Mapleton, UT

Mapleton, UT: (Sep-01-07) Dan Sutherland, a snake breeder, brought a lawsuit against the city of Mapleton, over the city's denial of a permit for his business. Dan and Colette Sutherland moved to Mapleton with their ball python business in 2006. After talking to a city planner, Sutherland got a business license and started building barns to house the snakes and rodents to feed the ball pythons. City officials decided the couple needed more than a business license; they needed a conditional-use permit. The suit claimed that after 18 months of talks to receive a conditional-use permit for the facility, the request was denied. On Aug. 18, 2007 the Sutherlands filed a court appeal of the city's decision to deny them a conditional use permit.

In a settlement reached, Mapleton city agreed to pay Dan Sutherland more than $300,000 in five yearly installments through 2011 for losses incurred from an 18-month struggle to obtain an operating permit for his ball python business. As part of the settlement, Sutherland agreed that he will not attempt to relocate his snakes back to Mapleton. Sutherland currently operates his snake farm out of Spanish Fork, and has no immediate plans to leave the area. As a condition of the settlement, the Sutherlands agreed to drop the appeal in 4th District Court and will not file a civil suit for damages. [DAILY HERALD: SNAKE PERMIT]

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Published on Sep-5-07