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

Town of Hermon’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, demolition, or structural alteration of buildings inside Hermon town limits.

  • The requirement stated by the town covers construction, demolition, and structural alteration.

  “A building permit is required for the construction, demolition, or structural alteration of buildings.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  A manufactured-housing unit or mobile home new to, or relocated within, Hermon.

  • The unit may not be occupied until inspected and issued a Certificate of Occupancy by the Code Enforcement Officer.
  • The inspection may include federal, state, and local safety/building compliance, structural integrity, egress, utility connections, foundation, and general life-safety conditions.

  “No manufactured housing unit or mobile home that is new to the Town or relocated within the Town shall be occupied until it has been inspected and received a Certificate of Occupancy from the Code Enforcement Officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within Hermon town limits.

  • Town zoning-map and land-use-code materials are administered through the Code Enforcement Office.

  “Below you will find a copy of Hermon’s Zoning map and any permit applications you may need.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land within Hermon town limits.

  • The zoning map is published on the Town Code Enforcement page.

  “Below you will find a copy of Hermon’s Zoning map and any permit applications you may need.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Newer manufactured housing on residential lots in Hermon's AF, RA, RB, and RC districts.

  • The unit must meet the ordinance's dimension, living-space, roof, construction, siding, window, foundation, skirting, and address standards.
  • A new or relocated unit may not be occupied until inspection and a Certificate of Occupancy.

  minimum living space: >= 750 square feet (Manufactured housing/newer mobile homes on individual lots) · minimum horizontal dimension: >= 14 feet (24 feet in RA zone)

  “A manufactured housing unit meeting the following performance standards may be placed on and maintained on any residential lot in the AF, RA, RB and RC Districts.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  One ADU on a qualified lot where residential use is permitted, including as a conditional use, inside Hermon town limits.

  • The ADU may not further increase a preexisting lot nonconformity.
  • ADUs require Code Enforcement Officer approval, an application, and the prescribed fee.
  • ADUs do not require Planning Board approval.
  • An ADU may not be used as a short-term rental.

  maximum ADUs per qualified lot: 1 · minimum ADU size: >= 160 square feet (A different minimum adopted by the Technical Building Codes and Standards Board applies) · maximum ADU size: <= 600 square feet

  “A maximum of one (1) ADU is allowed per qualified lot.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Septic service for an accessory dwelling unit inside Hermon town limits.

  • A local plumbing inspector verifies adequate subsurface sewage disposal.
  • Plans must be prepared by a licensed site evaluator under state subsurface-wastewater rules.

  “If an ADU is connected to a septic system, proof of adequate sewage disposal for subsurface wastewater, the septic system must be verified as adequate by a local plumbing inspector under section 4221.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  An ADU connected to a septic system inside Hermon town limits.

  • Verification of adequate sewage disposal is required before occupancy certification.

  “If an ADU is connected to a septic system, proof of adequate sewage disposal for subsurface wastewater, the septic system must be verified as adequate by a local plumbing inspector under section 4221.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  An ADU connected to public sewer or centrally managed water inside Hermon town limits.

  • The owner must provide proof of adequate service for additional flow and proof of payment for connection before occupancy certification.

  “If an ADU is connected to a public, special district or other comparable sewer system, proof of adequate service to support any additional flow created by the accessory dwelling unit and proof of payment for the connection to the sewer system.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision proposals inside Hermon town limits.

  • Town Code Enforcement publishes a subdivision application.

  “Subdivisions Below is a Subdivision Application.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway or road entrances inside Hermon town limits.

  • Applicants are directed to contact Public Works for driveway/road-entrance permits.

  “Driveway/Road Entrance Permit Contact Nick Haggerty at Public Works for Driveway/ Road Entrance Permits”

• Short-term rentalsProhibited

  An accessory dwelling unit inside Hermon town limits.

  “An ADU may not be used as a Short-Term Rental.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Residential and commercial permit applications inside Hermon town limits.

  • Fees are listed on the applicable permit application.

  “Permit fees for residential and commercial activities are listed on the appropriate permit application.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Planning Board submissions inside Hermon town limits.

  • Submissions are due by noon on the stated submission date.
  • Timely submission does not guarantee placement on the next Planning Board agenda because some items require review.

  “Please note, all submissions are due by noon of the submission date. Items turned in by the submission date do not guarantee they will be on the next meeting as some items require review before going to the planning board.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Hermon

Town of Hermon does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  An ADU on a qualified lot inside Hermon town limits.

  • A different state-board minimum size applies if adopted under Title 10, section 9722.

  minimum ADU size: >= 160 square feet (Different Technical Building Codes and Standards Board minimum controls if adopted)

  “An ADU shall be a minimum of 160 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Mobile-home-park lots inside Hermon town limits.

  • Shoreland-area lots must instead meet applicable district lot-area, lot-width, and shore-frontage requirements.

  minimum lot size: >= 6500 square feet (Lots served by public sewer) · minimum lot size: >= 20000 square feet (Lots served by individual subsurface wastewater disposal systems) · minimum lot size: >= 12000 square feet (Lots served by centralized subsurface waste systems serving two or more dwelling units and approved by Maine Department of Human Services)

  “Lots served by public sewer 6,500 50 Lots served by individual subsurface wastewater disposal systems 20,000 100 Lots served by one or more centralized subsurface waste disposal systems serving two or more dwelling units and approved by the Maine Department of Human Services 12,000 75”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Hermon town limits.
• Building code adopted — Buildings inside Hermon town limits.
• Inspections — General building construction inside Hermon town limits.
• Lot coverage — Land within Hermon town limits.
• Building height — Land within Hermon 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 Hermon 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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