Court: Religious Developments Can Impose Otherwise Illegal Fees

RALEIGH — Do special rules apply for property developments associated with religious groups? The answer, according to the N.C. Supreme Court, appears to be “yes”, with the high court finding in an Oct. 9 decision that the “unique, religious community character” of a development associated with the United Methodist Church allowed for the imposition of fees on property owners under circumstances that would otherwise be prohibited.