Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Hallowell, Maine

Hallowell’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hallowell city limits: the city administers its own Chapter 9 Land Use Control ordinance (zoning and land use) through its Code Enforcement Officer.

  • Chapter 9 is a city ordinance with derivation notes citing ordinance numbers and effective dates (for example ord. no. 21-03, eff. 06/17/2021), which indicates the city has adopted it.
  • The enforcement excerpt is from the 1997 Revised Code of Ordinances; the 2025 mark-up is a proposed-amendment document. Current adopted text should be confirmed with the City Clerk.

  “the following dimensional requirements apply to the uses permitted in this district; including the expansion of existing uses, the conversion of one use to another use, and to new uses.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Rural Farm (RF) district land inside Hallowell city limits, residential use (per dwelling unit)

  • Clusters approved under section 9-608 or mobile home park units under section 9-625 may reduce the lot area per dwelling unit to 20,000 square feet.
  • Source is a 2025 full mark-up of proposed amendments; adoption of this text is not confirmed.
  • The main single-family residential district lot size is not yet recorded (see followups).

  minimum land area, residential (per dwelling unit), Rural Farm district: 1 acre (20,000 square feet for cluster or mobile home park units)

  “1. minimum land area a. residential (per dwelling unit): 1.0 acre.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Rural Farm (RF) district land inside Hallowell city limits

  • Side and rear setbacks are the stated dimensions or the building height, whichever is greater.
  • Source is a 2025 full mark-up of proposed amendments; adoption of this text is not confirmed.
  • Main residential district setbacks are not yet recorded (see followups).

  minimum setback from street right-of-way: 35 feet · minimum side and rear yards: 25 feet (or building height, whichever is greater)

  “2. minimum setback from street right-of-way: 35 feet. 3. minimum side, rear yards: 25 feet.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Rural Farm (RF) district land inside Hallowell city limits

  • The maximum height of any structure may be increased to match the uniform height of existing buildings on the street, up to 10 feet higher (proviso in the RF text).
  • Source is a 2025 full mark-up of proposed amendments; adoption of this text is not confirmed.
  • Residential district height limit is not yet recorded (see followups).

  maximum building height: 35 feet (may be increased under a street-uniformity proviso)

  “6. maximum building height: 35 feet. the maximum height of any structure may be increased by no more than 10”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Hallowell or Kennebec County directly.

• Building permit — New construction and alterations inside Hallowell city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Hallowell city limits
• Building code adopted — New construction inside Hallowell city limits
• Inspections — Inspections for new homes inside Hallowell city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new homes inside Hallowell city limits

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.