IMLA

Land Use/Zoning Webinar
2026-02-11 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Pickleball Courts and Zoning
Too often cities are becoming embroiled in raucous public meetings, adverse publicity, and lawsuits due to conflict between pickleball players and residential neighbors. We will review the rapid growth and genuine benefits of pickleball as a recreation for your city. We give a brief introduction to acoustic sciences and why this noise is different from tennis and genuinely annoying to the neighbors. The shortfalls in the typical noise enforcement ordinances are explained, as well as why pickleball noise is so difficult to quantify with a decibel meter. We will review litigation examples around the county as municipalities defend themselves from poor planning choices. We discuss the range of costly and difficult after-the-fact mitigation solutions such as noise barrier walls, limiting hours of play, and attempts to mandate quiet equipment. We review some of the zoning, planning, and permitting ordinances adopted in recent years and since the previous webinar on this subject, as cities learn to avoid a problem that is so difficult to correct once the mistake has been made.
Speakers: Charles Leahy & Kathleen Romito

Federal Funding Webinar
2026-02-18 13:00 - 14:00
Federal Funding: Navigating a Changing Landscape, Winter Update
Local governments across the United States are working to understand the implications of recent Executive Orders and other federal agency actions related to federal funding. This panel will summarize ongoing litigation, federal agency directives, and best practices for localities navigating this changing landscape.
Speaker: Michael Gaffney & Ana Schwab

Wellness/Ethics Webinar
2026-03-03 13:00 - 14:30
The Care & Upkeep of the Government Lawyer: Wellness at Work
Join Zee Bishop, senior counsel for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, as she shares wisdom from her time running her office’s wellness program to help listeners create a better balance between their careers and their own well-being. Zee will also cover where ethics and wellness overlap and address model rules 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.15, 5.1, 5.3, and conflict rules in this presentation.
Speaker: Zee Bishop

First Amendment Webinar
2026-03-11 13:00 - 14:00
Audit or Ambush? Legal Strategies for Navigating First Amendment Audits
Audit or Ambush? Legal Strategies for Navigating First Amendment Audits examines the growing trend of individuals who record government facilities and public officials under the guise of “First Amendment audits” and the legal, operational, and reputational risks these encounters present for municipalities. Designed for municipal attorneys and government counsel, this webinar provides a practical legal framework for assessing First Amendment protections, time-place-and-manner restrictions, and common constitutional pitfalls that lead to litigation. Participants will gain actionable strategies for advising municipal clients, coordinating with law enforcement and frontline staff, and reducing exposure while preserving constitutional rights in an era of constant recording and online scrutiny.
Speaker: Eric Daigle

Land Use Webinar
2026-03-12 13:00 - 14:00
Zoning Regulation of Group Homes and Residential Recovery Facilities: Lawful Techniques and Litigation Risks
Local governments increasingly face complex zoning questions involving group homes, residential recovery facilities, and other non-traditional residential uses. These matters sit at the intersection of local land-use authority, federal and state fair housing laws, disability rights protections, and evolving enforcement priorities, making them among the most legally sensitive zoning issues municipalities face.
This webinar examines lawful zoning techniques available to local governments when regulating group homes and residential recovery facilities, with a focus on how to structure zoning codes and enforcement practices that withstand legal scrutiny. The session will address the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related state law requirements.
Speakers: Mary (Molly) Costello & Leonard Reuter

Small/Rural Communities Working Group Call
2026-03-16 14:00 - 15:00
If you care to take part in this call, please email cstorer@imla.org.

2026 IMLA Mid-Year Seminar
2026-04-10 08:00 - 2026-04-13 12:00
2026 IMLA Mid-Year Seminar
Washington, D.C.: April 10 – April 13, 2026
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Click here to learn more about seminars.

