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

Town of Industry’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings constructed or placed in Industry town, and expansions of existing buildings by more than 200 square feet, issued by the Industry planning board.

  • Exempt: small non-residential buildings, without plumbing, of less than 200 square feet.
  • The ordinance defines a building as any temporary or permanent roofed structure used for the shelter or protection of persons, animals, goods, or property.
  • The ordinance text shown on the town site states it is 'a revision and renaming' that 'will reduce the setback from 60' to 50'', and its history lists amendment on March 8, 2014; confirm the adopted version with the town clerk.
  • Construction in the shoreland zone or special flood hazard area is also regulated by the shoreland and floodplain ordinances.

  “a permit is required from the planning board prior to the construction or placement of any building as defined in section 5 of this ordinance”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Industry town's limits within the shoreland zone (land near Clearwater Lake and other shoreland waters) under the town's Shoreland Zoning Ordinance. The shoreland ordinance does not cover the whole town.

  • The shoreland zoning ordinance regulates land use only in the shoreland zone, not all town land.
  • The town's ordinances page lists a general 'land use ordinance' (6.32 MB PDF) that was not opened or verified; it may be the general zoning ordinance for the rest of town.
  • Shoreland zoning ordinance effective and amendment dates were not verified on an opened page.

  “b. limited residential district. the limited residential district includes those areas suitable for residential and recreational development.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Shoreland zone only, Industry town.

  • Shoreland districts listed in the ordinance table of contents: resource protection, limited residential, limited commercial, general development, stream protection.
  • The general land use ordinance districts were not opened.

  “b. limited residential district. the limited residential district includes those areas suitable for residential and recreational development.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  New buildings and expansions over 200 square feet in Industry town, measured from the center line of a road.

  • Applies only to buildings permitted under the Building Setback Ordinance.
  • Shoreland zone setbacks (water-body setbacks) are set by the shoreland ordinance and are not captured here; the shoreland ordinance dimensional table was not extracted.
  • Ordinance text on the town site describes the reduction from 60 feet to 50 feet as a revision; confirm the adopted version.

  minimum setback from road center line: >= 50 feet

  “all buildings permitted under this ordinance shall have a minimum setback of 50 feet from the center line of a road”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Plumbing and subsurface wastewater (septic) matters for land inside Industry town.

  • Industry's code enforcement officer is also the plumbing inspector and runs plumbing applications and a septic system permit search (town site).
  • Municipal ordinances may be no less restrictive than state subsurface wastewater rules.
  • The state Department of Health and Human Services subsurface wastewater rules apply statewide; the municipal ordinance cannot be less restrictive than them.

  “code enforcement officer; plumbing inspector jon arnold 207-242-3331”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction inside Industry town's special flood hazard area and shoreland zone.

  • Applies only to the special flood hazard area and the shoreland zone, not the whole town.
  • Floodplain management ordinance text was not opened; its permit terms are unknown.
  • The statement is in the building setback ordinance's note, not in the floodplain ordinance itself.

  “all construction in the shoreland zone and the special flood hazard area is regulated by the shoreland zoning ordinance and/or the floodplain management ordinance and additional setbacks and requirements apply.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Permit applications under the Building Setback Ordinance (new buildings and expansions over 200 sq ft).

  • Fee applies only to the building setback permit; plumbing and shoreland permit fees were not located on opened pages.
  • State law caps some plumbing and subsurface fees (30-A MRSA section 4211(5)); those caps are not Industry's fees.

  application fee: 25 USD (nonrefundable)

  “the application fee shall be $25.00 and is nonrefundable.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building setback permits in Industry town issued by the planning board.

  • Within 30 days of a complete application the planning board must approve or deny it.
  • Appeals go to the board of appeals within 30 days of a planning board decision.
  • A permit expires if work does not start within one year of the grant.
  • Process for the land use, shoreland, plumbing and septic permits was not published on opened pages.

  “within 30 days of the filing of a complete application for a permit, the planning board shall approve or deny such application.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Partial — Enforcement of the Building Setback Ordinance in Industry town.

    “this ordinance shall be enforced by the code enforcement officer appointed by the municipal officers.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder rules in Industry town
• Building code adopted — Building code in Industry town
• Inspections — Building inspections in Industry town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy in Industry town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Industry town, residential districts

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.