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

Town of Nobleboro’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Structures erected, moved, enlarged, or changed to another use inside Nobleboro town.

  • No permit is required for a conforming non-habitable, noncommercial, unattached accessory building under 150 square feet and under 20 feet high, provided applicable standards and setbacks are met.
  • Pre- and post-construction photographs are required in the permitting process.
  • A permit is valid for one year; if construction begins during that period, it remains valid for an additional reasonable completion period.

  accessory-building floor area exemption threshold: < 150 square feet (Non-habitable, unattached, noncommercial accessory building that conforms to applicable standards and setbacks.) · accessory-building height exemption threshold: < 20 feet (Same accessory-building exemption.)

  “A structure shall not be erected, changed to another use, enlarged or moved without a Building Permit issued under this Chapter.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Town building and plumbing inspections in Nobleboro town.

  • The Town page states inspections are by appointment; it does not state that every building project receives a particular inspection.

  “Building Inspector Inspections are by appointment”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Residential and non-residential structures, buildings, accessory outbuildings, rental units, ADUs, and lands inside Nobleboro town that required Planning Board or Appeals Board approval or a CEO building permit.

  • The CEO issues the certificate upon determining compliance with Town ordinances and Planning Board or Appeals Board orders.
  • A temporary certificate may be issued only where temporary occupancy would not jeopardize life or property; it cannot last more than 12 months and cannot be renewed.

  temporary certificate maximum duration: <= 12 months (May not be renewed.)

  “The Code Enforcement Officer must issue a certificate of occupancy before any residential or non-residential structures, buildings, accessory outbuildings, rental units, accessory dwelling units or lands which required Planning Board or Appeals Board approval are occupied for that use for which the approval was given and/or for which the Code Enforcement Officer issued a building permit.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and development inside Nobleboro town.

  • The ordinance applies to each new use, structure, activity, or alteration or enlargement on or after its effective date.
  • Chapter X shoreland zoning had a separate state-approval condition.

  “The purpose of this Ordinance is to protect and promote the public health, safety and general welfare by directing and regulating development of the Town.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Shoreland-zoning districts inside Nobleboro town.

  • The conclusion is limited to published shoreland districts and does not assert a comprehensive conventional zoning map for all Town land.

  “B. Limited Residential District. The Limited Residential District includes those areas suitable for residential and recreational development. It includes areas other than those in the Resource Protection District, or Stream Protection District, and areas which are used less intensively than those in the Limited Commercial District, the General Development Districts, or the Commercial Fisheries/Maritime Activities District.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Accessory dwelling units inside Nobleboro town.

  • A different state Technical Building Code and Standards Board minimum applies if adopted under 10 M.R.S. §9722.

  minimum ADU size: >= 190 square feet (Unless the Technical Building Code and Standards Board adopts a different minimum standard.)

  “An accessory dwelling unit must be a minimum of 190 square feet (unless the Technical Building Code and Standards Board, pursuant to 10 M.R.S. §9722, adopts a different minimum standard; if so, that standard applies).”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings inside Nobleboro town.

  • The one-acre rule is subject to the ordinance's stated exception, "except as otherwise provided."

  minimum lot size per single-family dwelling: >= 1 acre (Except as otherwise provided.)

  “The minimum lot size shall be one (1) acre per single family dwelling, except as otherwise provided.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures for single-family dwellings inside Nobleboro town.

  • Water-body setback is measured from the highwater mark.

  public or private way right-of-way setback: >= 50 feet · lot-line setback: >= 25 feet · water-body highwater-mark setback: >= 100 feet

  “All structures shall be set back at least fifty (50) feet from the edge of the right-of-way of any public or private way, twenty-five (25) feet from any lot line and one-hundred (100) feet from the highwater mark of any water body.”

• Camping on your landProhibited

  Campgrounds in Nobleboro's Resource Protection District.

  • The prohibition is district-specific and does not establish a townwide camping rule.

  “8. Uses prohibited in the Resource Protection District [...] (c) Campgrounds”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  One accessory dwelling unit on a parcel with a single-family or two-family dwelling inside Nobleboro town.

  • ADUs are year-round residences, not short-term rentals, and may not be on vacant lots.
  • An ADU requires CEO approval; subdivision approval is also required first if its creation creates a subdivision.
  • ADUs must comply with applicable dimensional, shoreland-zoning, building, fire, plumbing, and life-safety requirements.

  ADUs per qualifying parcel: 1 (Parcel must have a single-family or two-family dwelling.)

  “One accessory dwelling unit shall be permitted per parcel which has a single- family dwelling or two-family dwelling, in the primary building or as a detached accessory dwelling.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Plumbing and septic permitting administration inside Nobleboro town.

  • State subsurface-wastewater rules also apply to the permit activity.

  “Plumbing Inspector [...] PERMITS & FEES [...] Plumbing/Septic Permit Fees Septic Permit (HHE-200)”

• Septic inspectionLimited

  Septic-related inspection services administered in Nobleboro town.

  • The Town page identifies a Plumbing Inspector and says inspections are by appointment; it does not provide a universal installation-inspection rule.

  “No dwelling shall be occupied until the plumbing fixtures have been connected to the Great Salt Bay Sanitary System or to an adequate septic system that has been inspected and approved by the Plumbing Inspector.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Accessory dwelling units inside Nobleboro town.

  • Before the ADU can be certified for occupancy, the owner must verify adequate water and wastewater services.
  • For a public or special-district sewer, proof of adequate additional-flow capacity and payment for the connection is required.
  • For a septic system, a local plumbing inspector must verify adequacy.

  “The owner of a housing accessory dwelling unit must provide written verification that the accessory dwelling unit is connected to adequate water and wastewater services before the accessory dwelling unit may be certified for occupancy.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision plat applications inside Nobleboro town.

  • Applicant pays a non-refundable application fee when submitting the plat plan.
  • The application requires soils information, including at least one satisfactory soil test per lot.
  • The Planning Board schedules a public hearing after finding an application complete.

  application fee for 6 lots or fewer: 100 USD (Plus $50 per lot.) · application fee for 7 to 12 lots: 200 USD (Plus $50 per lot.) · application fee for over 12 lots: 500 USD (Plus $100 per lot.)

  “6 lots or less:$100.00 plus $50.00 per lot 7 to 12 lots: $200.00 plus $50.00 per lot Over 12 lots: $500.00 plus $100.00 per lot”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building, plumbing, septic, driveway, and shoreland permit fee materials published by Nobleboro.

  • The opened Town page links to the fee materials; individual amounts were not displayed in the opened page text.

  “PERMITS & FEES Building Permit Building Permit Fees Driveway Permit Plumbing Permit Plumbing/Septic Permit Fees Septic Permit (HHE-200) Septic Variance Permit (HHE-204) Shoreland Zoning Permit”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Nobleboro town.

  • Applications require the proper fee and scale plans or sufficient other information.
  • The CEO issues or rejects the permit within five working days; a failure to issue within that time is deemed a rejection.
  • A written rejection must state the reason.

  CEO decision time: <= 5 working days (If not issued within that period, the permit is deemed rejected.)

  “Permits shall be issued or rejected within five (5) working days, and if not issued within that time shall be deemed rejected.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Nobleboro town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Nobleboro town.
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage for ordinary residential development inside Nobleboro town.
• Building height — Principal residential building height inside Nobleboro town.
• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Nobleboro 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 Nobleboro 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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