Charles and Eli Copley own 50 acres of land in rural Roxbury, Connecticut. They want to raise their three young children on the property and give them access to acres of outdoors space.
The couple developed a forest management plan, which was approved by the town. Part of that plan is for them to welcome hikers onto their property to keep low growth vegetation at bay. But in 2025, the town sent them a “possible notice of violation,” arguing that this use was against the town’s zoning code, without citing a specific law that was being violated.
In August 2026, the Copleys teamed up with IJ to take legal action against the town’s zoning abuse.
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Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property | Zoning Justice Project
Connecticut family takes legal action after town threatens to ban them from having hikers on property
Charles and Eli Copley believed they found their dream home when they purchased a beautiful fixer-upper cottage on a 50-acre plot of land in the town of Roxbury, Connecticut, in 2022. Intent on turning…