Variance and Appeal Hearing Officer | Weber County

Weber County, Utah is soliciting bids for a Variance and Appeal Hearing Officer through a contract procurement process with a deadline of February 12, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. The County seeks a Utah-licensed attorney with a minimum of five years of legal practice experience to serve in a quasi-judicial capacity presiding over hearings for variances from County land use regulations and appeals from final decisions of the land use authority, with potential additional responsibilities for appeals related to business licenses, code enforcement, and other County ordinances. The selected hearing officer will be responsible for ruling on jurisdictional matters, petition sufficiency, standing, timeliness, summary judgment motions, recusal requests, and pre-hearing motions; conducting pre-hearing conferences and hearings; performing legal research; reviewing briefs and exhibits; issuing evidentiary rulings; and drafting findings, conclusions, rulings, orders, and determinations. The position requires approximately four to twelve hours per month of work, typically involving one to two meetings monthly with an average caseload of one to two cases per meeting, though recent case volume has fluctuated from two cases in 2023 to twelve cases in 2025. Required qualifications include current admission to practice law in good standing with the State of Utah, ability to understand and apply relevant land use regulations and legal procedures, and ability to draft required legal documents, with preference given to candidates possessing prior appeal authority or judicial experience. Bid submissions must include documentation of relevant experience, education, years of practice and practice areas, hearing availability and designated meeting days, requested hourly compensation, and an actual written decision authored by the bidder pertaining to a variance, appeal, or similar administrative judicial proceeding. Evaluation criteria include legal analysis and writing skills, approach, experience, effectiveness, maintainability, cost, and overall ability to perform the requested services.

No set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise restrictions, or incumbent vendor information has been specified in the solicitation materials. Compensation for the Variance and Appeal Hearing Officer shall be paid at an hourly rate not to exceed $250 per hour for preparation, hearing time, research, drafting, and other stated duties, with the contract term extending for one year from the date of execution or as otherwise negotiated. This is a contract position providing no medical, dental, retirement, or other benefits, with the County's sole obligation limited to compensation for work performed pursuant to contract terms. Either party may terminate the contract with or without cause upon sixty days written notice. The County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive informalities or technicalities, cancel or modify the solicitation, and may conduct interviews with finalists and negotiate with selected candidates at its sole discretion. Submissions are required through the U3P-Bonfire platform.