Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Stanton, Kentucky

Stanton’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, moving, alteration or demolition of any building, including accessory buildings, inside Stanton city (zoning permit)

  • Zoning permit is required for all structures with a roof, and for fences, walls, patios and decks.
  • Dog houses under 18 square feet of floor area and under four feet tall are exempt from zoning permit requirements.
  • A zoning permit is required to construct or replace a fence (city ordinance 16-006 section 3); signs also need a permit when changed.

  exempt dog house floor area maximum: < 18 square feet (and less than four feet in height)

  “a zoning permit is required prior to the excavation for or the construction of any building, including accessory buildings”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Stanton city limits; the city administers its own zoning ordinance and zoning permits

  • The city's permit page cites the zoning ordinance by article and section (Article III).
  • The zoning ordinance copy located on the city's site is labeled 'Draft Zoning Ordinance 2024 4/11/24'; the adopted version and its effective date were not confirmed.
  • Ordinance applies to all lands within the corporate limits of the city.

  “when is a zoning permit required? (per zoning ordinance article iii section 310)”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Stanton city (agricultural A-1, residential R-1/R-2/R-3, business B-1/B-3, industrial I-1/I-2)

  • The ordinance copy is labeled draft; the official zoning map is a separate city page and was not opened.
  • District list taken from the ordinance text; full district schedule not opened.

  “651 agricultural district (a-1) the purpose of a-1 districts is to preserve agricultural endeavors and open space in stanton.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in a certified mobile home subdivision inside Stanton city (not general residential districts)

  • Lot size depends on whether public sewers are available.
  • All lots must front a public street with a minimum 70-foot width at the building line.

  minimum lot area, mobile home subdivision, no public sewer: >= 20000 square feet · minimum lot area, mobile home subdivision, public sewer available: >= 6000 square feet

  “no lot in a mobile home subdivision shall contain less than 20,000 square feet of land where public sewers are not available, or less than 6,000 square feet of land where public sewers are available.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle parks in Stanton city; RV occupancy on private residential lots was not established

  • RV parks are a conditional use in R-3, B-1 and B-3 districts, approved by the planning commission.
  • The minimum park size is five acres and each RV space needs at least 2,500 square feet, with 20% of lots as small as 1,200 square feet for tent campers only.
  • No recreational vehicles may be parked or stored in a residential front yard except in a carport, garage or enclosed building; the storage rule is not an occupancy rule.

  minimum RV park size: >= 5 acres · minimum lot area per RV space: >= 2500 square feet (20% of lots may be as small as 1,200 square feet for tent campers only)

  “recreational vehicle parks may be permitted as conditional use in r-3, b-1, and b-3 districts”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Type II and Type III manufactured homes used as dwellings inside Stanton city

  • Type III homes must be placed on an approved support system and permanently connected to approved water and sewage disposal.
  • Type II and Type III district placements were not fully traced; the district schedule was not opened.
  • Temporary manufactured or certified mobile home use requires a $25 temporary use permit and removal within 90 days at expiry.

  minimum occupied floor area, Type III manufactured home: > 320 square feet

  “type iii manufactured homes shall: i. have more than three hundred and twenty (320) square feet of occupied space”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Secondary residences in the A-1 agricultural zone inside Stanton city

  • Allowed as accessory secondary residences only on parcels of 25 acres or more.
  • The 25-acre requirement applies in addition to the acreage required for the primary residence; if more than one Type II manufactured home is on an A-1 parcel, the requirement applies to each unit.
  • Found in the Type II manufactured home standards; the rule for other accessory dwellings was not located.

  minimum parcel size for A-1 secondary residence: >= 25 acres (in addition to the acreage required for the primary residence)

  “the a-1 zone as accessory uses (secondary residences) on parcels of 25 acres or more; the twenty-five (25) acre requirement is in addition to the required acreage for the primary residence.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  New buildings inside Stanton city where public water and sewer mains are accessible

  • Applies only where water and sewer mains are accessible; the ordinance does not state a distance.
  • Where mains are not accessible, individual water and sewage systems approved by the county health department apply (see stanton-septic-permit-required).

