Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Elim, Alaska

Elim’s own rules

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Individual sewage disposal systems on land inside the City of Elim limits

  • The city must give permission before an individual sewage disposal system is built, altered or extended.
  • The system must meet the standards of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and other applicable law, as well as city rules.
  • Chapter 36 is stated to be required by articles 16 and 17 of a memorandum of agreement with the Indian Health Service. The DEC permit requirements were not verified because the DEC pages returned HTTP 403.

  “b. it shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter, or extend an individual sewage disposal system except by permission of the city.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, alteration or extension of an individual sewage disposal system inside the City of Elim limits

  • A written application to the city is required and must include the legal name and address of the applicant, a description of the property, and a sketch of the proposed disposal facility.
  • Approval by the city is required before the work proceeds under chapter 36 section 5(b).
  • State DEC permit requirements were not verified.

  “an application for a permit for the construction, alteration, or extension of an individual water system or sewage disposal system shall be made in writing to the city and shall include the following:”

• Well permitRequired

  Construction, alteration or extension of an individual water system inside the City of Elim limits

  • Requires city permission under chapter 36 section 2(c) and a written application under section 5(a).
  • The codebook does not define individual water system in the text read.
  • State DEC requirements were not verified.

  “c. it shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter, or extend an individual water system except by permission of the city.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit process for individual water and sewer systems inside the City of Elim limits; no general building or zoning permit process found

  • Written application to the city with applicant name and address, property description, and a sketch of the facility.
  • Council-approved system permit and an appeal path are provided in section 5(b), which was not fully read.
  • No general building or zoning permit process was found.

  “an application for a permit for the construction, alteration, or extension of an individual water system or sewage disposal system shall be made in writing to the city and shall include the following:”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Elim or Nome Census Area directly.

• Building permit — New dwellings inside the City of Elim limits: general building permit
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside the City of Elim limits
• Building code adopted — Land inside the City of Elim limits: adoption of a building or housing code
• Inspections — New dwellings inside the City of Elim limits: building inspection
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new dwellings inside the City of Elim limits: certificate of occupancy

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.