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

Town of Surry’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Uses and activities inside Surry town for which the Land Use Table requires a permit.

  • The Code Enforcement Officer issues building permits for uses and activities indicated in the Land Use Table.
  • The permit must be obtained before undertaking the covered activity or use.
  • A copy of an issued permit must be kept on site while authorized work is performed.

  “A. Building Permit - A building permit shall be obtained from the Code Enforcement Officer for uses and activities which are as indicated in the Land Use Table provided in Chapter 3, UDO – Section VI, Building Codes - subsection 2 (Scope).”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land and structures inside Surry town, Maine.

  • Land and structures must conform to regulations for their district or zone unless a variance is granted.

  “Except as hereinafter specified, no building, structure or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building or structure or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, expanded, moved, or altered and no new lot shall be created except in conformity with all of the regulations herein specified for the District or Zone in which it is located, unless a variance is granted.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts and shoreland zones inside Surry town.

  • District designation for a particular site is determined from the Official Zoning Map.

  “The district designation for a particular site shall be determined from the Official Zoning Map.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Post-June 15, 1976 compliant manufactured and mobile housing units on single-family lots inside Surry town.

  • The lot must have a pad or foundation suitable to prevent frost heaving, shifting, or settling.
  • The unit must be certified as post-June 15, 1976 construction or otherwise meet HUD and Maine Manufactured Housing Act standards.
  • The Code Enforcement Officer may not issue the building permit until the listed standards have been met.

  “Manufactured and Mobile Housing units, upon certification that they are of post June 15, 1976 construction or otherwise meeting HUD and Maine Manufactured Housing Act standards shall be permitted on single family lots in the Town of Surry.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Subsurface sewage disposal associated with proposed structures inside Surry town.

  • For structures not served by public sewer, the plumbing-permit application and site evaluation must be approved by the Plumbing Inspector before submission with the land-use permit application.

  “LPI - Allowed with permit issued by the Local Plumbing Inspector”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways for single- and two-family dwellings inside Surry town.

  • Average slope may not exceed 8% within 50 feet of the intersection.
  • The access-road intersection angle must be 60 to 120 degrees.
  • Travel ways must have a minimum width of 12 feet.

  maximum average slope near intersection: <= 8 percent (Within 50 feet of the point of intersection.) · minimum travel-way width: >= 12 feet

  “Driveways, roads, rights-of- way, or other means of access from single and two-family dwellings to public or private ways or roads shall not have an average slope in excess of eight percent (8%) within fifty (50) feet of the point of intersection.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Permit applications under the Surry Code of Ordinances.

  • Applicants must submit required information and a written application on municipal forms to the Code Enforcement Officer.
  • Applications must be signed by the owner or other person authorizing the work; a non-owner/non-lessee signer must submit owner or lessee authorization.
  • Planning Board materials must be complete at least 10 working days before the next regular meeting, and the applicant must provide 10 copies.

  planning-board submission lead time: >= 10 working days (Before the next regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting.)

  “Every applicant for a permit shall submit all required information as specified in the Code and a written application, on forms provided by the municipality, to the Code Enforcement Officer.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Surry

Town of Surry does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures or dwelling units in Surry's Rural District.

  • Net development area is determined under Chapter 3, III.4.
  • Road frontage is 200 feet where adjacent to a road.

  minimum lot size: 87120 square feet (Net development areas as determined in Chapter 3, III.4.)

  “(1) Minimum lot size: 87,120 sq feet of net development areas as determined in Section III, Performance Standards – General - subsection 4.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures or dwelling units in Surry's Rural District.

  front-yard setback: 60 feet · side-yard setback: 10 feet · rear-yard setback: 10 feet

  “(3) Minimum setbacks: 1. Front yard - 60 feet 2. Side yards - 10 feet 3. Rear yard - 10 feet”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures or dwelling units in Surry's Rural District.

  maximum lot coverage: 20 percent

  “(4) Maximum building height: 35 feet (5) Maximum lot coverage: 20%”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures or dwelling units in Surry's Rural District.

  maximum building height: 35 feet

  “(4) Maximum building height: 35 feet (5) Maximum lot coverage: 20%”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of a subsurface wastewater disposal system or components inside Surry town, Maine.

  • The permit is valid for work commenced within 24 months after issuance.
  • The plumbing inspector issues the permit upon receipt and approval of a completed prescribed application and payment of the municipality-established fee.

  permit commencement period: 24 months (Work must be commenced within this period after the permit is issued.)

  “1. Permit required. A permit is required for the following activities and is valid for work commenced within 24 months after the permit is issued:”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Surry town, Maine.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Surry town, Maine.
• Inspections — Building work inside Surry town, Maine.
• Certificate of occupancy — Structures inside Surry town, Maine.
• Minimum dwelling size — Principal dwellings inside Surry 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Surry 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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