Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Livermore Falls, Maine

Town of Livermore Falls’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Structures of 190 square feet or more inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The application must include lot measurements acceptable to the CEO, State Plumbing Code compliance if necessary, a plan or sketch, and septic-system location.
  • Year-round dwellings, seasonal dwellings, certain expansions, and other structures at least 190 square feet are identified permit types.

  structure-area threshold: >= 190 square feet

  “Any person, firm, or corporation, before erecting or establishing a structure equal to or greater than 190 square feet in total area, shall obtain a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Shoreland land within Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The finding confirms locally adopted shoreland zoning; it does not establish a townwide conventional zoning map.

  “The areas to which this ordinance is applicable are hereby divided into the following districts as shown on the Official Shoreland Zoning Map which is made a part of this ordinance:”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Livermore Falls shoreland zone.

  • The published district material establishes shoreland districts; it does not establish that these are the complete set of townwide zoning districts.

  “The areas to which this ordinance is applicable are hereby divided into the following districts as shown on the Official Shoreland Zoning Map which is made a part of this ordinance: 1. Resource Protection 2. Limited Residential 3. Limited Commercial 4. General Development 5. Stream Protection District”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Principal structures and tiny homes inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The principal-structure standard excludes principal dwelling units that are tiny homes.
  • Tiny homes are subject to their own 190-to-400-square-foot range.

  principal structure area: >= 400 square feet (Unless the principal dwelling unit is a tiny home.) · tiny-home area: 190-400 square feet

  “All principal structures shall be at least 400 square feet in size. Unless the principal dwelling unit is a tiny home. All tiny homes shall be at least 190 square feet in size, but no more than 400 square feet in size.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Each principal building, use, and dwelling unit proposed in areas served by municipal sewer inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • A lot must also have at least 100 feet of road frontage to be buildable.
  • Minimum shore frontage is 100 feet when applicable.

  minimum lot area: >= 10000 square feet (Areas served by municipal sewer.)

  “For those areas served by municipal sewer, the following standards shall be met for each principal building or use, and each dwelling unit proposed: a. Minimum lot area: 10,000 square feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Each principal building, use, and dwelling unit proposed in areas not served by municipal sewer inside Livermore Falls town limits.

    “For those areas not served by municipal sewer, the following standards shall be met for each principal building or use, and each dwelling unit proposed: a. Minimum lot area: 40,000 square feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • A dwelling destroyed by fire or natural disaster may be replaced within one year at the same location.
  • Shoreland zoning can impose additional applicable setbacks.

  road or travel-way setback: >= 25 feet (From right-of-way limits of a public road, travel way, or private road.) · other lot-boundary setback: >= 10 feet (For any structure.)

  “A 25-foot setback from the right-of-way limits of a public road or travel way, or private road except that a dwelling destroyed by fire or natural disaster may be replaced within one (1) year at the same location. Any structure must be setback at least ten (10) feet from all other lot boundaries.”

• Tiny homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Tiny homes on individual house lots where single-family dwellings are allowed, or as accessory structures, inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • All applicable land-use requirements apply.
  • Tiny homes must be at least 190 and no more than 400 square feet.

  tiny-home area: >= 190 square feet · tiny-home area: <= 400 square feet

  “Tiny homes shall be permitted to be placed or erected on an individual house lot where single-family dwellings are allowed or as an accessory structure, subject to all applicable land use requirements as single-family dwellings or as an accessory structure. [...] All tiny homes shall be at least 190 square feet in size, but no more than 400 square feet in size.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured housing on lots where single-family dwellings are permitted inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • All other applicable provisions of the Development Standards Ordinance apply.

  “Manufactured housing shall be permitted on any lot where a single-family dwelling is permitted, subject to all other applicable provisions of this Ordinance.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  A lot whose principal structure is a single-family dwelling inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • One ADU is permitted.
  • Shoreland ADUs must independently meet specified lot-area, frontage, and setback requirements.
  • Prior to occupancy, the owner must verify adequate water and wastewater service to the CEO.

