one (1) hour per year.

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The law requires the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management (the "OPM")  to establish guidelines for such training in collaboration with land use training providers. The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the CFPZA and other non-profit or educational institutions providing land use training.

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The guidelines require that members of land use agencies receive at least one (1) hour of training regarding affordable housing. Members of land use agencies may choose to take training in other topics such as: reading site plans, surveys, and maps; aquifer protection; coastal area management: and good governance, process, and procedure.

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By March 1, 2024 A statement of compliance must be submitted by each municipal land use agency to said municipality's legislative body (e.g. Board of Alders, Town Council, Mayor and Council, etc.) affirming that training has been completed by all members of the land use agency by December 31, 2023.

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The training requirements under C.G.S. Sec. 8-4c initially seem more extensive than other statutory training requirements. C.G.S. Sec. 22a-42(d) requires only one member of a municipal inland wetlands agency or the staff of the inland wetlands agency to complete a comprehensive training program developed by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection annually. Whoever completes the training then must summarize new, pertinent information with members of the agency during a regular meeting. While only one member of inland wetlands agencies must attend one (1) hour of training per year, all members of municipal land use agencies must attend four (4) hours of training every four (4) years. C.G.S. Sec 8-4c does not permit one member of a land use agency to attend a training and share new information with other members of the land use agency during a meeting.

Training will help members of land use boards and commissions best serve their communities and may help municipalities avoid costly mistakes and litigation. But the hefty requirement may be taxing on busy commissioners and board members who are, after all, unpaid elected or appointed volunteers. The CFPZA, having provided vital training to members of land use boards and commissions for over 70 years, provides several easy, cost-efficient ways to ensure member agencies remain in compliance with their training requirements.