Connecticut Couple Files Appeal with Zoning Board After Town Doubles Down in Hiking Dispute

ROXBURY, Conn.—Yesterday, Roxbury couple Charles and Eli Copley filed an appeal with the town’s zoning board of appeals after Roxbury officials recently doubled down on their argument that the Copleys cannot allow people to hike on their property for a small fee, without citing any zoning ordinance allegedly being violated. This comes less than a month after the Copleys and their attorneys from the Institute for Justice (IJ) sent the town a letter demanding clarity after more than a year of being held up in bureaucratic limbo.     

“We care deeply about Roxbury and its future, which is why we’re prepared to fight as long as it takes to protect our property rights and the property rights of everyone in Roxbury,” said Charles. “If the town can ban our harmless use without explaining what law we’re allegedly violating, what’s stopping them from doing the same to other people?” 

The appeal, which marks the beginning of the formal legal process in the case, argues, “[a] fair reading of Roxbury’s ordinances demonstrates that the Copleys’ intended use of their property for paid hiking and dog walking is permitted. And even if there is ambiguity, ordinances must be interpreted in favor of the Copleys’ property rights.”  

The Copleys bought their secluded, 50-acre property in 2022 and eventually began welcoming hikers and dogwalkers onto the trails as part of a forest management plan they developed with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. But in April 2025, the town sent the Copleys a “Possible Notice of Violation,” leading to more than a year of unproductive back-and-forth between the Copleys and the town. After exhausting all available options, including several permit applications that the town refused to consider, the Copleys teamed up with IJ to demand clarity.   

“The government cannot ban people from doing something harmless on their own property, and they certainly cannot do that without explaining what rule they’re allegedly violating,” said IJ Attorney John Korevec. “At least now that Roxbury has made its position clear, the Copleys can initiate a legal process to vindicate their rights.” 

Through its Zoning Justice Project, IJ fights for the right of people to use their property in harmless ways, free from unreasonable zoning restrictions. Last year, IJ won a case on behalf of a Montana shelter after local zoning officials sought to shut it down. IJ is also currently representing a Pennsylvania man whose decades-old home mechanic shop is being threatened because of a personal vendetta from a town official and a South Carolina woman whose business offering backyard swim lessons is being threatened by local zoning officials.