Effective January 1, 2007 (Chapter 662 of the laws of 2006) the New York State Legislature has amended the General Municipal Law, Town Law, General City Law and Village Law to require four hours per year of training for each member of a local Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, including the county planning board. Time spent in training in excess of four hours per year may be carried over to subsequent years.
The training may be traditional classroom or other formats, including video. Reappointment to the local board is conditioned upon completion of the required training. The law also provides that each local legislature must approve the training provided to local board members but also permits the local legislative body to modify the training requirements in the “best interests” of the community.