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

Town of Vassalboro’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New homes, mobile/modular homes and additions in Vassalboro town

  • Permit must be obtained from the Code Enforcement Officer/Local Plumbing Inspector before work starts.
  • Work started before a permit is subject to civil penalties and automatic doubling of fees.

  civil penalty: >= 100 USD per day (minimum) (up to $2,500 per day)

  “work started before obtaining a permit is subject to prosecution in district court as a civil violation that could result in an order to remove the structure, and civil penalties from $100 to $2,500 per day.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Residential building work in Vassalboro town

  • Owner must call the CEO/LPI at least 24 hours before each inspection.
  • Each phase must be approved before building continues.

  “please contact the ceo/lpi at least 24 hours before the desired inspection, keeping in mind the time the employee is available. each phase of construction should receive approval before building can continue.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Homes built by a contractor or land developer in Vassalboro town; the town guide also lists a certificate of occupancy as the final inspection for building permits

  • Certificate of occupancy must be issued before occupancy.

  “homes built by a contractor or land developer must be inspected by the ceo/lpi during construction and be issued a certificate of occupancy prior to occupancy.”

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Land in Vassalboro town: the town administers a Shoreland Zoning Ordinance only (land within 250 feet of a water body or wetland); no general zoning ordinance applies elsewhere in the town.

  • Shoreland zoning applies within 250 feet of a water body or wetland, per the town's own home-buying guide.
  • The posted shoreland ordinance is dated June 5, 2017; the current version and any effective date were not confirmed.
  • Subdivision, septic and building rules still apply separately.

  “purchasing land vassalboro does not have zoning laws other than shoreland zoning which applies within 250 feet of a water body or wetland.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Absent — Land in Vassalboro town outside the shoreland zone (more than 250 feet from a water body or wetland): no town zoning ordinance applies.

    “purchasing land vassalboro does not have zoning laws other than shoreland zoning which applies within 250 feet of a water body or wetland.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land in the shoreland zone of Vassalboro town

  • Three shoreland districts are named: resource protection, limited residential, and limited residential / commercial.
  • District boundaries are on the official shoreland zoning map, which was not opened; no general zoning districts exist outside the shoreland zone.

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family residential lot outside the shoreland zone (non-shoreland parcels, no town zoning district) in Vassalboro town

  • Municipal sanitary sewer: no minimum requirement per the guide.
  • Private septic: the state minimum or 20,000 sq ft, whichever the guide applies.
  • State minimum lot size law still applies.

  minimum lot area, private sanitary system: >= 20000 sq ft (state minimum governs if larger) · minimum lot area, municipal sanitary system: no minimum requirement

  “the minimum lot size is the state minimum or 20,000 square feet (about ½ acre), except in the shoreland zone, you will need 40,000 square feet (about 1 acre) for each residential dwelling unit.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential lot inside the shoreland zone (within 250 feet of a water body or wetland) in Vassalboro town

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

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures and new septic systems on non-shoreland lots in Vassalboro town

  • Septic system setback applies to new systems.
  • No road frontage requirement applies outside subdivisions per the guide.

  structure setback from side and rear property boundary: 20 ft · structure setback from established right-of-way line: 25 ft · structure setback from road centerline where right-of-way not established: 50 ft · new septic system setback from property boundary: 50 ft

  “vassalboro does have structure setback requirements of 20 feet from a property boundary and 25 feet from the edge of the road right of way (50 feet from the road centerline).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal and accessory structures in the shoreland zone in Vassalboro town, by district

    “in the resource protection district the setback requirement shall be 250 feet, horizontal distance, except for structures, roads, parking spaces or other regulated objects specifically allowed in that district in which case the setback requirements specified abov”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal and accessory structures in the resource protection, limited residential and limited residential/commercial districts of Vassalboro town's shoreland zone

  • Exception for transmission towers, windmills, antennas and similar structures with no floor area.

  maximum structure height: <= 35 ft (structures with no floor area excepted)

