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

Town of Orrington’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Any new structure, additions, and most alterations to existing structures inside Orrington town.

  • Commercial uses may also require a conditional-use permit from the Code Enforcement Office or Planning Board.

  “A building permit is required for any new structure, additions and most alterations to existing structures.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Any lot or changed lot use, and buildings erected or whose use changes, inside Orrington town.

  • No certificate may issue unless the lot or building complies with all provisions of the ordinance.

  “A Certificate of Occupancy issued by the Code Enforcement Officer is required in advance of the use of:”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land throughout Orrington town.

  • The ordinance states that it is effective throughout the Town of Orrington.

  “This Ordinance has been prepared in accordance with the home rule authority granted in Titles 30-A Maine Revised Statutes Annotated (MRSA) Section 3001 and Article VIII, Part 2, of the Maine Constitution, Section 4352, Zoning Ordinances, and Title 38 MRSA Sections 435-449, as amended, and shall be effective throughout the Town of Orrington.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land-use districts throughout Orrington town.

  • The official Land Use District Map is part of the ordinance and is on file with the Town Clerk.

  “For the purpose of this Ordinance, the town is hereby divided into the following classes of districts or zones: Low Density Residential Districts to be known as "R" districts. Highway Commercial Districts to be known as "C" districts. General Industrial Districts to be known as "I" districts. Rural Residential and Farming Districts to be known as "R-F" districts. Mixed Residential-Commercial Districts to be known as “MR-C” districts. Commerce Park Districts to be known as “CPD” districts. Resource Protection Districts to be known as "RP" districts. (see Article 3) Shoreland Residential Districts to be known as "SR" districts. (see Article 3) Shoreland Industrial Districts to be known as "SI" districts. (see Article 3) Stream Protection Districts to be known as "SP" districts. (see Article 3)”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R and RF districts in Orrington town.

  • R side/rear setback is 20 feet for principal buildings and 15 feet for accessory buildings; table footnotes apply.

  R front yard: 35 feet (Subject to table note I.) · RF front yard: 35 feet (Subject to table note I.) · shore setback: 75 feet (Applies in both R and RF columns.)

  “Shore setback 75 ft. 75 ft. 75 ft. 75 ft. 75 ft. 75 ft. Front yard 35 ft. I 35 ft. I 40 ft. I 40 ft. I 35/40ft. E,I 25 ft. I Side, rear setbacks 20/15 ft. C 20 ft. 20 ft. 25 ft. 20 ft. 15-25 ft. C. 20 feet for the principal building, 15 feet for accessory buildings.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R and RF districts in Orrington town.

  • All structures and uses must meet or exceed Table 2-2 dimensional requirements.

  R maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent · RF maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “Maximum lot coverage 30% 20% 50% 50% 50% 60 %”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R and RF districts in Orrington town.

  • All structures and uses must meet or exceed Table 2-2 dimensional requirements.

  R maximum building height: <= 35 feet · RF maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “Maximum building height 35 ft. 35 ft. 35 ft. 75/50 ft. D 35 ft. Variable J”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  New or substantially improved manufactured homes in Orrington special flood-hazard Zone AE.

  • The home must be elevated, placed on a permanent foundation, and securely anchored.

  lowest-floor elevation: >= 1 foot above base flood elevation (Applies in Zone AE.)

  “Manufactured Homes - New or substantially improved manufactured homes located within: 1.) Zone (District) AE shall: a. be elevated such that the lowest floor (including basement) of the manufactured home is at least one foot above the base flood elevation; b. be on a permanent foundation, which may be poured masonry slab or foundation walls, with hydraulic openings, or may be reinforced piers or block supports, any of which support the manufactured home so that no weight is supported by its wheels and axles; and, c. be securely anchored to an adequately anchored foundation system to resist flotation, collapse, or lateral movement.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Lots in Orrington Rural Districts.

  • The lot may have a primary dwelling and two accessory dwelling units; no more than one ADU may be detached.

  additional accessory dwelling units: <= 2 units (No more than one may be detached.)

  “Lots in the Rural District are allowed up to 3 dwelling units on the lot. (Primary Dwelling and 2 Accessory Dwelling Units. No more than one of which may be detached.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Septic-system installation in Orrington town.

  • The system must be designed by a site evaluator and permitted by the local plumbing inspector.

  “In addition, any new construction or replacement of any part thereof, of a septic field, requires a Subsurface Waste Water Disposal System designed by a site evaluator and permitted by the local plumbing inspector.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New construction or replacement of any part of a septic field in Orrington town.

  • A site evaluator must design the Subsurface Waste Water Disposal System; the local plumbing inspector permits it.

  “In addition, any new construction or replacement of any part thereof, of a septic field, requires a Subsurface Waste Water Disposal System designed by a site evaluator and permitted by the local plumbing inspector.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Septic-system installation in Orrington town.

  • The Town identifies the Code Enforcement Officer as responsible for inspection of septic-system installation.

  “The Code Enforcement Officer is responsible for the permitting and inspection of any new structure, plumbing and septic system installation in the Town of Orrington.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural greenhouses, high tunnels, and caterpillar tunnels inside Orrington town.

  • They are exempt only if reasonably relocatable or removable without material soil damage; placement on a slab or permanent foundation loses the exemption.

  “These uses are considered pieces of farm equipment and not structures that require building permits, provided they can reasonably be relocated or removed without material damage to the soils on the property. They are also exempt from associated fees. If these uses are placed on a slab or a permanent foundation, they would be considered structures and lose the exempt status.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction or other development, including manufactured-home placement, in Orrington special flood-hazard areas.

  • The permit is in addition to any other required Town-code or ordinance permits.

  “Before any construction or other development (as defined in Article 9), including the placement of manufactured homes, begins within any areas of special flood hazard established in Section 1, a Flood Hazard Development Permit shall be obtained from the Code Enforcement Officer. This permit shall be in addition to any other permits which may be required pursuant to the codes and ordinances of the Town of Orrington, Maine.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Campground and travel-trailer-park permits inside Orrington town.

  • The fee applies to an annual Code Enforcement Officer permit and issuance also requires conformity and Planning Board approval.

  annual permit fee: 1 USD per travel trailer, camp, or tent site

  “No campground or travel trailer park may be established or operated without a permit issued annually by the Code Enforcement Officer for which the applicant shall pay a fee of $1.00 per travel trailer site, camp site, or tent site.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applicants inside Orrington town.

  • Commercial uses may require a conditional-use permit from the Code Enforcement Office or Planning Board.

  “You may request a building permit application by contacting Dean Bennett at [email protected] or by calling the town hall at (207) 825-3340 ext # 4.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Orrington

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Low-Density Residential (R) District in Orrington town.

  • The first dwelling unit requires at least one-half acre of contiguous developable area without wetlands; functioning public water and sewer reduce minimum lot size and width by one half.

  minimum lot size: 1 acre (Subject to table notes A and G.)

  “Table 2-2 R RF C I MR-C CPD Minimum lot size 1 acre A, G 2 acres B, G”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural Residential and Farming (RF) District in Orrington town.

    “Table 2-2 R RF C I MR-C CPD Minimum lot size 1 acre A, G 2 acres B, G”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Orrington town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Orrington town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Orrington town.
• Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid sanitation for residences inside Orrington town.
• Well permit — Private wells inside Orrington 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 Orrington 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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