Bolthole Index

Cumberland County, Maine

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Town of Windham, Maine

The Town of Windham, Maine, in Cumberland County, requires a building permit for most construction and issues it through its own Code Enforcement Office12. Windham also adopts and administers its own zoning under Chapter 120 of the Town code3. Septic permits are issued by a Licensed Plumbing Inspector under Maine CDC rules, not by the county4.

At a glance

Building permit
Required for most work; a few small structures are exempt1
Who issues it
Windham Code Enforcement Office, 8 School Road2
Zoning
Town zoning ordinance (Chapter 120), with district-by-district rules35
Septic
Permit from a Licensed Plumbing Inspector under Maine CDC rules; site evaluation by a licensed evaluator46
Manufactured homes
Maine law requires towns to allow them on house lots where single-family homes are allowed; new parks only in an overlay district78
Tiny homes
State law requires towns to allow a Maine-defined tiny home wherever single-family dwellings are allowed9
Driveways
State highway entrances need a MaineDOT permit; town road openings are a Windham question10

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Windham Code Enforcement Office

Building permits and inspections inside Windham; online permit applications go through the MyGov portal

207-894-5960 ext. 1

8 School Road Windham, ME 04062

Online permits →

Septic permits

Maine CDC Subsurface Wastewater Program

Sets the statewide septic rules; the town's Licensed Plumbing Inspector examines applications and issues the permit

[email protected]

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Windham, Maine?

Yes, for most work. The Town of Windham's building code requires an owner to apply to the building official and obtain a permit before building, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving or demolishing a structure, or changing how it is occupied1. Chapter 28 exempts some small items, including one-story detached storage sheds up to 200 square feet, fences not over six feet and retaining walls not over four feet1. Even an exempt structure must still meet Windham's zoning and floodplain rules1.

Maine's state building code, MUBEC, applies to all buildings built or renovated in the state, and each municipality decides how it is enforced11. We could not confirm from the Town's code how Windham enforces MUBEC or whether it requires a certificate of occupancy, so ask the Code Enforcement Office before you pour a foundation.

Who issues building permits in Windham, and how do you reach them?

The Town of Windham's Code Enforcement Office issues building permits at 8 School Road, Windham, ME 04062, and its phone line for questions and inspection scheduling is 207-894-5960 ext. 12. Permit applications are made online through the Town's MyGov portal2.

The Code Enforcement page also carries a notice about permit processing delays; check it before you plan a start date2. Cumberland County does not issue building permits for land inside Windham; the Town does. The county's own role in land matters is limited to recording documents at the Registry of Deeds in Portland, and its page for land outside Windham is at Cumberland County.

Does Windham have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Windham adopts and administers its own zoning under Chapter 120, with shoreland zoning in Chapter 185 applying on top of the regular districts3. The Town's districts include farm, farm-residential, light-density residential, medium-density residential, commercial, industrial, enterprise development and village commercial, plus overlay districts and contract zones5.

Rules differ by district. In the Farm-residential district, the standard minimum lot size is 50,000 square feet, and a country subdivision lot is six acres12. In the Farm district, the standard minimum is 80,000 square feet13. In the Light-density residential district, the minimum front setback is 30 feet, the minimum side and rear setbacks are 10 feet, buildings top out at 35 feet (agriculture, public buildings and church steeples are not limited), and buildings may cover at most 20% of the lot141516. Farm-residential setbacks are also 30 feet in front and 10 feet on the sides and rear17. We could not confirm a minimum dwelling size in Windham's code.

How do septic permits work inside Windham?

Septic permits for Windham addresses follow Maine's statewide subsurface wastewater rules: installing a new, expanded or replacement system requires a permit, except normal maintenance and repair6. The Town's Licensed Plumbing Inspector examines applications and issues permits, while the Maine CDC sets the rules4. Applications generally require a site evaluation prepared by a licensed site evaluator or professional engineer, and the permit is valid for work that starts within 24 months6. The system must pass two inspections, one before installation and one before final backfilling18.

