State Statutes That Authorize/Mandate “Coordination” between state and local governments

This compilation of state statutes presents a guide to local governments seeking to establish a coordination process with agencies of state government.  The coordination process mandated for federal agencies by Congress in various federal statutes aids local government in gaining a critical seat at the table on issues relating to federal management and regulations.  But, at times the most critical impact on local economies and on social cohesiveness is felt from state management and regulation.

The purpose of this compilation is to present a beginning guide to the statutes of each state that require “coordination” between state agencies and local government.  It is not intended to be all inclusive.  When a local government engages in the coordination process, it can utilize the statutes contained herein as a starting point.  As to each individual and particularized issue, the local officials should check the portion of the State Code that governs the issue to see whether there is a coordination requirement.  If there is, the particular statute should be used as a base.  If there is not, then the general base of coordination provided by the statutes included herein will form the base for coordination efforts.

For each state, statutes relating to general comprehensive planning, water regulations, natural resource management, road and highway maintenance and control, livestock management, and the general police powers of local government are included.  Each local government utilizing these statutes should bear in mind that the “police powers” that are reserved constitutionally to the “people”, i.e., local governments, are those that protect the public safety, health and welfare.  The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution reserves those powers to the states and to the people, thus forms the inherent source of the coordinate role for local government.

For each state, statutes are separated by topic, moving from the general comprehensive planning provisions to specific topics such as water protection and regulations, natural resource management, road maintenance and control.