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

Town of Scarborough’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction and site work inside Scarborough town limits, administered by the town's Planning and Code Enforcement Department

  • Permits are required for construction, electrical, plumbing, heating and various other site amenities, per the town page. Fee amounts and exemptions were not located.

  “Code Enforcement processes and approves the required permits for construction, electrical, plumbing, heating, and various other site amenities.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Scarborough town limits

  • The index lists the building codes as town ordinances. The adopting text, adoption date and any amendments were not opened.

  “401 - International Building Code 401A - International Residential Code 401B - International Mechanical Code 401C - Building Code Ordinance”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Scarborough town limits: the town's own zoning ordinance (Chapter 405) is listed in the town's ordinance index and on its planning and codes page.

  • Existence of the ordinance is confirmed from the town's index. The current text of Chapter 405 was not opened, so district standards are not stated here.
  • Zoning-only topics are answered from Chapter 405 only where separately sourced; see unknown claims.

  “Town ordinances are our town’s laws. [...] 405 - Zoning Ordinance”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary housing and tenting or camping on land inside Scarborough town limits

  • The index lists a temporary housing ordinance (412) and seasonal tenting and camping ordinances (500 and 501). Their text was not opened, so the actual limits, seasons and permit conditions are unknown.
  • Do not read this as permission to camp. Confirm the rules in ordinances 412, 500 and 501 before relying on them.

  “During the period beginning on April 1 and ending on December 1 of each year, tenting and camping in camping trailers or otherwise shall be allowed within such district or districts as the Town Zoning Ordinances allow.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Scarborough town limits

  • Subdivision standards are in the town's Chapter 406 ordinance, which was not opened. Lot-split thresholds and exemptions are unknown.

  “405c - shoreland zoning ordinance 406 - subdivision ordinance 407 - septic tank sludge disposal ordinance”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development inside mapped floodplain areas of Scarborough town

  • The town has a floodplain management ordinance (405a). Its permit triggers, elevation standards and map references were not opened.

  “405a - floodplain management ordinance 405b - site plan review ordinance”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit applications for land inside Scarborough town limits

  • The page gives submission channels only. Review timelines, forms, fees and the step-by-step process were not published on the pages opened.

  “Building Permit applications can be delivered for review in the following ways: Email: [email protected] Delivery/Drop-off: Planning Department, Scarborough Town Hall, 259 US Route 1 Mailed: PO Box 360 Scarborough ME 04070-0360”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built homes inside Scarborough town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — New homes inside Scarborough town limits
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Scarborough town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Scarborough town limits
• Minimum lot size — Main single-family residential district and any rural or farming district inside Scarborough 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 Scarborough 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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