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

Town of Harrison’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Harrison town's limits under the town's Building Code Ordinance

  • The list shows the ordinance title and a date of 06/11/2019 without stating whether it is an adoption or effective date; the ordinance text was not opened, so the code edition and scope are not verified.

  “building code ordinance 06/11/2019 building permit requirements ordinance 06/10/2026”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Subsurface wastewater disposal systems on land inside Harrison town's limits. Under state law the municipality's plumbing inspector issues the permit; the state rules are applied locally.

  • The statute excerpt says the plumbing inspector issues permits and that the fee is established by the municipality; it does not name Harrison's plumbing inspector.
  • Harrison's Local Plumbing Inspector appointment was not confirmed on an official Harrison page.

  “the plumbing inspector shall issue any permit under this section upon receipt and approval of a completed application form as prescribed by the commissioner and payment by the applicant of the fee established by the municipality.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Harrison

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

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of a subsurface wastewater disposal system inside Harrison town's limits, under the state permit requirement administered locally

  • Permit is valid for work commenced within 24 months after issue.
  • The permit fee is set by the municipality and must be at least the state minimum.
  • Applies to the installation of a subsurface waste water disposal system or components.

  permit validity: 24 months (work must be commenced within this period)

  “a permit is required for the following activities and is valid for work commenced within 24 months after the permit is issued: [...] b. the installation of a subsurface waste water disposal system or components; or”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Harrison town's limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Harrison town's limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Harrison town's limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Harrison town's limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for the main single-family residential district inside Harrison town's 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 Harrison 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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