Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Isle au Haut, Maine

Town of Isle au Haut’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Isle au Haut town limits, including the town's identified ordinance zones.

  • The official permit application identifies five ordinance zones but does not supply the full current zoning text.

  “IAH ORDINANCE ZONE: The IAH Zoning Ordinance indicates the location of various zones within the town, which include: Accessible Interior, Accessible Shoreland, Remote Interior, Remote Shoreland, and Resource Protection.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  IAH ordinance zones inside Isle au Haut town limits.

  • The full ordinance text and mapped boundaries must be consulted for each parcel.

  published zone list: Accessible Interior; Accessible Shoreland; Remote Interior; Remote Shoreland; Resource Protection

  “IAH ORDINANCE ZONE: The IAH Zoning Ordinance indicates the location of various zones within the town, which include: Accessible Interior, Accessible Shoreland, Remote Interior, Remote Shoreland, and Resource Protection.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles located in Zone AE or Zone VE within Isle au Haut town limits.

  • For Zone AE, the vehicle must meet one of the listed alternatives; Zone VE must meet the specified alternatives or Article VI.P.

  Zone AE temporary stay: < 180 consecutive days (Alternative to full licensing and highway readiness or manufactured-home elevation and anchoring compliance.)

  “Zone AE shall either: a. be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days, b. be fully licensed and ready for highway use. [...] or, c. be permitted in accordance with the elevation and anchoring requirements for "manufactured homes" in Article VI.H.1. 2. Zone VE shall meet the requirements of either Article VI.I.1.a. and b., or Article VI.P.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  New or substantially improved manufactured homes in flood Zones AE, A, or VE inside Isle au Haut town limits.

  • Zone AE and Zone A have elevation, foundation, and anchoring requirements; Zone VE must meet Article VI.P.

  minimum elevation in Zone AE: >= 1 foot above base flood elevation

  “Manufactured Homes - New or substantially improved manufactured homes located within: 1. Zone AE shall: a. be elevated such that the lowest floor (including basement) of the manufactured home is at least one foot above the base flood elevation; [...] 2. Zone A shall: a. be elevated on a permanent foundation [...] and b. meet the anchoring requirements of Article VI.H.1.c. 3. Zone VE shall meet the requirements of Article VI.P.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  New subsurface sewage disposal systems in Zone VE or below the 10% annual-chance storm-surge elevation inside Isle au Haut town limits.

  • The limitation is stated in the town floodplain ordinance and is limited to the described flood-risk areas.

  “On-site waste disposal systems shall be located and constructed to avoid impairment to them or contamination from them during floods. In accordance with the Maine State Plumbing Code, no new subsurface sewage disposal system may be located in a VE zone nor lower than the 10% annual chance storm surge elevation.”

• Shed and accessory-building permit exemptionConditional

  Accessory structures in Zone AE inside Isle au Haut town limits.

  • The exemption is only from the Article VI.F and VI.G elevation criteria; all other Article VI requirements and five listed conditions apply.

  “Accessory Structures, as defined in Article XIV, located within Zone AE, shall be exempt from the elevation criteria required in Article VI.F. & G. above, if all other requirements of Article VI and all the following requirements are met.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction or other development, including manufactured-home placement, in designated special flood-hazard areas inside Isle au Haut town limits.

  • The Flood Hazard Development Permit is in addition to other permits required by town codes and ordinances.
  • The regulated areas are Zones AE and VE identified for Isle au Haut, Knox County, Maine, by the cited FEMA study and map.

  “Before any construction or other development (as defined in Article XIV), including the placement of manufactured homes, begins within any areas of special flood hazard established in Article I, a Flood Hazard Development Permit shall be obtained from the Planning Board. This permit shall be in addition to any other permits which may be required pursuant to the codes and ordinances of the Town of Isle au Haut, Maine.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Flood Hazard Development Permit applications inside Isle au Haut town limits.

  • An expert fee may be charged only if the Planning Board and/or Board of Appeals needs expert assistance; the applicant must pay the billed expert fee in full within 10 days.

  expert-fee payment deadline: <= 10 days after town submits bill (Only where an expert fee is charged.)

  “A fee may be charged if the Planning Board and/or Board of Appeals needs the assistance of a professional engineer or other expert. The expert's fee shall be paid in full by the applicant within 10 days after the town submits a bill to the applicant.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town Building/Land Use Permit applications inside Isle au Haut town limits.

  • The published document labels its procedure draft; the CEO determines completeness and apparent ordinance compliance, then the Planning Board reviews the application.
  • The applicant may start work after first Planning Board review only at the applicant's own risk pending final permit approval.

  Planning Board meeting after CEO certification: <= 30 days (Measured from the Chairman receiving the complete and legal application.) · second Planning Board review: <= 30 days (Measured from first Planning Board review.)

  “The Chairman will then call a meeting of the PB within 30 days of CEO certifying it is complete and legal and received by the Chairman. [...] SECOND REVIEW: The PB will review the application again within 30 days of first PB review.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Isle au Haut or Knox County directly.

• Building permit — General residential building construction inside Isle au Haut town limits outside specifically regulated flood-hazard areas.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Isle au Haut town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Isle au Haut town limits.
• Inspections — Building construction inside Isle au Haut town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Isle au Haut town 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.