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

Town of Strong’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Land use or structure activities inside Strong town's shoreland zone that require a permit under the shoreland ordinance

  • Applies to shoreland-zone activities only; a general building permit requirement for other construction was not confirmed.
  • Permit requirement depends on which activities the shoreland ordinance requires to be permitted in the applicable district.

  “b. permits required. after the effective date of this ordinance no person shall, without first obtaining a permit, engage in any activity or use of land or structure requiring a permit in the district in which such activity or use would occur”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Shoreland zoning districts inside Strong town; no general zoning district map was located

  • Districts are shoreland districts only: resource protection, limited residential, limited commercial, general development, stream protection.
  • The official shoreland zoning map itself was not opened.

  “a. official shoreland zoning map. the areas to which this ordinance is applicable are hereby divided into the following districts as shown on the official shoreland zoning map(s) which is (are) made a part of this ordinance: (1) resource protection (2) limited residential (3) limited commercial (4) general development (5) stream protection”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential lots inside Strong town's shoreland zone (residential per dwelling unit)

  • Shoreland zone only; no minimum lot size for land outside the shoreland zone was found.
  • Land below the normal high-water line and land beneath roads serving more than two lots is not counted toward minimum lot area.

  minimum lot area, residential per dwelling unit: 40000 sq ft (shoreland zone only) · minimum shore frontage, residential per dwelling unit: 200 ft (shoreland zone only)

  “a. minimum lot standards minimum lot area (sq. ft.) minimum shore frontage (ft.) (a) residential per dwelling unit 40,000 200”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle placement on individual private campsites inside Strong town's shoreland zone

  • Applies only to individual private campsites not associated with campgrounds in the shoreland zone.
  • Only one campsite per lot existing on the ordinance effective date, or 30,000 square feet of lot area within the shoreland zone, whichever is less, may be permitted.
  • Placement must be set back 100 feet from the normal high-water line of a great pond classified GPA or a river flowing to one, and 75 feet from other water bodies, tributary streams, or the upland edge of a wetland.

  campsite setback from great pond or GPA river: 100 feet · campsite setback from other water bodies, tributary streams, or wetlands: 75 feet

  “campsite placement on any lot, including the area intended for a recreational vehicle or tent platform, shall be set back one hundred (100) feet, horizontal distance, from the normal highwater line of a great pond classified gpa”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Subsurface (septic) wastewater uses that need a permit inside Strong town's shoreland zone

  • Strong's shoreland ordinance requires state subsurface wastewater disposal rules to be followed; the state rule text was not opened for this run.
  • Permit authority for plumbing sits with the town's local plumbing inspector (LPI) under the ordinance's Table 1 legend.

  “lpi - allowed with permit issued by the local plumbing inspector”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit application process for building-related activity inside Strong town

  • The town site publishes forms online (Building Notification Form, Building Site Plan Application); the step-by-step process and which permits each form triggers were not confirmed.

  “online services and forms atv & snowmobile registrations absentee ballot request building notification form building site plan application”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Strong town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Strong town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Strong town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Strong town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Strong 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.