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

Town of Phillips’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Phillips town limits: the town's own zoning ordinance is listed on the town's planning and code enforcement page

  • Only the existence of the zoning ordinance is verified here; its district text was not readable (the posted zoning file is a .doc the reader cannot open).
  • The town's ordinances page also says zoning is handled through the code enforcement page.

  “please see links below to relevant ordinances. addressing ordinance zoning ordinance subdivision ordinance”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots created by subdivision in Phillips town, under the 2008 subdivision ordinance (not general zoning lot size)

  • Applies to subdivision lots only.
  • The 20,000 square foot area is a building envelope that excludes 100 year floodplains, areas of two or more acres of sustained slopes greater than 20 percent, and wetlands.
  • Lot sizes must also conform to zoning district requirements, which were not verified.
  • The board may waive or modify minimum road frontage requirements (per the ordinance).

  minimum land area per dwelling unit for building envelope: >= 20000 square feet (excludes 100 year floodplains, sustained slopes over 20 percent, and wetlands)

  “the required minimum land area per dwelling unit for the building envelope shall be 20,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Spacing between residential structures in subdivisions in Phillips town (subdivision ordinance, not zoning setbacks)

  • Applies to subdivisions only.
  • Shore frontage and shore setback may not be reduced below shoreland standards.
  • The frontage and setback provisions for shore-adjacent subdivisions do not apply within areas zoned general purpose in the zoning ordinance.

  minimum distance between residential structures: height of tallest adjacent structure

  “distances between residential structures shall be a minimum of the height of the tallest adjacent structure.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into lots inside Phillips town

  • Subdivisions must follow the town's 2008 subdivision ordinance, including its lot, frontage, floodplain and spacing standards.
  • Lot sizes must conform to zoning district requirements.

  “lot sizes shall be in conformance with the following dimensional requirements: a. conform to the zoning district requirements.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Subdivision lots in Phillips town that include 100-year floodplain land

  • Limits the subdivision building envelope; the separate flood plain management ordinance linked from the planning page was not opened and may impose further requirements.
  • Flood hazard boundaries and 100-year flood elevations must be shown on subdivision plans (per the ordinance, not separately verified).

  “the building envelope shall contain a minimum of 20,000 square feet of land area which does not include 100 year floodplains”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Phillips town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes inside Phillips town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Phillips town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Phillips town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Phillips 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.