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

Town of Corinna’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Additional dwelling units (ADUs) inside Corinna town limits

  • The code enforcement officer (CEO) inspects an ADU on completion before an occupancy permit issues.
  • General building inspection for other construction was not established.

  “d. upon completion of the adu, the ceo will conduct as inspection before issuing an occupancy permit in accordance with the corinna land use ordinance.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Additional dwelling units (ADUs) inside Corinna town limits

  • The CEO issues an occupancy permit for an ADU only after the completion inspection.
  • Occupancy certificates for other buildings were not established.

  “d. upon completion of the adu, the ceo will conduct as inspection before issuing an occupancy permit in accordance with the corinna land use ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Corinna town limits: the Town of Corinna adopts and administers its own land use (zoning) ordinance.

  • Ordinance adopted under home rule and 30-A M.R.S. §4352; adopted March 11, 2000 and amended through March 8, 2025 per the cover page.
  • Ordinance states it is effective immediately following adoption or approval at town meeting; no separate effective date stated.
  • Ordinance provisions cited below apply to all uses inside the town; county or state rules (septic, shoreland) apply in addition.

  “this ordinance shall be known as, and may be cited as, the “land use ordinance of the town of corinna, maine”, and will be referred to herein as the “ordinance”.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts established by the Town of Corinna land use ordinance, inside Corinna town limits.

  • District list taken from the ordinance table of contents (Section III); the district description text and official zoning map were not opened.
  • Districts: commercial (C), industrial (I), mixed residential (MR), residential (R), restricted use (RU), rural agricultural (RA), rural residential (RR), village green (VG).

  “b. zoning district descriptions 1. commercial district (c) 2. industrial district (i) 3. mixed residential district (mr) 4. residential district (r) 5. restricted use district (ru) 6. rural agricultural district (ra) 7. rural residential district (rr) 8. village green district (vg)”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Main single-family residential district (R) inside Corinna town limits.

  • Column order in the dimensional table is C, I, MR, R, RR, RA; the R column is the fourth column.
  • With public sewer the R minimum lot is 10,000 sq. ft.; with subsurface (septic) disposal it is 20,000 sq. ft.
  • Minimum road frontage is 100 feet with sewer and 200 feet with subsurface disposal (R column).
  • Per the table, minimum lot size per dwelling unit is 20,000 sq. ft. in R.
  • Section VI(a)(21) lot size, setback and coverage requirements and the notes after the table were not opened; additional lot area may be required by other provisions.

  minimum lot size (subsurface disposal): >= 20000 sq. ft. (with public sewer: 10,000 sq. ft.) · minimum road frontage (subsurface disposal): >= 200 feet (with sewer: 100 feet)

  “with public sewer 20,000 sq. ft. 20,000 sq. ft 10,000 sq. ft. 10,000 sq. ft. 20,000 sq. ft 20,000 sq. ft. with subsurface 20,000 sq. ft. 20,000 sq. ft 20,000 sq. ft. 20,000 sq. ft. 80,000 sq. ft. 80,000 sq. ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural agricultural district (RA) inside Corinna town limits.

    “with subsurface 20,000 sq. ft. 20,000 sq. ft 20,000 sq. ft. 20,000 sq. ft. 80,000 sq. ft. 80,000 sq. ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Main single-family residential district (R) inside Corinna town limits.

  • Front setback is measured from the center of the road.
  • Side and rear setbacks are the R column values (fourth column).
  • Section VI(a)(21) and the table notes were not opened; setbacks for uses listed in Section IV were not checked.

  minimum side yard setback: >= 15 feet · minimum rear yard setback: >= 15 feet · minimum front yard setback from center of road: >= 50 feet

  “minimum side yard setback 15 feet 15 feet 15 feet 15 feet 30 feet 30 feet minimum rear yard setback 15 feet 15 feet 15 feet 15 feet 30 feet 30 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural agricultural district (RA) inside Corinna town limits.

    “minimum rear yard setback 15 feet 15 feet 15 feet 15 feet 30 feet 30 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  Main single-family residential district (R) inside Corinna town limits.

  • The table lists the same 35-foot maximum for every district.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “maximum building height 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural agricultural district (RA) inside Corinna town limits.

    “maximum building height 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet 35 feet”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny homes used as dwelling units inside Corinna town limits.

  • A property using three or more tiny homes, mobile homes, or a combination as dwelling units becomes subject to Corinna's manufactured housing standards (Section VI, p. 6.9).
  • The tiny-home definition and the manufactured housing standards were not opened; the use of one tiny home as a single dwelling was not verified.

  threshold: >= 3 units

  “d) if a property uses a total of three tiny homes (as defined in the ordinance), mobile homes, or combination thereof as dwelling units, the property is subject to the application of corinna’s manufactured housing standards (section vi-pg 6.9).”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes used as dwellings inside Corinna town limits.

  • Where three or more tiny homes, mobile homes, or a combination are used as dwelling units on one property, Corinna's manufactured housing standards (Section VI, p. 6.9) apply.
  • Single-wide mobile homes are prohibited as dwellings in a senior citizen housing development (Section VI(a)(30)).
  • The manufactured housing standards at Section VI(a)(22) were not opened.

  “d) if a property uses a total of three tiny homes (as defined in the ordinance), mobile homes, or combination thereof as dwelling units, the property is subject to the application of corinna’s manufactured housing standards (section vi-pg 6.9).”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Additional dwelling units (accessory dwelling units) on lots inside Corinna town limits where housing is allowed.

  • Permitted only subject to the ordinance's Section X requirements (30-A M.R.S. §4364-a).
  • Additional dwelling units require the same lot size and must meet the same setbacks as a single-family dwelling.
  • Each unit must have an exterior door that allows entry or exit without going through an attached dwelling, and must meet state life/safety codes.
  • Each unit must have individual 911 and mailing addresses.
  • Private, state or local standards (deed restrictions, septic, shore-land zoning, subdivision) may also apply.
  • Upon completion of an ADU the CEO inspects it before issuing an occupancy permit.

  “additional dwelling units will require the same lot size and must meet the same setbacks as those applied to a single-family dwelling.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Projects with subsurface (septic) sewage disposal inside Corinna town limits.

  • A permit may be issued only if suitable soils of sufficient area exist under the state subsurface wastewater disposal rules, or the applicant shows a suitable engineering solution.
  • An acceptable absorption-area plan must be prepared under the state rules.
  • The issuing office and fee for the permit were not identified in the section read.

  “1. subsurface sewage disposal: no permit shall be issued for a project with subsurface sewage disposal unless: a) there is an area of suitable soils according to the subsurface wastewater disposal rules of sufficient size, to accommodate the proposed system;”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Permit fees for Corinna town land use permits

  • The ordinance includes a Section IX fee schedule; individual fee amounts were not read.

  “section ix: fee schedule code enforcement officer permits. all application fees for permits shall be paid to the town of corinna in accordance with the fee schedule as established by the selectmen of the town of corinna.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Land use and code enforcement permits inside Corinna town limits

  • The ordinance lists a code enforcement permit (Section V(a)), applications (V(b)), planning board review and permit, and other permits (V(c)).
  • The text of Section V was not opened; steps and timelines are unverified.

  “section v: permits /application / licenses a. code enforcement permit b. applications required 1. code enforcement 2. planning board review and permit”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Corinna town limits
• Building code adopted — Adoption of a building code by the Town of Corinna
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Corinna town limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits inside Corinna town limits
• Living in an RV — Recreational vehicle occupancy on private land inside Corinna 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Corinna 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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