Fine for unauthorized change of use reduced

ATA/303/1996Court of Justice / Administrative ChamberMay 29, 1996Modified

Extracted by Omnilex

Omnilex summary

The case concerned a request to change the use of a chalet into a crèche. An administrative fine under Art. 137 LCI had initially been set at CHF 20,000. The court reduced the fine to CHF 1,000, holding that the appellant’s fault was relatively light because the change of use was ultimately authorized. The department could not invoke the appellant’s continuation of the crèche as a fait accompli to justify a higher penalty.

Omnilex headnote

Art. 137 LCI; unauthorized change of use and administrative fine: where the contested change of use is ultimately authorized, the offender’s fault must be assessed as comparatively slight. A penalty may be reduced accordingly. In setting the fine, the authority may not rely on a supposed policy of fait accompli arising from continued operation of the establishment to aggravate the sanction, absent additional aggravating circumstances.

Full text

Descripteurs

CONSTRUCTION ET INSTALLATION; GARDERIE; AFFECTATION; AMENDE; CHALET; TPE

Normes

LCI.137

Résumé

Demande de changement d'affectation d'un chalet en crèche. Amende de Frs 20'000.- réduite à Frs 1'000.-. Dès lors, notamment, que le changement d'affectation a fini par être autorisé, la faute du recourant apparaît comme relativement légère. La politique du fait accompli dans le cadre de l'exploitation de sa crèche bien qu'apparaissant critiquable, ne saurait être pris en compte par le département pour augmenter l'amende.

Keywords

change of usechaletnurseryfinefaultauthorizationfait accompliconstruction law

Extracted by Omnilex

Key legal questions extracted by Omnilex

Key legal question

Whether the fine for the unauthorized change of use of a chalet into a crèche should be reduced under Art. 137 LCI.

Extracted holding

The fine was reduced because the appellant’s fault was relatively slight once the change of use had eventually been authorized.

Extracted reasoning

The later authorization of the change of use diminished the gravity of the violation. The department could not rely on the appellant’s alleged fait accompli strategy in operating the crèche to increase the fine.

Fine for unauthorized change of use reducedAI generated