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

Town of Northport’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction, conversion, addition, relocation or replacement of structures, including trailers, manufactured homes and recreational vehicles used as a residence, inside Northport town limits

  • Accessory buildings of not more than 100 square feet are exempt if they meet all other ordinance requirements.
  • Permit must be obtained from the code enforcement officer before work starts; a permit obtained after construction begins is charged triple fee.
  • Ordinance effective on adoption by voters (special town meeting October 2, 2009), as amended; the copy reviewed was approved at annual town meeting June 6, 2022.

  accessory building exemption threshold: <= 100 sq ft (must still meet all other ordinance requirements)

  “3. building permit: new construction, conversion, addition, relocations and replacement or significant segment thereof, including all trailers, manufactured homes and/or recreational vehicles when used as a residence.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Required — All construction or earth moving activities or other improvements inside the Northport shoreland zone

    “2. shoreland zoning permit: all construction or earth moving activities or other improvements within the shoreland zone.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Inspections for compliance with permitted work inside Northport town limits, carried out by the code enforcement officer

  • The sentence is the code enforcement officer's duty; it does not list which projects receive a site inspection.
  • Scope of inspections per project is not defined in the ordinance text reviewed.

  “the code enforcement officer shall conduct on-site inspections to insure compliance with all applicable laws and conditions attached to permit approvals.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Shoreland zone land inside Northport town limits only. No general town zoning map was found.

  • The ordinance lists three districts by name in section 9 (resource protection, stream protection, general development); section 13 and the land use table also refer to limited residential, limited commercial and marine residential-recreational districts. Confirm the district list against the adopted official shoreland zoning map.
  • The ordinance file is labeled as a 2022 draft.

  “the areas to which this ordinance is applicable are hereby divided into the following districts as shown on the official shoreland zoning map(s)”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal and accessory structures inside the resource protection district of the Northport shoreland zone

  • Exceptions for structures, roads and parking spaces specifically allowed in that district, and for water-dependent uses, per section 15(b)(1).

  setback, resource protection district: 250 feet (horizontal distance from normal high-water line; specific allowed structures excepted)

  “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.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal or accessory structures and expansions permitted in the resource protection, limited residential, limited commercial and stream protection districts of the Northport shoreland zone

  • Height limit listed for those named districts only; the marine residential-recreational district is not listed in that sentence and its height limit was not found.
  • Lowest floor or openings of buildings must be elevated at least one foot above the 100-year flood elevation under the same section.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (named shoreland districts; structures without floor area excepted)

  “principal or accessory structures and expansions of existing structures which are permitted in the resource protection, limited residential, limited commercial, and stream protection districts, shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle placed on an individual private campsite inside the Northport shoreland zone

  • Only one RV per campsite, with no permanent foundation except a gravel pad.
  • Sewage disposal plan approved by the local plumbing inspector is required.
  • If the RV is on site more than 120 days per year, all residential requirements apply, including a subsurface system.
  • Clearing in the resource protection district is limited to 1,000 square feet.

  RVs per campsite: 1 count (individual private campsites in shoreland zone)

  “4. only one recreational vehicle shall be allowed on a campsite. the recreational vehicle shall not be located on any type of permanent foundation except for a gravel pad, and no structure except a canopy shall be attached to the recreational vehicle.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Individual private campsites (not in a campground) inside the Northport shoreland zone

  • Allowed only if the listed conditions are met: one campsite per lot or 30,000 sq ft of lot area, whichever is less; setback of 100 ft from great ponds GPA and rivers to great ponds, and 75 ft from other water bodies and tributary streams.
  • Campgrounds are a separate use with their own rules, not reviewed here.

  campsite setback, great ponds GPA and rivers to great ponds: 100 feet (horizontal distance)

  “e. individual private campsites. individual private campsites not associated with campgrounds are allowed provided the following conditions are met:”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Subsurface wastewater (septic) systems for new construction or replacement inside Northport town limits

  • The town's Local Plumbing Inspector permits the system; the Maine subsurface wastewater disposal rules (state) set the design standards and were not separately opened here.
  • The site evaluation must be designed by a site evaluator.

  “any new construction or replacement of any part thereof, 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 that needs a subsurface wastewater disposal system, inside Northport town limits, where the property is not served by public sewer

  • Application needs a site evaluation approved by the plumbing inspector.
  • Building permit ordinance: a plumbing permit application with site evaluation is needed whenever the work requires a subsurface disposal system.

  “any new construction or replacement of any part thereof, requires a subsurface waste water disposal system designed by a site evaluator and permitted by the local plumbing inspector.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Residential sanitation in the Northport shoreland zone

  • Holding tanks are not allowed for first-time residential use in the shoreland zone; the restriction is limited to that zone and to first-time residential use.

  “b) a holding tank is not allowed for a first-time residential use in the shoreland zone.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  New roads and driveways inside the resource protection district of the Northport shoreland zone

  • New driveways are prohibited in the resource protection district except where the planning board grants a permit for access to permitted uses within the district.
  • General driveway access standards (width, grade, permit) outside the shoreland zone were not found.

  “4. new roads and driveways are prohibited in a resource protection district except that the planning board may grant a permit to construct a road or driveway to provide access to permitted uses within the district.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  All construction or earth moving activities or other improvements inside the 100-year flood plain designated on FEMA flood insurance rate maps, in Northport town

  • Permit is a flood hazard development permit from the code enforcement officer; the floodplains management ordinance is referenced for detailed rules, not opened.

  “1. flood hazard development permit: all construction or earth moving activities or other improvements within the 100-year flood plain designated on the flood insurance rate maps published by the federal emergency management agency.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Fees for Northport building, subdivision, site plan, zoning board, plumbing and septic permits

  • The fee schedule itself was not opened; the amounts are not recorded here.
  • The building permit ordinance says building fees are set by the selectmen and that a permit obtained after construction begins is charged triple the fee.
  • Plumbing fees vary by project per the plumbing page.

  “fee schedule for building permits, subdivision, site plan review, zoning board of appeals, plumbing and septic (new fee schedule effective july 1, 2025)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building and related code enforcement permits issued by the Northport code enforcement officer

  • Permit application must be in writing on town forms with a scaled plan showing lot dimensions, buildings, water bodies and wetlands within 250 feet, and septic and well locations where applicable.
  • Decision period: the code enforcement officer decides within 30 days; failure to act within 30 days is a denial.
  • Work must commence within 12 months and be substantially complete within 24 months of permit issuance.

  decision deadline: <= 30 days (from receipt of application)

  “the code enforcement officer shall, within thirty (30) days of receipt of an application, issue the permit, if all proposed construction and uses meet the provisions of the ordinance, refer the applicant to the planning board for site plan review, or deny the application.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for permits inside Northport town limits
• Building code adopted — Which building code applies to construction inside Northport town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings in Northport town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Northport town limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Northport 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.