Jackson, WY, homeowners sue Teton County over $25k permit shakedown

Jackson, WY; May 21, 2025: Wyoming homeowners Trey and Shelby Scharp are suing Teton County, WY, in federal court over excessive and unlawful permit fees the County demanded before allowing them to build a home. Their lawsuit argues that Teton County’s “workforce housing” fees only increase the cost of housing for homeowners, are completely unrelated to their permit, and violate well-established Supreme Court precedents prohibiting governments from extorting money from property owners.  

“The Scharp family was required to pay a ‘workforce housing’” fee, despite being told they could not build rental housing on their property. These fees don’t make housing cheaper for anyone; they just drive up costs to create housing,” said Austin Waisanen, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation. “The Constitution is clear that governments cannot compel homebuilders to pay excessive fees for problems they do not create.” 

Despite navigating a maze of zoning and permitting hurdles, the Scharps were forced to pay a $25,000 “workforce housing” fee intended to help workers in Jackson Hole. But the County also blocked the Scharps’ efforts to include a rental unit on the property, which would have directly helped address worker housing. 

Represented by Pacific Legal Foundation free of charge, the Scharp family is fighting back with a federal lawsuit. This case is the latest in PLF’s work protecting the right to build, so that property owners can create much-needed housing across the country.   

The case is Shelby and Trey Scharp v. Teton County.