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

Town of Embden’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Work that requires a permit inside Embden's shoreland zone (land within 250 feet of great ponds, rivers and freshwater wetlands, and 75 feet of streams).

  • The quoted rule applies only to activities requiring a permit under the ordinance; it does not state a permit requirement for all construction outside the shoreland zone.
  • Permit fee schedule for rural and shoreland residential work (over 200 square feet) is published by the town separately.

  “b. permits required. after the effective date of this ordinance no person shall, without first obtaining a permit, engage in any activity or use of land or structure requiring a permit in the district in which such activity or use would occur”

• InspectionsLimited

  Permitted residential construction in Embden town

  • The applicant must notify the Code Enforcement Officer for site visits and inspections; the form lists stages from preliminary visit to final inspection for occupancy.
  • The form is not a code provision; no ordinance text requiring every inspection was found.

  “i will notify the code enforcement officer when i am ready for the site visits and inspections.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Embden town limits within the shoreland zone only (250 feet of great ponds, rivers and freshwater wetlands; 75 feet of streams). No general zoning ordinance was found on the town's official ordinance list.

  • The Shoreland Zoning Ordinance was adopted by the municipal legislative body on June 13, 2018 and was not effective until approved by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection; the approval date was not found in the source.
  • Amendments proposed at 2022 and 2024 special town meetings were seen only in meeting notices and were not verified against the adopted text.
  • Whether Embden adopts any general land use ordinance outside the shoreland zone was not confirmed.

  “real estate subdivision ordinance (pdf) shoreland zoning ordinance (pdf) town of embden recall ordinance (pdf)”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Shoreland zoning districts inside Embden town only

  • Districts in the ordinance are resource protection, limited residential, general development I, stream protection, and laterally split; no general zoning districts were found.
  • The official shoreland zoning map was referenced in the ordinance but was not opened.

  “(5) 75' laterally split district (6) 100' laterally split district (1) resource protection (2) limited residential (3) general development (4) stream protection”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential use (single-family dwelling unit) on land inside Embden's shoreland zone, as the minimum lot standard for all land use activities in that zone

  • The shoreland minimum applies inside the shoreland zone only; lots outside it are governed by whatever rule applies, which was not found.
  • Land below the normal high-water line or wetland edge and land under roads serving more than two lots do not count toward minimum lot area.
  • Lots within subdivisions must have at least five acres for development with 200 feet frontage on the road, per section 15(a)(6).

  minimum lot area per residential dwelling unit: >= 40000 sq ft (shoreland zone only) · minimum shore frontage: >= 200 ft (shoreland zone only)

  “minimum lot area (sq. ft.) minimum shore frontage (ft.) (1) (a) residential per dwelling unit 40,000 200”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  New structures in the resource protection district of Embden's shoreland zone

  • Structures, roads, parking spaces or other regulated objects specifically allowed in the district follow the standard setbacks instead.

  setback from normal high-water line: 250 ft (resource protection district; horizontal distance)

  “in the resource protection district the setback requirement shall be 250 feet, horizontal distance, except for structures, roads, parking spaces or other regulated objects specifically allowed in that district in which case the setback requirements specified above shall apply.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — New principal and accessory structures in the limited residential district and other shoreland districts other than general development and resource protection

    “all new principal and accessory structures shall be set back at least one hundred (100) feet, horizontal distance, from the normal high-water line of great ponds classified gpa and rivers that flow to great ponds classified gpa, and seventy-five (75) feet, horizontal distance, from the normal high-water line of other water bodies, tributary streams, or the upland edge of a wetland”

  • District specific (with conditions) — New principal and accessory structures in the general development district of Embden's shoreland zone

    “except that in the general development district the setback from the normal high- 12 water line shall be at least twenty five (25) feet, horizontal distance.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Embden town

  • The town lists a Real Estate Subdivision Ordinance; its text was not opened, so lot and approval thresholds are unknown.
  • Permit form fees refer to minor and major subdivisions under the subdivision ordinance.

  “real estate subdivision ordinance (pdf) shoreland zoning ordinance (pdf) town of embden recall ordinance (pdf)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Residential building and shoreland permits in Embden town

  • Code Enforcement Officer reviews on site and approves before submission to the planning board.
  • Applications must be submitted with 8 copies by the last Thursday of the month to be placed on the next agenda, per the town form.

  “completed application required by ceo with required attachments shall be reviewed on site and approved by ceo prior to submission to the planning board.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home in Embden town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for new construction in Embden town
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new residential construction in Embden town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling in Embden town
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage for a dwelling in Embden 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.