  ADU count: 1 ADU (Per qualifying lot.) · ADU minimum size: >= 190 square feet (Unless the Technical Building Code and Standards Board adopts a different minimum standard.) · ADU maximum footprint share: <= 40 percent (Of the principal structure footprint.)

  “A lot where a single-family dwelling unit is the principal structure may establish one (1) accessory dwelling unit.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Private wastewater disposal systems inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The system must also comply with the State of Maine Plumbing Code, Part II, Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Regulations.

  “The Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) also serves as the Town’s plumbing inspector, Health Officer and E-911 Addressing Officer.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction of private wastewater disposal systems or nonpublic wastewater facilities inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • A written permit signed by the plumbing inspector is required before construction.
  • The state form must be supplemented with plans, specifications, and other information deemed necessary by the plumbing inspector.
  • A permit and inspection fee set by the Board of Selectmen is payable when the application is filed.

  “Before commencement of construction of a private wastewater disposal system or nonpublic wastewater facilities licensed by the DEP, the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the plumbing inspector.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Permitted private wastewater disposal-system work inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The permit is not effective until installation is completed to the plumbing inspector's satisfaction.
  • Underground portions must remain uncovered until final inspection.

  inspection response: <= 48 hours (After the inspector receives notice that the work is ready.)

  “A permit for a private waste water disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the plumbing inspector.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Buildings without public sanitary-sewer availability inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The private system must comply with the town ordinance and State of Maine Plumbing Code, Part II, Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Regulations, or use a DEP-licensed nonpublic facility.
  • A written plumbing-inspector permit is required before construction.

  “Where a public sanitary sewer is not available under the provisions of Article III, Section 2, the building shall be connected to a private wastewater disposal system complying with the provisions of this article and the State of Maine Plumbing Code, Part II, Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Regulations or to non-public wastewater facilities licensed by the DEP.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Buildings with plumbing that abut a street, road, or right-of-way containing or planned to contain a public sanitary sewer inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • Force mains are excluded.
  • Connection is at the owner's expense within 120 days after notice from the Superintendent.
  • A hardship deferral may be requested for an existing properly operating private system; a satisfactory existing private system may be exempt but is assessed a readiness-to-service fee.

  connection deadline after notice: <= 120 days

  “The owners of any building used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or otherwise contains plumbing systems for conveying water borne waste, situated within the Town and abutting on any street, road, or right-of-way in which there is now located or planned to be located a public sanitary sewer, excluding force mains, is hereby required to connect, at the owner’s expense, any said plumbing facilities directly with the public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance within 120 days after date of notice by the Superintendent to do so.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural and forestry operations in Rural Areas of Livermore Falls town.

  • The exemption covers the listed agricultural and forestry structures and land uses.
  • State and federal compliance requirements remain enforceable.
  • Commercial cannabis cultivation, non-accessory slaughterhouses or food-processing plants, and off-site commercial composting remain subject to existing permit requirements.

  “Agricultural and forestry uses shall be allowed by right in all Rural Areas of the Town. No site plan review, conditional use permit, or planning board approval shall be required for agricultural and or forestry operations.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision proposals inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The Development Standards Ordinance relocated the town's Subdivision Ordinance into Section 6.
  • Applications require specified ownership, parcel, zoning-if-applicable, acreage, sewage-disposal, soils, and abutter information.

  “The provisions of this section shall apply to all of the land area of all proposed subdivisions, as defined, located in the Town of Livermore Falls.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications for structures subject to Section 3 inside Livermore Falls town limits.

  • The applicant must submit acceptable lot measurement, Plumbing Code compliance evidence if necessary, a plan or sketch showing lot boundaries and structures, and septic-system location.
  • The CEO must not withhold a permit once all town-ordinance requirements are met.

  “Any request for a permit shall include an accurate measurement of the lot acceptable to the Code Enforcement Officer, and evidence of compliance with the State Plumbing Code, if necessary. The application shall also include a plan or sketch showing lot boundaries, and all existing or proposed buildings, and the location of any septic system.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Livermore Falls or Androscoggin County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Livermore Falls town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Livermore Falls town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Livermore Falls town limits.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Livermore Falls town limits.
• Building height — Structures inside Livermore Falls town 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Livermore Falls means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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