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

Town of Hebron’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hebron town limits (Oxford County, ME) under the town's Land Use Ordinance, which sets town-wide standards for lots, structures and temporary dwellings. The ordinance has no zoning district map.

  • The town's ordinance is titled Land Use Ordinance and is not organized into zoning districts; the same lot, setback and temporary-dwelling standards apply to all lots in the town.
  • Lots in a shoreland zoning area must also meet the Town of Hebron Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (text not reviewed).
  • Enforced by the code enforcement officer; appeals go to the town Board of Appeals within 60 days of the decision.

  “This Ordinance applies to all lots in the Town of Hebron upon which any structure is to be erected of any size.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Any lot in Hebron town on which a structure is to be built or moved onto. The ordinance has no separate agricultural or rural-residential district.

  • The minimum lot area rises by 40,000 square feet for each dwelling unit above one, whether or not the units share a structure (a two-unit dwelling needs 160,000 square feet).
  • Lots in a shoreland zoning area must also meet the water frontage requirements of the town's Shoreland Zoning Ordinance.
  • Exceptions: buildings under 100 square feet with a special non-residential purpose (such as gate houses, well houses and pump houses) and open-sided livestock shelters under 100 square feet are excepted; replacement buildings after natural catastrophe or fire are excepted if not larger than the original; one accessory dwelling unit is excepted.
  • Lots recorded before the current version must still meet state and federal requirements and, to the extent practicable, the current ordinance.

  minimum lot area: >= 120000 square feet (plus 40,000 square feet per additional dwelling unit above one; exceptions listed in conditions)

  “The minimum lot area is one hundred and twenty thousand (120,000) square feet.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Occupying a recreational vehicle on private land in Hebron town (the ordinance treats RVs as temporary dwellings)

  • Occupancy is limited to six months with a code enforcement officer permit, except during construction of a dwelling on the same lot.
  • Licensed state campgrounds and commercial RV dealer property are excepted.
  • Long-term occupancy as a dwelling requires a structure that meets the dwelling standards.

  “Temporary Dwelling: Anything used for human habitation that is not a structure, including, but not limited to, camper trailers, tents, tent trailers, conversion vans and recreational vehicles.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Occupying a temporary dwelling (tent, camper trailer, tent trailer, conversion van or recreational vehicle, which the ordinance calls a temporary dwelling) on private land in Hebron town

  • A code enforcement officer permit is required.
  • Placement must satisfy the sanitary provisions of the state plumbing code.
  • Occupancy may run for the period between the building permit and the occupancy permit when the future occupant is building a dwelling on the lot.
  • Exempt: temporary dwellings on a park or campground licensed by the State of Maine, and on property owned by a commercial recreational vehicle dealer.
  • Unoccupied storage of a temporary dwelling on a lot with an occupied dwelling has no time limit, but must meet the setback rules.

  occupancy period: <= 6 months (licensed campgrounds and RV dealer property excepted; occupancy during construction runs until the occupancy permit)

  “A temporary dwelling placed on a Jot may be occupied for up to six months, provided that such placement satisfies the sanitary provisions of the State Plumbing Code adopted pursuant to 32 M.R.S.A. § 3403-B. A permit from the code enforcement officer is required.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  One accessory dwelling unit on a lot with a single-family primary dwelling in Hebron town

  • Secondary, incidental and subordinate to the single-family primary dwelling.
  • Self-contained living quarters with living, sleeping, bathing and cooking provisions.
  • The one accessory dwelling unit is excepted from the minimum lot area requirement.
  • Lot must still meet the setback and buildable-area requirements.

  accessory dwelling unit maximum area: <= 800 square feet (or 50% of the total square footage of the primary dwelling, whichever is more restrictive)

  “The accessory dwelling unit shall not be greater than 800 square feet or 50% of the total square footage of the primary dwelling, whichever is more restrictive.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing a new or replacement subsurface wastewater disposal system inside Hebron town, permit issued by the town's Local Plumbing Inspector

  • The system may not be installed until the Local Plumbing Inspector issues a permit.
  • The Hebron building permit does not cover septic systems, so an HHE-200 permit application is required separately.
  • Permit is governed by state rule 10-144 CMR Chapter 241.

  “A subsurface wastewater disposal system may not be installed until a permit is issued by the Local Plumbing Inspector.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Installation of a subsurface wastewater disposal system inside Hebron town

  • The Local Plumbing Inspector must inspect the installation and sign off on the form before it is in compliance.
  • The inspection is the Local Plumbing Inspector's duty under the state rules.

  “CAUTION: LPI SIGNATURE & INSPECTION REQUIRED”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Hebron town, reviewed by the Planning Board

  • Subdivision applications are reviewed under the town's Subdivision Regulations (text not opened).
  • The Planning Board meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Town Office, per the town's Planning Board page (not opened).

  “It is the duty of the Planning Board to apply the provisions of this Ordinance when approving subdivision applications.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New private driveway, altered driveway entrance or common driveway in Hebron town

  • The driveway must meet sight-distance and grade standards, and a common driveway must have a 12-foot minimum travel width.
  • Driveways onto Route 119 or Route 124 also need a Maine DOT permit, and the stricter rule controls.
  • A permit is needed only for work started after the ordinance's effective date.
  • A driveway is not required to get a permit for ordinary maintenance that does not change the grade.

  minimum common driveway travel width: >= 12 feet · maximum grade between 5 and 15 feet of the road intersection: <= 10 percent

  “Installation of a private driveway or alterations to the entrance of an existing private driveway or construction of a common driveway must first obtain a driveway permit.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building, plumbing and driveway permit process in Hebron town

  • Building and plumbing applications are obtained at the Town Office (351 Paris Road).
  • The code enforcement officer applies the land use ordinance when granting building permits.
  • Driveway permits are approved, approved with conditions or denied within 14 days of a complete application.
  • Appeals of CEO decisions go to the Board of Appeals within 30 days (driveway) or 60 days (land use).
  • The septic step uses separate state forms, and the process is not fully published online.

  driveway permit decision time: <= 14 days (from receipt of completed application)

  “Building and Plumbing permit applications are available at the Town Office”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Hebron town
• Building code adopted — Building code in Hebron town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Hebron town
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Hebron town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Hebron 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 Hebron 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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