FEMA Webinar – Free Live For IMLA Members
2026-05-06 13:00 - 14:00
Emergency Management in Transition: Recent Federal Changes and Local Impacts
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This presentation will provide key updates on recent federal law, regulation and policy changes in the field of emergency management and their implications for local governments, with a focus on disaster recovery, mitigation funding, and compliance requirements. This session will also highlight practical strategies for navigating evolving federal guidance and ensuring community resilience.
Speaker: Danielle Aymond

Telecommunications Webinar
2026-05-12 13:00 - 14:00
Telecom Law for Local Governments: A Practical Overview of Today’s Key Issues
This session provides a high-level overview of various telecommunications issues encountered by local governments, serving as an introductory survey of the landscape for municipal practitioners. Some of the major topics for this session will include:

ISM Band proceeding

The FCC is considering a Petition for Rulemaking filed by NextNav to reconfigure the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (“ISM”) band, which is heavily used for metering, polling, and RFID devices. Speakers will discuss the proceeding and industry reactions.

NEPA/NHPA

The FCC’s implementation of NEPA and the NHPA creates compliance obligations for many involved in the construction of communications infrastructure. Speakers will discuss the implementation of the statutes, the FCC’s current rulemaking proceeding that seeks to pare the regulations back, and compliance best practices.

911/NG911 transition and compliance issues

We will provide an update on several active FCC rulemaking proceedings that govern the reliability of the nation’s 911 system, providing 911 call centers with accurate location information of a caller, and requiring 911 providers to report 911 outage information.

Anterix Rebanding and pLTE

A brief history of the FCC’s realignment of the 900 MHz band (and Anterix’s progress clearing the band and leasing and selling broadband licenses), as well as an update on the FCC’s recent expansion from a 3/3 MHz broadband segment to a 5/5 MHz segment.
Speakers will also discuss private LTE network options in various bands, including T-Mobile, 450 MHz, and 1.4 GHz.

ROW/Franchising

An update on the status of federal efforts to remove perceived barriers to broadband deployments by imposing limits on state and local right-of-way and franchising authority.

Pole Attachments

A brief overview of federal pole attachment regulation and information on pending Congressional and FCC efforts to impose regulations on governing access to municipally-owned poles, ducts, and conduits.

Small Cells

A brief overview of federal limitations on local regulation of small cell and wireless permitting, including pending Congressional and FCC efforts to expand upon the FCC’s 2018 Small Cell Order.

Municipal broadband/public private broadband partnerships

A brief discussion of the key legal issues related to municipal broadband and public private partnerships.

Speaker: Wes Wright, Sean Stokes & Tim Doughty

Construction Law Webinar
2026-05-13 13:00 - 14:30
Complex Construction Litigation – Recovering Owner’s Losses via Counterclaims, Crossclaims and Third-Party Practice
Too often public owners are saddled with change orders, delay claims, extra work and additional compensation claims by their project contractors. Just as often, legitimate delay and damage claims payable by the public owner are the responsibility of other consultants, professionals or parties under contract with the owner. Sadly, municipalities don’t always pursue claims they should that are necessary to offset their payments to the contractor.
This webinar will help municipal practitioners identify and evaluate potential counter, cross and third-party claims in complex construction litigation. Additionally, participants will see examples of critical pleading language, litigation tactics and discovery “must-haves” that make claims prosecution more effective. Effective mediation and joint-defense and common-interest tactics will be discussed and participants will learn the use of case valuation techniques to value multi-party litigation. Finally, our trademark “traps for the unwary” will round out the presentation.
Speaker: Steven “Tip” Torres

Animal Law/Land Use Webinar
2026-05-19 13:00 - 14:00
Pet-Inclusive Ordinances & Policies That Keep pets With Their People and Save Tax Dollars
Housing is one of the main reasons why pets are relinquished to animal shelters. Pet restrictions, pet-related fees, and skyrocketing pet rent can also contribute to the unhoused, since most American view pets as family members and refuse to give them up. Housing pets in municipal animal shelters is extremely costly and sometimes tragic. Learn how cities and states are enacting ordinances, laws, and policies to increase pet-inclusive housing that also has financial benefit can prove lucrative for housing providers.
Speaker: Ledy VanKavage & Ross Barker