State fees start at $250 for a complete non-engineered system and $200 for an engineered one, plus other listed amounts19. Windham's own sewer ordinance also makes it unlawful to build or keep a septic tank or privy except as that chapter allows, and it requires connection once public sewer is required20. Ask the Town whether public sewer reaches your lot.

Soils matter here: only about 1.4% of soils in Cumberland County rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system21.

Can you live in an RV, manufactured home or tiny home in Windham?

We could not confirm what Windham allows for living in an RV or camping on private land, so ask the Code Enforcement Office. Maine's campground rules cover commercial campgrounds and Land Use Planning Commission territory, and neither answers whether you can live in an RV on your own lot inside Windham22.

Manufactured homes and tiny homes are better defined. Maine requires municipalities to allow manufactured housing on individual house lots where single-family dwellings are allowed7, and to allow a Maine-defined tiny home on such a lot or as an accessory structure, subject to the same land-use requirements as a single-family home or accessory structure9. New mobile home parks in Windham may be located only in the manufactured housing park overlay district8.

Building a home in Windham: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm your lot's zoning district in Chapter 120 and check lot size and setbacks for that district5.
  2. Ask the Town whether public sewer is available, since connection is required once it is20.
  3. If private septic applies, hire a licensed site evaluator and apply to the Licensed Plumbing Inspector before work starts6.
  4. Apply for a building permit through the Code Enforcement Office's MyGov portal2.
  5. If a new driveway meets a state or state-aid highway, get a written MaineDOT permit; on a town road, ask Windham10.
  6. Schedule the two septic inspections and the building inspections your permit calls for18.

What stays with Cumberland County and the state, and what to check before you buy

Septic rules come from the state, and Cumberland County does not issue Windham's building permits or zoning approvals; see the Cumberland County page for land outside the town. Driveways onto state highways need a MaineDOT permit10.

Before you buy, ask the Town about floodplain rules, since Maine requires a Flood Hazard Development Permit where the community's floodplain ordinance applies23, and we could not confirm Windham's floodplain details. County-level figures give context: Cumberland County's effective property tax rate is 1.1%24, and its median property tax bill is $4,577 a year25.

Watch-outs

  • Windham's Code Enforcement page carries a notice about permit processing delays, so build time for review into your schedule2.
  • Whether a single manufactured home may be placed on an individual lot outside a mobile home park is not addressed in the Windham text we read; confirm with the Code Enforcement Office8.
  • Shoreland zoning in Chapter 185 applies on top of the regular districts, so a lot near water has extra rules3.
  • We could not confirm Windham's rules on fees, accessory dwellings, short-term rentals or private wells; ask the Code Enforcement Office or the Town's Licensed Plumbing Inspector2.

Sources

  1. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 28 Building Construction (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  2. Town of Windham Code Enforcement Office (windhammaine.us)
  3. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  4. Subsurface Wastewater Unit, quoted and re-checked
  5. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  6. Subsurface Wastewater System Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  7. Title 30-A, §4358: Regulation of manufactured housing (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  9. Title 30-A, §4363: Regulation of tiny homes (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Title 23, §704: Entrances to highways regulated, quoted and re-checked
  11. Building & Energy Codes, quoted and re-checked
  12. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  13. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  14. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  15. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  16. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  17. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 120 Land Use, Article 4 Zoning Districts (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  18. Subsurface Wastewater System Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  19. Subsurface Wastewater System Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  20. Town of Windham, ME Chapter 181 Sewers, Article III Required Use of Public Sewer (eCode360) (Town of Windham), quoted and re-checked
  21. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  22. Maine Revised Statutes Title 22, §2491: Definitions (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  23. Floodplain Ordinances & Permit Forms (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  24. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  25. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Windham

Town of Windham’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Building, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, demolishing or changing the occupancy of a structure in Windham town

    • Permit is required where required by municipal ordinance. Chapter 28 § 28-2 lists work exempt from permit, including one-story detached accessory storage sheds up to 200 square feet, fences not over six feet, and retaining walls not over four feet.
    • Exempt structures must still comply with zoning and floodplain regulations.
    • Exemption does not authorize work in violation of the code or other laws.
    “shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit where required by municipal ordinance.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Windham town limits: the Town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Chapter 120 Land Use).

