A state appeals court says a Fayette County man who holds three-day rock concerts as part of what he contends is an outdoor music church can be fined for violating county zoning rules.
William Pritts says the Commonwealth Court won't end his fight with county officials over what he calls the Church of Universal Love and Music.
Pritts' Bullskin Township property has been the site of concerts -- including a three-day Freedom Festival the past two Julys -- since 2002.
Monday's ruling upholds a decision by Fayette County Judge Steve Leskinen who fined Pritts 15-hundred-dollars last year for contempt of court for holding the 2003 Freedom Fest.
The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board denied the special exemption Pritts wants to allow music, fund-raising and religious events on the property. Board members based their decision on the noise level, the land's agricultural zoning designation and public safety concerns.
Neighbors have complained that Pritts hosts weekend concerts at his rural property, drawing hundreds of people and playing music well into the early morning hours.
Pritts has a Dec. 22 hearing scheduled before the county zoning board, at which he'll ask for an exemption to operate a church on his land.