Harlan S. Stone

Area of Emphasis

Harley Stone is a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Public Sector and Energy and Natural Resources groups. He provides a wide range of services to municipal governments, authorities, and private developers, with an emphasis on municipal permitting, planning, land use, and zoning. A seasoned trial lawyer, Mr. Stone has many years of experience as a litigator in the areas of municipal law, employment law, eminent domain, and tax assessment appeals. Mr. Stone has represented public sector clients in eminent domain matters for municipal sewer, public park, and walking trail projects. He has also represented commercial business owners in connection with PennDOT condemnation proceedings and residential property owners in connection with natural gas pipeline condemnations. Mr. Stone has appeared regularly before the Allegheny County Board of Viewers, the City of Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment, the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission, and a variety of local government bodies. He has served as solicitor for two water and sewer authorities for over forty years and currently serves as solicitor for numerous municipalities, authorities, and zoning hearing boards in Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties.

Background

Mr. Stone earned his B.A., with honors, from Brown University in 1976. He received his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1979, where he was a member of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review.

Memberships and Affiliations

Mr. Stone is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Supreme Court of the United States, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, Allegheny County & Western Pennsylvania Association of Township Commissioners (AC&WPTAC), Association of Municipal and School Solicitors, and the Local Government Academy. Mr. Stone is a past president of the Rodef Shalom Congregation, the oldest and largest reform Jewish congregation in southwest Pennsylvania. He has been rated by Martindale-Hubbell as AV Preeminent, Peer Rated for the Highest Level of Professional Excellence since 2009.

Publications/Presentations

Mr. Stone is a frequent lecturer on government ethics, the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, and the Right-to-Know Law. Some of his recent presentations include:

  • Co-Author, “Public Posting 2.0: High Court Creates Test for When Social Media Posts Are State Action,” The Legal Intelligencer, April 12, 2024.
  • Co-Author, “Public-Posting:  Penncrest, Boyer, and the Release of Social-Media Under the RTKL,” The Legal Intelligencer, August 17, 2023.
  • Co-Author, “Court:  Pending Ordinance Doctrine Does Not Apply to Land Development Applications,” The Legal Intelligencer, December 22, 2022.
  • Presenter, “Beyond the Ethics Act,” Local Government Academy, Robert Morris University, Allegheny County, Pa., February 15, 2020.
  • Co-Presenter, “A Supreme Court Decision That Will Change the Way You Condemn Properties,” Allegheny County & Western PA Association of Township Commissioners’ Joint Fall Conference, Erie, Pa., October 5, 2019.
  • Co-Presenter, “Zoning of Tiny Houses, Air B&Bs, and Short-Term Rentals,” Fall Conference of Townships, Boroughs, and Authorities, Seven Springs Resort, Pa., September 29, 2018.
  • Co-Presenter, “Litigating Real Estate Taxes and Payment in Lieu of Tax Agreements for Tax Exempt Properties,” Pennsylvania Association of Housing and Redevelopment Authorities, 2015 Capital Conference, Harrisburg, Pa., February 23, 2015.
  • Co-Presenter, “The Legal Issues Making Headlines – Key Developments in Commercial Law and Litigation Updates,” DMC Commercial Law and Litigation Group CLE Seminar, November 20, 2014.