Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Friendship, Maine
Town of Friendship is a town in Knox County, Maine. Town of Friendship adopts its own zoning, so inside its limits Town of Friendship’s rules apply, not the county’s. Septic permits inside Town of Friendship come from the county and state together. 14 rules below are quoted from official sources and independently re-checked, most recently on October 29, 2026. Rules for unincorporated land are on the Knox County page.
Answers from the rulebook for Town of Friendship
Town of Friendship’s own rules
Building permitRequired
Erecting, moving, adding to or structurally altering a building or structure inside Friendship town limits
Applies to structures over 100 square feet of ground coverage per the cited text.
Construction may not begin before the building permit is received.
Penalty for starting construction without the required permit: minimum $100.00, maximum $2500.00 (Section 5.4.1 a).
ground coverage threshold: > 100 square feet
“a building or other structure in excess of 100 square feet of ground coverage”
Local zoningPresent (with conditions)
Land inside Friendship town limits, administered by the Friendship Planning Board and Code Enforcement Officer under the town Land Use Ordinance
The adoption and amendment dates of the ordinance were not confirmed on the page read; the page is the file dated 11-4-25 on the town site.
A separate Friendship shoreland zoning ordinance is cross-referenced by the Land Use Ordinance and was not opened.
“the friendship planning board shall administer this ordinance.”
Minimum lot sizeSpecified
Dwelling unit (main single-family residential use) inside Friendship town limits; the table is use-based, with no named residential district
Soils or slope may limit use.
Other limits in the same table: industrial uses 80,000 sq ft; campgrounds 120,000 sq ft; other non-residential uses 40,000 sq ft or as plumbing code and water use require.
Lots that cannot accommodate a subsurface system in conformance with state rules do not meet the lot requirement.
minimum lot area, dwelling unit: >= 40000 sq ft (soils or slope may limit use)
“dwelling unit 40,000 sq ft (soils or slope may limit use)”
Building heightSpecified
Residential buildings (main single-family use) inside Friendship town limits; the non-residential limit is the same
Non-residential buildings are also limited to 35 ft in the same table.
maximum building height, residential: <= 35 ft
“maximum building height (feet) residential 35 ft non-residential 35 ft”
Living in an RVLimited
Recreational vehicles on individual private campsites inside Friendship town limits
Only one RV per individual campsite.
An RV may not sit on a permanent foundation except a gravel pad, and no structure except a canopy may be attached to it.
Campsites also need a written sewage disposal plan (Section 7.2.2 b).
RVs per campsite: 1 count
“only one recreational vehicle shall be allowed on a campsite.”
Camping on your landLimited
Individual private campsites not associated with campgrounds inside Friendship town limits; campgrounds fall under the shoreland ordinance
Allowed only with the conditions in Section 7.2.2.
Campgrounds must conform to the Friendship shoreland zoning ordinance (Section 7.2.1).
“individual campsites not associated with campgrounds are allowed provided the following conditions are met”
Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)
Manufactured homes and mobile homes inside Friendship town limits (Table of Land Uses)
Permit required from the Planning Board or Code Enforcement Officer (pb or ceo in Table of Land Uses).
“manufactured home pb or ceo mobile home pb or ceo”
Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)
Subsurface wastewater (septic) systems for lots inside Friendship town limits: the local plumbing inspector reviews the site evaluation and permit, under Maine state subsurface wastewater disposal rules
Subsurface systems must conform to the state of Maine subsurface wastewater disposal rules.
A valid plumbing permit with an approved site evaluation is required before a building permit is issued for a building needing a subsurface system (Section 5.2.4).
“a valid plumbing permit including the site evaluation approved by the”
Septic permitRequired
New buildings needing a subsurface sewage disposal system inside Friendship town limits
The plumbing permit must include a site evaluation approved by the plumbing inspector.
No building permit is issued until the valid plumbing permit is submitted.
“no building permit shall be issued until a valid plumbing permit including the site evaluation approved by the plumbing inspector shall be submitted by the applicant or his agent.”
Off-grid sanitationLimited
Individual private campsites inside Friendship town limits; general off-grid sanitation not addressed
Applies to individual campsites not associated with campgrounds.
Each campsite needs a written sewage plan approved by the local plumbing inspector (Section 7.2.2 b).
“a written sewage disposal plan describing the proposed method and location of the sewage disposal shall be required for each campsite and shall be approved by the local plumbing inspector.”
Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)
Subdivisions of land inside Friendship town limits, reviewed by the Planning Board under the town subdivision ordinance
The subdivision ordinance itself was not opened; the reference appears in the Land Use Ordinance Table of Land Uses legend.
“use regulated under subdivision ordinance (issued by planning board)”
Driveway accessRequired
New driveways and driveway expansions inside Friendship town limits
Permit issued by the Planning Board or Code Enforcement Officer (pb or ceo in the Table of Land Uses).
“driveway pb or ceo driveway expansion pb or ceo”
Permit feesVariable (with conditions)
Building and use permit fees inside Friendship town limits
The fee schedule is set by the Board of Selectmen; the amounts were not found on the page read.
Applications must be accompanied by the fee the town establishes (Section 5.2.3).
“a fee schedule for building and use permits shall be established by the selectmen.”
Permit processPublished (with conditions)
Building and use permit applications inside Friendship town limits
The Planning Board or Code Enforcement Officer must notify the applicant within 35 days whether the application is complete.
Permits are approved or denied in writing within 35 days of a complete application.
The Planning Board may delegate accessory-use, expansion and relocation permits to the Code Enforcement Officer with Board of Selectmen consent (Section 5.1.1).
decision deadline after complete application: <= 35 days
“within 35 days of the date of receiving a”
Still unanswered
We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Friendship or Knox County directly.
Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from building permits inside Friendship town limits
Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Friendship town limits
Inspections — Building inspections inside Friendship town limits
Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new buildings inside Friendship town limits
Zoning districts — Zoning districts map or list inside Friendship town limits
11 more unanswered
Minimum dwelling size
Setbacks
Lot coverage
Tiny homes
Accessory dwellings
Septic inspection
Well permit
Mandatory utility hookup
Agricultural exemption
Building in a floodplain
Short-term rentals
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.
Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Friendship publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Knox County’s page lists the county offices to call.
Off-grid gear
Going off-grid in Town of Friendship means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:
