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

Town of Stow’s own rules

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Stow town: Resource Protection, Limited Residential, and General Residential & Development

  • General Residential & Development is any area not zoned Resource Protection or Limited Residential.
  • Land uses by district are in the table in Appendix A, which was not read in full.

  “To implement the provisions of this Ordinance, the Town of Stow is hereby divided into the following Districts: 1. Resource Protection District 2. Limited Residential District 3. General Residential & Development District”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Conventional development lots in the General Residential & Development district inside Stow town

  • Each proposed lot must have at least 20,000 contiguous sq ft of suitable building area in a rectangle inscribed within its setbacks, excluding resource protection shoreland.
  • Minimum lot width is 66 feet in the general residential zone.
  • The section 11 table is garbled in the text as posted; the general residential value is read from the first column. Multi-family, cluster and planned developments use different minimums (45,000 sq ft in GR).
  • Lots must have road frontage of at least 100 feet along a public or private road meeting the town road acceptance ordinance.

  minimum lot area (conventional): >= 90000 sq ft (multi-family, cluster and planned developments use 45,000 sq ft) · minimum lot width: >= 66 feet · minimum road frontage: >= 100 feet (cul-de-sac frontage measured at setback line, not less than 66 feet)

  “G.R. L.R. R.P. 90,000 s.f. (1.) 90,000 s.f. (1.) N/A”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Conventional development lots in the Limited Residential district inside Stow town

    “The minimum width of any lot shall be 66 feet in the General Residential Zone and 200 feet in the Limited Residential Zones.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal structures and necessary buildings, conventional development, in the General Residential & Development district inside Stow town

  • Setbacks are measured from the lot line to the structure (front yard from road centerline).
  • Multi-unit developments use larger setbacks (front 100 ft, side 50 ft, rear 75 ft, waterbody 100 ft).
  • A 50% reduction from interior lot lines is allowed in cluster or planned unit developments.
  • Maximum principal building height is 35 feet in all districts.

  front yard setback: >= 75 feet (measured from road centerline) · side yard setback: >= 30 feet · rear yard setback: >= 50 feet · setback from waterbody: >= 100 feet

  “Front Yard Setbacks 75' 100' Side Yard Setbacks 30' 50' Rear Yard Setbacks 50' 75' Setbacks from Waterbodies 100' 100'”

• Building heightSpecified

  All principal structures and necessary buildings inside Stow town, in every zoning district

  • Height is the vertical distance from average grade of the proposed finished grade to the highest point of the roof, per the ordinance definition.
  • Non-conforming structures may exceed the height limit only as allowed by the ordinance.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “all principal structures and necessary buildings shall meet the following setback requirements and a maximum building height of 35’.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Subsurface sewage disposal (septic) for land inside Stow town: the town zoning ordinance imposes siting standards that incorporate the state plumbing code and a local plumbing inspector's role

  • The state plumbing code sets the design and setback rules that apply in addition to the town ordinance.
  • The Town of Stow ordinance does not state which office issues septic permits; the code enforcement office is named for plumbing permit questions on its page.

  “All sanitary waste disposal systems shall conform to the current State-Plumbing Code.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions of land inside Stow town, reviewed by the Stow Planning Board

  • Planning board is the municipal reviewing authority for subdivisions.
  • Conditional use permits are also required for certain structures and uses under the zoning ordinance.

  “The Board also serves as the municipal reviewing authority for subdivisions in Stow.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit process for construction or remodeling inside Stow town

  • The process is described only generally; the building permit checklist and application were not opened for steps.
  • Contact the code enforcement office before starting work to confirm which permits apply.

  “it's always a good idea to contact them before starting any building or remodeling plans to confirm what permits you might need.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Stow town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Stow town
• Building code adopted — Inside Stow town: which building code, if any, the town has adopted
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new homes inside Stow town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling inside Stow 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 Stow 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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