In St. Paul’s Foundation and Shrine of Saint Nicholas the Wonder Worker, Patron of Sailors, Brewers and Repentant Thieves v. Baldacci, (D MA, May 21, 2021), a Massachusetts federal district court held that revocation of a building permit to assure compliance with the state building code is not covered by RLUIPA. Plaintiff, a monastery, sought to renovate a building to provide a space to brew beer, a chapel and and a fellowship hall. The court concluded that a building code is not a land use regulation or zoning law. Moreover, there was no substantial burden on religious exercise.
