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

Town of Belmont’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Land use and structure activities inside Belmont town that require a permit under the Land Use Ordinance (2021), issued by the code enforcement officer

  • The captured text of the building permit list is cut off ('for 41 uses which are li...'); the full list of uses that need a building permit was not read.
  • Uses marked '*' in the land use table are permitted only after site plan review, and then a building permit is issued.
  • The ordinance states 'no permit fee for detached accessory structures of less than 200 square feet'; whether those structures need a building permit was not confirmed.

  “a building permit shall be obtained from the code enforcement officer for 41 uses which are li”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Belmont town's limits, under the Town of Belmont Land Use Ordinance (2021). Not the unincorporated county area.

  • The ordinance applies in areas divided into districts 'as shown on the official land use district map'; the map itself was not opened.
  • Shoreland areas are governed by a separate Shoreland Zoning Ordinance listed on the town ordinances page (not opened).
  • Adopted at special town meeting; amendable by majority vote of town meeting.

  “the areas to which this ordinance is applicable are divided into the following districts as shown on the official land use district map”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land inside Belmont town's limits, by district named in the Land Use Ordinance (2021)

  • Districts named in the ordinance text: Commercial (c), Rural Residential (rr), Rural (r), Shoreland Districts (sd), Landfill Protection Overlay (po).
  • The official land use district map was not opened, so district boundaries are not confirmed.

  “1. commercial c 2. rural residential rr 3. rural r 4. shoreland districts sd 5. landfill protection overlay po”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings on lots in Belmont town's commercial and rural areas. Which figure applies to which district is not confirmed; the flattened PDF table does not map columns reliably.

  • The three captured figures are 1 acre, 2 acres and 3 acres; the district assigned to each was not confirmed.
  • Minimum street frontage is 200 feet in the captured table.
  • The ordinance says additional area may be required by other provisions; non-conforming lot rules in Section 2 were not applied.

  minimum lot area, single-family dwelling: 1 acre, 2 acres, 3 acres (by district, mapping unconfirmed) (additional area may be required by other provisions of this ordinance)

  “1. minimum lot area single family dwellings 1 acre 2 acres 3 acres”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured housing used as a dwelling on private land inside Belmont town, in the districts where the land use table marks it permitted (column-to-district mapping unconfirmed)

  • Permitted with a building permit only ('y' in the land use table).
  • Mobile home parks are governed separately (Section 6 standards) and were not researched.
  • The flattened table does not confirm which districts allow the use.

  “key: y = yes, permitted; building permit only. n = no, not permitted.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  All land and buildings proposed for subdivision inside Belmont town

  • Administered by the Planning Board of the Town of Belmont.
  • Amendable by majority vote of town meeting.
  • The PDF file name says 7-11-13; that revision date is not verified as an adoption date. The cover states adoption at special town meeting November 17, 1998.

  “the provisions of this ordinance shall pertain to all land and buildings proposed for subdivision within the boundaries of the town of belmont”

• Permit processPartial

  Building and site plan permits for land inside Belmont town

  • Building permits are issued by the code enforcement officer; site plan review is by the planning board.
  • Site plan action deadline is 60 days after a completed application, as stated.
  • The full procedure in Section 7 (determination of complete application, public hearing, timing, expiration, enforcement, fines) is listed in the table of contents but was not read.

  site plan action deadline: 60 days (from receipt of a completed application)

  “within sixty (60) days of the receipt of a completed application, as determined by the planning board, the board shall act to approve or disapprove the site plan as submitted or amended.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for building permits inside Belmont town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Belmont town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Belmont town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Belmont town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Belmont 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.