Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Long Island, Maine

Town of Long Island’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Storage sheds up to 100 sq ft and temporary habitation structures inside Long Island town; general new-construction permit rule not located

  • Storage shed of 100 sq ft or less requires a no-fee building permit and cannot be used for habitation.
  • Temporary habitation or storage of a temporary structure requires a CEO permit.

  “one storage shed with a footprint of not more than one hundred (100) square feet shall be permitted on a lot and shall be exempt from side and rear setbacks and shall require a no fee building permit. storage sheds shall not be used for human habitation.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Long Island town limits: the town's own Land Use Ordinance (Chapter 14) with its zoning map

  • Zoning map is the one-sheet Zoning Map of the Town of Long Island dated July 1, 1993, as amended and adopted as part of Article 1.
  • Uses not expressly enumerated as permitted or conditional uses are prohibited (section 1.7).

  “uses that are not expressly enumerated herein as either permitted uses or conditional uses are prohibited.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Long Island town limits: zone classes under Chapter 14 section 3.1

  • Zones listed: Island Residential (IR-1), Island Residential (IR-2), Recreation and Open Space (R-OS), Island Business (I-B), Shoreland Overlay (Article 4), Resource Protection (R-P).
  • District-by-district standards are in Articles 3 and 4 of the ordinance.

  “the town is hereby divided into the following classes of zones: island residential zone (ir-1) island residential zone (ir-2) recreation and open space zone(r-os) island business zone (i-b) shoreland overlay zone (article 4) resource protection zone (r-p)”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots inside the IR-1 Island Residential Zone (low-intensity residential and rural district) in Long Island town

  • Animal raising requires three (3) acres.
  • Lodging houses require 60,000 sq ft for up to six rooms plus 10,000 sq ft for each additional room over six.
  • Where an existing subsurface wastewater system serving an existing structure requires replacement, the replacement system must meet the Maine subsurface wastewater disposal rules and the land area requirement does not apply.
  • Applies except as provided in Article 6 (nonconforming structures, uses and lots).

  minimum lot size: 60000 square feet (animal raising (3 acres) and lodging houses have separate minimums; Article 6 nonconforming lots)

  “a. sixty thousand (60,000) square feet for all permitted uses except for animal raising and lodging houses.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots inside the IR-2 Island Residential Zone (village residential district) in Long Island town

    “a. sixty thousand (60,000) square feet for all permitted uses except for animal raising and lodging houses.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal and accessory structures in the IR-1 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

  • Storage sheds up to 100 sq ft are exempt from side and rear setbacks (Chapter 14 Article 3 storage shed provision).

  front yard setback: 30 feet · rear yard setback: 30 feet · side yard setback: 20 feet

  “a. front yard: principal or accessory structures: thirty (30) feet. b. rear yard: principal or accessory structures: thirty (30) feet. c. side yard: principal or accessory structures: twenty (20) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal and accessory structures in the IR-2 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

    “a. front yard: principal or accessory structures: thirty (30) feet. b. rear yard: principal or accessory structures: thirty (30) feet. c. side yard: principal or accessory structures: twenty (20) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the IR-1 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

  • Coverage is measured against the contiguous area of the lot to be built upon or otherwise improved.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 15 percent (combined area of all structures including accessory structures)

  “(4) maximum lot coverage: the combined area of all structures, including accessory structures, shall not cover more than 15% of the contiguous area of the lot which is to be built upon or otherwise improved.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the IR-2 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

    “(4) maximum lot coverage: the combined area of all structures, including accessory structures, shall not cover more than 15% of the area of the lot which is to be built upon or otherwise improved.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the IR-1 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

  • Height is measured by the ordinance's building height definition (Article 2).

  maximum principal or attached structure height: <= 35 feet · maximum accessory detached structure height: <= 18 feet

  “(6) maximum structure height: principal or attached structure: thirty-five (35) feet. accessory detached structure: eighteen (18) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Structures in the IR-2 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

    “(6) maximum structure height: principal or attached structure: thirty-five (35) feet. accessory detached structure: eighteen (18) feet.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary tenting on private land in the IR-1 and IR-2 residential zones in Long Island town

  • Limited to one tent accessory to a principal residential use.
  • Requires adequate water supplies and sanitation facilities in connection with the principal residential use.
  • Campgrounds and individual private campsites are not covered by this provision.

  “temporary private tenting with one (1) tent accessory to a principal residential use provided that adequate water supplies and sanitation facilities are available in connection with the principal residential use”

• Manufactured homesProhibited

  Mobile home or manufactured housing units as a single-family dwelling in the IR-2 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

  • The single-family dwelling permitted use expressly excludes mobile home manufactured housing units.
  • Uses not expressly enumerated as permitted or conditional are prohibited (section 1.7).

  “(1) one single-family dwelling per lot, excluding mobile home manufactured housing units.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in the IR-1 Island Residential Zone in Long Island town

  • Listed as a conditional use: the following uses are permitted only upon the issuance of a conditional use permit by the planning board (Article 14).
  • ADU defined as an efficiency or one-bedroom unit clearly secondary to the owner-occupied residence, housing not more than two people, one or both related by blood, marriage or adoption to the primary residents.

  “k. accessory dwelling units. (adopted may 12, 2007) l. agriculture (adopted may 14, 2016)”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Long Island town

  • Subdivisions are governed by Chapter 14 Article 11 (Subdivisions); the article text was not opened.
  • Lots must meet district minimum lot size and dimensional rules.

  “this article shall govern each and every subdivision of land within the limits of the town unless specifically exempted in this article 11.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Lots or portions of lots in a flood hazard zone inside Long Island town

  • Lots in a flood hazard zone are subject to Article 12 (floodplain standards) in addition to Article 4 shoreland standards where a shoreland zone also applies.
  • Article 12 text was not opened.

  “any lot or portion of a lot located in a shoreland zone as identified on the town shoreland zoning map or in a flood hazard zone shall be subject to the requirements of article 4 (shoreland zoning district standards) and article 12 (floodplain standards).”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Permits for temporary structures inside Long Island town

  • Fee is set by the selectmen; no published schedule was opened.
  • Storage sheds require a no-fee building permit.

  “the fee shall be determined by the selectmen.”

• Permit processPartial

  Land use permits inside Long Island town

  • Temporary structure permits are issued by the Code Enforcement Officer (CEO).
  • Conditional uses require a Planning Board conditional use permit under Article 14.
  • Site plan review is under Article 10.

  “c. conditional uses: the following uses are permitted only upon the issuance of a conditional use permit by the planning board, subject to the provisions of article 14 (planning board) of this chapter and any special provisions, standards or requirements specified below:”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Long Island town
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Long Island town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Long Island town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Long Island town
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Long Island 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Long Island 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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