  “shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height. this provision shall not apply to structures such as transmission towers, windmills, antennas, and similar structures having no floor area.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailer or motor home placed on a lot in the shoreland zone in Vassalboro town

  • Placement for more than 120 days requires CEO/LPI authorization.

  placement limit before authorization: > 120 days

  “(placing a travel trailer or motor home on a lot in the shoreland zone for more than 120 days requires authorization of the ceo/lpi.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Mobile and modular homes placed on a lot in Vassalboro town

  • Requires a building permit and an internal plumbing permit (and a septic permit if there is no existing system) before moving the home.
  • Pads must meet manufactured housing board standards.
  • Homes moved from other towns must meet roof pitch and siding requirements in the building permit ordinance.

  “mobile and modular homes a building permit and an internal plumbing permit (and a septic permit if there is not an existing system) prior to moving a mobile or modular home to a lot in vassalboro.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Additional residential dwelling unit on a lot in the shoreland zone in Vassalboro town

  • Each residential dwelling unit needs its own minimum lot area in the shoreland zone.
  • Shore frontage of 200 feet per dwelling is required.

  minimum lot area per residential dwelling unit: >= 40000 sq ft

  “the minimum lot size is the state minimum or 20,000 square feet (about ½ acre), except in the shoreland zone, you will need 40,000 square feet (about 1 acre) for each residential dwelling unit.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Private subsurface wastewater (septic) systems in Vassalboro town

  • Shoreland-zone septic permits are issued by the Local Plumbing Inspector (also the CEO).
  • Septic systems must also comply with state Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules, as the town's shoreland ordinance states.

  “subsurface wastewater disposal permit application (the site evaluator's design is the permit application).”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic systems and replacements in Vassalboro town

  • Site evaluator design is submitted as the permit application.
  • Must be submitted before the building permit.

  “the building process routinely requires a variety of inspections: mandatory: a.) subsurface wastewater disposal system permit, b.) residential building permit,”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway entrance onto a town road in Vassalboro town

  • Driveway entrance must have adequate sight distance, checked by the road commissioner.

  “on state roads a permit is required from mdot; on town roads the town's road commissioner's authorization is required.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Buildings and structures in the shoreland zone of Vassalboro town, where floodplain elevation applies

  • Accessory structures may follow the separate floodplain management ordinance instead.

  minimum elevation above 100-year flood: >= 1 ft (accessory structures may follow floodplain management ordinance)

  “the lowest floor elevation or openings of all buildings and structures, including basements, shall be elevated at least one foot above the elevation of the 100 year flood, the flood of record,”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building and related permits in Vassalboro town

  • A fee schedule effective 7/1/26 is listed on the code enforcement page; its amounts were not extracted.
  • The 2022 fee schedule (base $75 plus $0.15 per sq ft for new single-family homes) is superseded by the 7/1/26 schedule and is not relied on here.

  “building & related permit fee schedule - effective 7/1/26”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Permit sequence for new homes in Vassalboro town

  • Order: subsurface wastewater permit, then building permit, then internal plumbing permit, submitted to the CEO/LPI.
  • Shoreland zoning permit from the planning board if within the shoreland zone.

  “6.) permits applications: (in order of submission to ceo/lpi) i. subsurface wastewater disposal permit application (the site evaluator's design is the permit application). ii. building permit ceo/lpi, or online, iii. internal plumbing permit ceo/lpi, or online,”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Vassalboro

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Residential construction inside Vassalboro town

  • Town enforces the state-mandated Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) per the town guide; the residential building permit references the 2021 International Residential Code.

  population threshold for mandatory local enforcement: > 4000 residents

  “vassalboro, with a population of over 4,000 residents is required to enforce the maine uniform building and energy code.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built homes in Vassalboro town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling in Vassalboro town
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits for residential lots in Vassalboro town
• Septic inspection — Private septic systems in Vassalboro town
• Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid or non-septic sanitation in Vassalboro 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.