Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Chapman, Maine

Town of Chapman’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings, uses of land and buildings, and sanitary facilities in Chapman town

  • Requirement is stated as applying according to the provisions of the Chapman Land Use Ordinance; the permit is required before the use or building proceeds, so status is conditional.
  • Permit types named together: plumbing permit, land use permit, building permit, and/or certificate of occupancy.

  “a plumbing permit, land use permit, building permit, and/or certificate of occupancy shall be required for all buildings, uses of land and buildings, and sanitary facilities, according to the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings, uses of land and buildings, and sanitary facilities in Chapman town

  • Stated in the same sentence as the plumbing, land use and building permits; the certificate of occupancy is one of the items required, so status is conditional.
  • Issuance steps for the certificate are in the ordinance administration section, which was not extracted.

  “a plumbing permit, land use permit, building permit, and/or certificate of occupancy shall be required for all buildings, uses of land and buildings, and sanitary facilities, according to the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land and all structures inside the boundaries of Chapman town, Maine

  • The Chapman Land Use Ordinance was adopted March 23, 2015 and takes effect from its adoption date.
  • Repeals prior zoning ordinances except the shoreland zoning ordinance of Chapman, floodplain management, and E-911 ordinances, which the ordinance does not repeal.
  • The ordinance is posted on the Mapleton town website, which hosts the interlocal Chapman documents; the copy was not checked against a Chapman town-hall copy.

  “the provisions of this ordinance shall govern all land and all structures within the boundaries of the town of chapman.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Present — Chapman town dimensional and use-permit rules, as the Chapman Land Use Ordinance (2015) administers them

    “no building, structure, or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building or structure or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, moved, or altered and no new lot shall be created unless in conformity with all of the regulations, unless a variance is granted.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Individual lots in a cluster development in Chapman town where no public sewer or community sewage system is provided

  • Applies only to cluster developments; the ordinance also provides a traditional-subdivision lot size, which was not extracted.
  • The cluster lot figure is a floor applying only when public or community sewer is absent.

  minimum lot size (cluster, no public or community sewer): >= 20000 square feet (unless a public sewer or community sewage collection and treatment system is provided)

  “unless a public sewer or community sewage collection and treatment system is provided, no lot shall be smaller than 20,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Individual lots inside a mobile home park in Chapman town served by individual subsurface wastewater disposal systems

    “lots served by individual subsurface waste water disposal systems. a. minimum lot area: 20,000 sf b. minimum lot width: 100 feet”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Newer (post-1976) and older (pre-1976) mobile homes on lots in Chapman town

  • Each use requires a permit from the code enforcement officer (CEO), per the ordinance land use table key.
  • Older units (constructed before June 15, 1976) may be relocated only if they were legally sited in town as of August 4, 1988 and meet all other design requirements.
  • Mobile home parks are a separate use requiring planning board review and their own lot standards.

  “mobile home, newer, post 1976 ceo mobile home, older, pre 1976 ceo”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Divisions of land in Chapman town into three or more lots within five years

  • The ordinance treats the first division as creating two lots; the third lot triggers subdivision review.
  • Exemptions exist where the subdivider keeps one lot as a principal residence for at least 5 years, or the division is otherwise exempt under the definition.
  • Subdivision procedures are in Section 4 of the ordinance, which was not extracted.

  lots created within a 5-year period triggering subdivision review: >= 3 lots (exempt if one lot is retained by the subdivider as principal residence for at least 5 years, or the division is otherwise exempt under the definition)

  “in determining whether a tract or parcel of land is divided into 3 or more lots within a 5 year period, the first dividing of the tract or parcel shall be considered to create the first 2 lots”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home in Chapman town
• Building code adopted — Building code for new construction inside Chapman town
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes in Chapman town
• Zoning districts — Named zoning districts in Chapman town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling in Chapman town

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.