Greenlawn Trailer Sales Co. v. Bd. of Building Standards

367 N.E.2d 887, 51 Ohio App. 2d 161, 5 Ohio Op. 3d 314, 1976 Ohio App. LEXIS 5889
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 21, 1976
Docket76AP-32
StatusPublished

This text of 367 N.E.2d 887 (Greenlawn Trailer Sales Co. v. Bd. of Building Standards) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greenlawn Trailer Sales Co. v. Bd. of Building Standards, 367 N.E.2d 887, 51 Ohio App. 2d 161, 5 Ohio Op. 3d 314, 1976 Ohio App. LEXIS 5889 (Ohio Ct. App. 1976).

Opinions

McCormac, J.

Greenlawn Trailer Sales Company and Greenlawn Eealty Company filed a complaint in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas against the Board of Building Standards and its members, alleging that the board had adopted regulations pertaining to mobile homes that are unreasonable and unlawful. Greenlawn Trailer Sales Company is a licensed motor vehicle dealer, selling house trailers, and Greenlawn Eealty Company is a licensed house trailer park operator, renting house trailer park spaces. The action was brought pursuant to E. C. 3781.14, as an appeal from the hearing by the Board of Building Standards, pursuant to E. C. 378L-13. No actual controversy was stated, in the complaint, to exist concerning the application of the regulations adopted by appellees. Plaintiffs, the appellants herein, requested that the trial court set aside, vacate and amend the regulations *162 adopted by the Boai’d of Building Standards and prayed for injunctions against the enforcement of certain sections therein. Defendants, the appellees, filed an answer denying certain'pertinent parts of the complaint.

The matter was submitted to the trial court for determination by summary judgment upon stipulations of counsel and briefs of the parties. The court found that the adoption of the disputed sections regulating house trailers was within the authority of the board and granted summary judgment for appellees.

From this judgment, appellants have filed a timely notice- of appeal, setting forth the following assignment of error:.

“The trial court erred in the holding that the Board of Building Standards of the State of Ohio has the authority to regulate the installation and tie-down of house trailers in a house trailer park licensed by the Department of Health, State of Ohio, pursuant to regulations adopted by the Public Health Council of the State of Ohio.”

During oral argument, the court inquired as to the jurisdiction of the Court of Common Pleas to review the rules and regulations adopted by the Board of Building Standards where no actual controversy exists. The parties have submitted supplemental briefs concerning this question. Appellees have taken the position that R. C. 3781.14 is unconstitutional, on the same basis that E. C. 119.11 was held unconstitutional in Fortner v. Thomas (1970), 22 Ohio St. 2d 13, and Rankin-Thoman v. Caldwell (1975), 42 Ohio St. 2d 436. Appellants contend that R. C. 3781.14 differs from R. C. 119.11 and that Fortner and Rankin-Thoman do not bar appeals under R. C. 3781.14.

In the Fortner case, the Ohio Liquor Control Commission-amended one of the commission’s regulations. A permit holder lodged an appeal under E. C. 119.11, challenging the amended regulation in the Court of Common Pleas,' although the permit holder had never been directly subjected to the application of the amended regulation. The Ohio Supreme Court - held that E. C. 119.11 cannot be used in a vacuum as a method of challenging the lawfulness of an administrative regulation, thus obtaining a jud *163 icial review of a quasi-legislative proceeding. The Supreme. Court further held that courts are confined to deciding whether the rules, of boards or commissions are reasonable and lawful as applied to the facts of a particular justiciable ease. '

In the Ranhin-Thomas case, the state fire marshal adopted rules and regulations comprising the Ohio Fire Code, and the division of forestry and reclamation adopted rules and regulations pertaining to strip mining and the reclamation of mined land. These actions were challenged, pursuant to R. C. 119.11, on the basis that they were unreasonable and unlawful. In Rankin-Thoman, the Supreme Court broadened the Fortner holding, declaring R. C. 119.11 unconstitutional, in violation of Section 4(B), Article TV, of the Ohio Constitution, in that its sole purpose is to provide judicial review by the Court of Common Pleas of quasi-legislative proceedings. The court held: that only quasi-judicial proceedings of administrative officers and agencies are reviewable by the courts. The court further pointed out that an action for a declaratory judgment may be entertained by a court in the exercise of its sound discretion where a justiciable controversy exists between adverse parties and speedy relief is necessary to the preservation of rights, which may otherwise be impaired or lost.

In this case, the jurisdiction of the trial court was sought under R. C. 3781.14, which provides, as follows:-

“Any person in interest mentioned in section 3781.-13 of the Revised Code who is dissatisfied with any action of the board of building standards adopted and confirmed by determination of the board as provided in said section, may commence an action in the court of common pleas of Franklin county against the board as defendant to' set aside, vacate, or amend any such provision on the ground, that the provision'is unreasonable or unlawful and' the 'said court is hereby authorized and vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine such action. * * * ” ’

That section is contrasted with R. C. 119.11, which, as pertinent,' provides as follows:

“Any person adversely affected by an ordei of an *164 agency in adopting, amending, or rescinding a rule or in adopting, readopting, or continuing a rule, amendment, or rescission previously adopted as an emergency rule as provided in section 119.03 of the Revised Code, may appeal to the court of common pleas of Franklin county on the ground that said agency failed to comply with the law in adopting, amending, rescinding, publishing, or distributing said rule, or that the rule as adopted or amended by the agency is unreasonable or unlawful # *

R. C. 3781.14 differs from R. C. 119.11 in that it is broader as to the permitted challenge of standards, as it permits declaratory judgment actions rather than only a judicial review of quasi-legislative proceedings. Henee, R. C. 3781.14 is not unconstitutional and its proper purpose should be given effect, which is to provide a forum for the review of justiciable controversies between adverse parties as to standards of the board.

However, in this case there has merely been the quasi-legislative adoption of rules and regulations which are being challenged by a party who fears that either the sale of trailer houses or the rental of trailer house space may be affected by the rules and regulations adopted. Appellants have not actually been subjected to an application of the standards. Thus, as in Fortner, the courts have no jurisdiction to decide the ease as presented.

As pointed out previously, a declaratory judgment action may be commenced in a proper case to determine the validity of the regulations herein, where a justiciable controversy exists between adverse parties and speedy relief is necessary to the preservation of rights which may otherwise be impaired or lost. See Rankin-Thoman v. Caldwell, supra, at page 441.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Fortner v. Thomas
257 N.E.2d 371 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1970)
Burger Brewing Co. v. Liquor Control Commission
296 N.E.2d 261 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1973)
Rankin-Thoman, Inc. v. Caldwell
329 N.E.2d 686 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1975)
State ex rel. Myers v. Chiaramonte
348 N.E.2d 323 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
367 N.E.2d 887, 51 Ohio App. 2d 161, 5 Ohio Op. 3d 314, 1976 Ohio App. LEXIS 5889, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greenlawn-trailer-sales-co-v-bd-of-building-standards-ohioctapp-1976.