Employment Law/ Technology Webinar
2026-05-21 13:00 - 14:00
Risks of AI use in Employment: Framework and Regulatory Landscape
Risks of AI use in Employment: Framework and Regulatory Landscape examines the reasons for and results of increased scrutiny over the use of AI in employment decisions. The potential for bias in the algorithms underlying artificial intelligence tools can introduce these biases to the hiring process in a manner that may violate anti-discrimination laws. As formal federal guidance shifts, this webinar will cover areas where risk exists for employers and case law which has analyzed these areas. This will include litigation under Title VII, ADEA, and the ADA. This webinar will also cover state-specific regulations which have covered this area, as well as the transition in federal guidance. Participants will gain strategies for identifying and addressing these risks and preserving employee and potential employee rights.
Speaker: Jenna Throw

Home Rule/Dillon's Rule Webinar
2026-06-04 13:00 - 14:00
The Limits of Local Power: Navigating Home Rule and Dillon’s Rule
This session will explain the core principles of Home Rule and Dillon’s Rule, how they operate in practice, and how courts evaluate whether a municipality has the power to regulate in a given area. In addition to reviewing the doctrinal framework, the session will highlight recent legislative and judicial developments that have tested or reshaped these concepts, offering practical guidance for attorneys navigating an evolving landscape of local authority.
Speaker: Rob Bovett

Legal Writing/Technology Webinar – Free Live For IMLA Members
2026-06-10 13:00 - 14:00
Writing with AI
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This workshop will focus on ways to skillfully (and responsibly) leverage artificial intelligence tools during the legal writing process. We’ll cover both risks to avoid as well as helpful strategies to explore.
Speaker: Patrick Barry

Land Use/STRs Webinar
2026-07-23 13:00 - 14:00
Short-Term Rentals in the Courts: What Local Governments Can (and Cannot) Do Across the Circuits
Short-term rental regulation has rapidly evolved from a local zoning issue into a nationwide litigation battleground, with federal and state courts increasingly defining the constitutional and statutory limits of municipal authority. This program takes a case-driven approach, tracking how courts across multiple circuits are analyzing STR ordinances and what those decisions mean for local governments drafting or enforcing regulations.
This session synthesizes emerging doctrine across the country to identify consistent legal fault lines. It will examine how courts are applying traditional land-use principles to STRs, including whether short-term rentals constitute “residential use” or constitute impermissible commercial activity.
Speaker: Hilary McMahon

Public Comment Webinar
2026-08-04 13:00 - 14:00
Public Comment: The Good, The Bad, And The Legal
As Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) from the show Parks and Rec humorously stated: “What I hear when I’m being yelled at [during a public meeting] is people caring loudly at me.” This presentation will explore the benefits of public comment, some of the issues commonly associated with public comment, and what you can do to address those issues.
The webinar will provide local government attorneys with practical guidance on managing public comment in a manner that complies with the First Amendment, open meetings laws, and due process requirements. Topics will include permissible time, place, and manner restrictions, viewpoint neutrality, handling disruptive or abusive speakers, and best practices for advising elected officials and staff in real time.
Speaker: Todd Sheeran & Neal Falgoust

2026 IMLA 91st Annual Conference
2026-09-23 08:00 - 2026-09-27 12:00
2026 IMLA 91st Annual Conference
Salt Lake City, Utah: Wednesday, September 23 – Sunday, September 27, 2026
Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City
Click here to learn more about conferences.

2027 IMLA 92nd Annual Conference
2027-10-14 08:00 - 2027-10-18 12:00
2027 IMLA 92nd Annual Conference
Denver, Colorado: Thursday, October 14 – Monday, October 18, 2027
Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center
Click here to learn more about conferences.