    • Use and dimensional rules differ by district; see the district claims for the farm, farm-residential and light-density residential districts.
    • Shoreland zoning districts are in Chapter 185 and apply in addition to Chapter 120 districts.
    “to implement the provisions of this chapter, the town of windham is hereby divided into the following districts”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Land inside Windham town limits

    • Listed zoning districts include farm (F), farm-residential (FR), light-density residential (RL), medium-density residential (RM), commercial, industrial, enterprise development and village commercial districts; overlay districts and contract zones are listed in the same section.
    “b. zoning districts. (1) farm district (f). (2) farm-residential district (fr). (3) light-density residential district (rl). (4) medium-density residential district (rm).”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Farm district (F), § 120-406, the agricultural district inside Windham town

    • Conservation subdivision lots connected to public water, or served by wells or a private system: 30,000 square feet.
    • Country subdivision: six acres; rooming house: four acres.

    minimum lot size, standard: 80000 square feet (conservation subdivision: 30,000 square feet)

    “(1) minimum lot size: (a) standard: 80,000 square feet. (b) conservation subdivision: [1] all subdivision lots connected to public water: 30,000 square feet. [2] subdivision served by wells or a private system: 30,000 square feet. (c) country subdivision: six acres. (d) rooming house: four acres.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — Farm-residential district (FR), § 120-407, the rural-residential district inside Windham town
      “(1) minimum lot size: (a) standard: 50,000 square feet. (b) conservation subdivision: [1] all subdivision lots connected to public water: 20,000 square feet. [2] subdivision served by wells or a private system: 20,000 square feet. (c) country subdivision: six acres.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Light-density residential district (RL), § 120-408, inside Windham town

    • Front setback may be reduced to the average setback of existing buildings on the lots to either side.
    • Conservation subdivision: front setback 25 feet; side and rear setbacks 10 feet.

    minimum front setback, standard: 30 feet (may be reduced to the average setback of adjacent existing buildings) · minimum side setback: 10 feet · minimum rear setback: 10 feet

    “(5) minimum side setback: 10 feet. (6) minimum rear setback: 10 feet. (7) maximum building height: 35 feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Light-density residential district (RL), § 120-408, inside Windham town

    • Other coverage limits in Article 5 performance standards were not read.

    maximum building coverage: <= 20 percent

    “(7) maximum building height: 35 feet. (a) agriculture, public buildings, church steeples: no limit. (8) maximum building coverage: 20%.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Light-density residential district (RL), § 120-408, inside Windham town

    • Agriculture, public buildings and church steeples: no limit.

    maximum building height: <= 35 feet (agriculture, public buildings, church steeples: no limit)

    “(7) maximum building height: 35 feet. (a) agriculture, public buildings, church steeples: no limit.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    New mobile home parks inside Windham town

    • Mobile home parks are allowed only in the manufactured housing park overlay district (mhpo), delineated on the official land use map.
    • Individual lots in an approved mobile home park may not be sold unless the park status is changed with planning board approval.
    • Whether a single mobile home may be placed on an individual lot outside a park was not addressed in the text read.
    “(1) applicability. new mobile home parks may be located, and existing parks expanded, only in the manufactured housing park overlay district (mhpo). this overlay district is delineated on the town's official land use map. (2) sale of individual lots. the sale of any individual lot or lots in an approved mobile home park is prohibited unless the status of the park as a whole is changed, with the approval of the planning board, to other permissible residential uses under the provisions of this chapter.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Privies, septic tanks and cesspools serving buildings in Windham town

    • The prohibition applies except as hereinafter provided in the chapter; the exceptions (private systems meeting Article IV and state requirements) were not read in full.
    • Once a public sewer connection is required, the owner must connect (see utility_connection claim).
    “c. except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the disposal of wastewater.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Windham town
  • Building code adopted — Building construction inside Windham town
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Windham town
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings inside Windham town
  • Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Windham town
14 more unanswered
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Windham publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Cumberland County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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