  “wherever water and sewer mains are accessible, buildings shall be connected to such mains.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New access points to a city or county street inside Stanton city that are not tied to an approved building or zoning permit

  • Access drives are limited to 20 feet wide for one-way or one-lane use and 35 feet for two-way use.
  • Where the street is a state highway, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet written approval may be used instead of the city access permit.

  maximum access drive width, one-way or one-lane: <= 20 feet · maximum access drive width, two-way or two-lane: <= 35 feet

  “an access drive shall not exceed twenty (20) feet in width for one-way and/or one-lane ingress or egress. two-way and/or two-lane access drives shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet in width.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Zoning permit applicants for construction inside Stanton city, including sites in a mapped floodplain

  • Floodplain compliance is listed as a required item for the zoning permit application.
  • Floodplain permit application form exists on the city site; its terms were not opened.

  “3) city water office and/or county health department certificate approving proposed water and sewage facilities per section 880 of the zoning ordinance. 4) floodplain compliance.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Stanton city

  • A city business license is required for short-term rentals; applications go through the Planning & Zoning office.
  • Ordinance 22-002 is cited on the city site for short-term rentals; its text was not opened.

  “business licenses are required for any business (including short term rentals and mobile food trucks) operating within or that provides services to customers within the city of stanton.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit application process inside Stanton city

  • Applications go to the Planning & Zoning office at City Hall, 98 Court Street, Stanton, KY.
  • Requirements: completed application form, site plan drawn to scale, water/sewage certificate, floodplain compliance; signs need an elevation drawing.

  “what is required to obtain a zoning permit? (per zoning ordinance article iii section 320)”

Rules another office applies inside Stanton

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings and townhouses built inside Stanton city (state Kentucky Residential Code applies statewide)

  • Other residential occupancies (not single-family, two-family or townhouse) comply with the 2015 International Building Code and 2018 Kentucky Building Code under the same regulation.
  • Permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy are not required by the state for a single-family dwelling unless a local ordinance requires them; Stanton city's zoning ordinance does require a zoning permit (see stanton-building-permit-required).

  “the 2015 international residential code for one (1) and two (2) family dwellings (irc) shall be the mandatory state residential building code for all single-family dwellings, two (2) family dwellings, and townhouses constructed in kentucky”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Individual water supply and sewage disposal for buildings and dwellings inside Stanton city: county health department approves; city water and sewer superintendent also sets requirements

  • The city's permit page requires a county health department (or city water office) certificate approving proposed water and sewage facilities before a zoning permit.
  • Powell County Health Department service boundary for septic permits was not confirmed on an official page.

  “in every case, individual water supply and sewage disposal must meet the requirements set by the county health department and the city's water and sewer department superintendent.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Onsite sewage disposal for a building or dwelling inside Stanton city

  • Approval by the county health department is needed for facilities that are not connected to public sewer; where mains are accessible, connection is required instead (see stanton-utility-connection-water-sewer).

  “no building or dwelling can be constructed without water supply and sewage disposal facilities which have been approved by the county health department.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Individual (non-sewer) sanitation systems for buildings inside Stanton city where no public sewer main is accessible

  • Allowed only if the system meets county health department requirements and the city water and sewer superintendent's requirements.
  • Permitted only where the building cannot connect to accessible mains (see stanton-utility-connection-water-sewer).

  “in every case, individual water supply and sewage disposal must meet the requirements set by the county health department and the city's water and sewer department superintendent.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Stanton or Powell County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Stanton city
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Stanton city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings inside Stanton city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a site-built single-family dwelling in Stanton city's residential districts
• Setbacks — Front, side and rear yard setbacks for R-1 and A-1 districts in Stanton city

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.