The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act ("RLUIPA"), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(a)(1) and 5(7), provides that no government shall impose or implement a land use regulation in a manner that imposes a substantial burden on the religious exercise of a person, including a religious assembly or institution, unless the government demonstrates that imposition of the burden on the person, assembly or institution is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and is the last restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.
The City of St. Paul acknowledges that RLUIPA is an important and central aspect of its land use decisions, and is a primary consideration in processing and responding to land use applications made to the City.