Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Tenakee Springs, Alaska

Tenakee Springs’s own rules

• Building code adoptedPartial

  All public buildings within Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • The adopted code is the Uniform Building Code, 1994 Edition.
  • Chapter 1, Volume 1, does not apply.
  • Design standards are snow 40 pounds per square foot, wind 100 miles per hour, and earthquake Zone 3.

  snow load: 40 pounds per square foot · wind speed: 100 miles per hour · earthquake zone: Zone 3

  “The City of Tenakee Springs hereby adopts the Uniform Building Code, 1994 Edition, for all public buildings.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Projects issued a Tenakee Springs building permit.

  • First inspection occurs once the foundation is laid out and before construction begins.
  • Second inspection occurs once roof framing is constructed and before roofing is installed.

  “First inspection: Once the foundation is laid out and before construction begins.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within the City of Tenakee Springs, Alaska.

  • The ordinance text and accompanying map comprise the city zoning ordinance.

  “This text and the accompanying map comprise the zoning ordinance for the City of Tenakee Springs.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • District boundaries are delineated by color on the zoning map preceding Chapter 07.04.

  district count: 6

  “The City of Tenakee Springs is divided into six (6) zoning districts: residential; townsite core; industrial; watershed reserve; commercial/recreational; and public use.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds, picnic areas, and parks in the Public Use District inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • The cited authorization is limited to the Public Use District and does not establish unrestricted private-land camping.

  “Within the public use district, those uses are: [...] campgrounds, picnic areas, and parks;”

• Manufactured homesProhibited

  Mobile or trailer homes, offices, or buildings anywhere inside Tenakee Springs city boundaries.

  • Violation is a misdemeanor punishable on conviction by a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment of up to 30 days.

  maximum fine: <= 500 USD (Willful violation.) · maximum imprisonment: <= 30 days (Willful violation.)

  “The City of Tenakee Springs herby prohibits mobile or trailer homes, offices, or buildings anywhere within its boundaries.”

• Shed and accessory-building permit exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Residential District setbacks inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • The exemption applies to fences under six feet, vegetation, lawn and garden accessories under 100 pounds total weight, gutters extending no more than six inches into a setback, and stated maintenance work.
  • Water and sewer lines do not require a building permit but require submission of a location drawing to the city.

  fence-height threshold: < 6 feet (Fences under this height do not require a building permit.) · accessory weight threshold: < 100 pounds (Total weight of lawn and garden accessories.)

  “Permitted uses that do not require a building permit: [...] fences under six feet (6’) in height;”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision land transfers and plat recording inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • A subdivision plat must be prepared, approved, filed, and recorded before transfer, sale, offer to sell, or contract to sell subdivision land.
  • A plat or document depicting subdivided land may not be filed or recorded unless approved by the Platting Authority.

  “before a plat of the subdivision has been prepared, approved, filed, and recorded in accordance with this chapter.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • The City Council sets the reasonable application fee by resolution; the opened code does not state a dollar amount.

  “A reasonable fee, to be set by City Council resolution, shall be charged for a building permit application.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  City building-permit applications inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • The applicant must first obtain applicable variance, encroachment, and easement permits.
  • The official must approve or deny a completed accepted application within 60 days; a complete accepted application is considered approved if no action occurs in that period.
  • Substantial construction must start within one year; the official may extend the permit after review; permits expire and are revoked if substantial construction has not begun within two years.

  approval or denial period: <= 60 days (After a completed application is accepted for review.) · construction commencement: <= 1 year (From permit approval, unless extended.) · permit expiration: >= 2 years (If substantial construction has not begun.)

  “The city building permit official shall approve or deny a completed application within sixty (60) days”

Rules another office applies inside Tenakee Springs

Tenakee Springs does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential District in Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • Minimum lot width is 200 feet.
  • The district also has stated side, front, and rear setback standards and exceptions.

  minimum lot size: 2 acres · minimum lot width: 200 feet

  “minimum lot size: two (2) acres; [...] minimum lot width: two hundred feet (200’);”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Townsite Core residential development in Tenakee Springs city limits.

    “minimum lot size: three thousand seven hundred and fifty square feet (3,750 ft2) up to two (2) single-family dwellings or a duplex;”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential District in Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • Rear-yard setbacks do not apply to mean-high-water property lines, subject to the adjoining-tideland-lot exception.
  • There is no setback at lot lines abutting rights-of-way with a minimum width of 30 feet.
  • Rear-yard setbacks do not apply to property lines abutting the Watershed Reserve District.

  minimum side-yard setback: 10 feet · minimum front-yard setback: 10 feet · minimum rear-yard setback: 10 feet

  “minimum side-yard setbacks: ten feet (10’); [...] minimum front and rear-yard setbacks: ten feet (10’);”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Townsite Core in Tenakee Springs city limits.

    “minimum front and rear-yard setback: five feet (5’); [...] minimum side-yard setback: five feet (5’);”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential District in Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • Height is measured from grade.
  • Roofline slopes that may shed snow on the right-of-way are disallowed unless adequate measures prevent it.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “Maximum building height permitted within the residential zone shall be thirty-five feet (35’) measured from grade.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Townsite Core in Tenakee Springs city limits.

    “Structures uphill from Tenakee Avenue shall not exceed twenty-eight feet (28’) in height measured from grade.”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Onsite wastewater systems inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

  • The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation administers the statewide Documentation of Construction process under 18 AAC 72.
  • The city zoning code separately requires DEC approval of sewage and wastewater disposal methods for certain multi-unit townsite-core development.

  “During processing, the Department will rename the site to the legal description of the property or the facility name.”

• Septic permitLimited

  Onsite wastewater-system installation or modification inside Tenakee Springs city limits under 18 AAC 72.511 or 18 AAC 72.611.

  • A qualified certified installer, approved homeowner, or registered engineer must submit notification at least one day before construction or modification.
  • Systems installed without prior plan approval must meet prescriptive construction standards, separation-distance requirements, and applicable facility-type and flow limits.
  • The notification is submitted electronically through EDMS.

  notification lead time: >= 1 day (Installation or modification under authorization by rule.)

  “This 24-hour notification must be submitted electronically through EDMS.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Tenakee Springs or Hoonah-Angoon Census Area directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders of structures inside Tenakee Springs city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Tenakee Springs city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Tenakee Springs city limits.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Tenakee Springs city limits.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Tenakee Springs city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.