Building permits, zoning and land rules in Washington County, Maine

At a glance

Building permit

Required for nearly all new construction in the county's LUPC unorganized territory; municipal and often not required in small towns³²

Zoning

LUPC zones the unorganized/deorganized half of the county (34 townships, 3 plantations); each town zones its own organized land¹

Septic

Statewide Subsurface Wastewater Rules, permit issued by the local Plumbing Inspector⁴

LUPC permit fee

$0.20 per square foot of building footprint outside an approved subdivision, $0.15 inside one⁵

Tiny homes (organized towns)

State law requires a municipality to allow a tiny home wherever a single-family home is allowed⁶

Manufactured homes (statewide)

Must be allowed on individual house lots wherever single-family homes are allowed⁷

Owner-builder exemption

A statewide contract-rights exemption exists, but it does not itself waive permits or inspections⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 24, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Washington County, Maine?

It depends which half of Washington County your land is in. In the unorganized and deorganized territory — 34 townships and 3 plantations, close to half the county¹ — the Maine Land Use Planning Commission requires a Building Permit for almost all new construction, including a new house or camp². In the county's incorporated towns, the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) is mandatory only for municipalities with 4,000 or more residents, so many of Washington County's small rural towns have no building permit requirement at all³. Neither rule is the state's separate public-building permit, which only covers schools, hospitals, hotels, and similar uses over 3,000 square feet or 2+ story business occupancies⁹. Confirm which side of that unorganized-territory line your parcel falls on before you assume either way.

Who handles permits and land questions in Washington County?

If your land is in the unorganized or deorganized territory, your building and zoning permit comes from the Maine Land Use Planning Commission's Augusta office at (207) 287-2631, or from the regional field office serving your township¹⁰. LUPC building permit applications go to the Augusta Office by mail at 22 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333, or by email¹¹. If your land is in one of the county's incorporated towns, start with that town's office, not the county. For countywide records and administration, the Commissioners'/County Manager's Office in Machias handles county business at 207-255-3127¹². Deeds and land records are kept at the Washington County Registry of Deeds, 85 Court Street, Machias, at 207-255-6512¹³. For roads, burn permits, E-911 addressing and other local services specifically in the unorganized townships, the Office of Washington County Unorganized Territories is at (207) 255-8919, 83 Court St, Machias¹⁴.

Does Washington County have zoning?

Yes, but split between two different authorities. LUPC serves as the planning and zoning authority for the county's unorganized and deorganized areas, including its 34 townships and 3 plantations¹⁵. Near the town of Whiting, for example, none of the neighboring organized municipalities (Cutler, East Machias, Machiasport) has adopted townwide zoning, while the adjacent unorganized townships of Edmunds, Marion and Trescott are zoned by LUPC — a pattern that shows organized and unorganized land right next to each other can follow completely different rules¹⁶. LUPC's zoning districts and land-use standards are published in Chapter 10 of its rules, covering the unorganized/deorganized portion of the county¹⁷. Counties themselves have no independent zoning authority in Maine; a county can only ask LUPC to develop a regional plan for territory already within the commission's jurisdiction¹⁸. If your parcel is in one of the organized towns, that town — not the county or LUPC — sets its own zoning, and you'll need to confirm directly with the town office.

How do septic permits work in Washington County?

Septic systems anywhere in Washington County, organized or unorganized, follow Maine's statewide Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules, with a Local Plumbing Inspector (LPI) issuing the permit as a sworn agent of the town or the unorganized-territory jurisdiction⁴. Installing a new, expanded, or replacement system, or any individual component, requires a permit before work starts, except normal maintenance and repair¹⁹. The permit is valid for work commenced within 24 months, and the application generally needs a site evaluation from a licensed site evaluator, or a professional engineer for an engineered system¹⁹. Maine CDC's Subsurface Wastewater Unit keeps the statewide record of permits submitted by towns and by the LPIs assigned to unorganized territory²⁰. Only about 1% of Washington County's soils are free of severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field — among the lowest shares in Maine — so plan on a site evaluation early and budget for an engineered system on most parcels²¹.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Washington County?

In Washington County's incorporated towns, state law requires the municipality to permit a tiny home on any individual house lot where single-family dwellings are allowed, subject to the same land-use rules as a single-family home or accessory structure⁶. The same statewide rule requires municipalities to allow manufactured housing wherever single-family homes are allowed⁷. For the county's unorganized and deorganized townships under LUPC, the county's own research could not confirm a specific tiny-home or manufactured-home occupancy rule; LUPC materials cover building permits generally but did not state a distinct rule for either¹. Simply living in an RV on a bare lot, organized or unorganized, is a different question that neither the municipal tiny-home statute nor LUPC's building-permit rule directly answers. Maine's RV-specific rules cover licensed commercial campgrounds of 5 or more sites²² and, in unorganized territory only, LUPC's minor-campground rule for up to 4 sites and a maximum of 150 days of transient occupancy per year²³ — neither is a rule about living full-time in an RV on your own parcel. Call LUPC for unorganized land or your town office for organized land before you plan to live on-site in an RV while you build.

Building a home in Washington County: the steps, in order

1. Confirm whether your parcel is in an organized town or in LUPC's unorganized/deorganized territory — the process is different either way¹.
2. If you're in unorganized territory, apply for a LUPC Building Permit before any construction begins; almost all new construction needs one, and the fee runs $0.20 per square foot of footprint outside an approved subdivision or $0.15 inside one²⁵.
3. If you're in an organized town, ask that town whether it enforces MUBEC; it's mandatory only above 4,000 residents, so many rural Washington County towns may not require a permit³.
4. Get a septic site evaluation started early with your Local Plumbing Inspector, since only about 1% of the county's soils are free of severe drain-field limitations⁴²¹.
5. In LUPC territory, submit your completed application to the Augusta Office; no construction may begin before you receive the permit¹¹.
6. After construction, LUPC-permitted projects generally require self-certification, and LUPC staff may conduct a site inspection before issuing a Certificate of Compliance²⁴.
7. Record your deed and confirm parcel history at the Washington County Registry of Deeds¹³.

What to check before you buy land in Washington County

Soils: with only 1% of the county's land free of severe septic limitations, a site evaluation before you commit to a parcel is essential, especially since forest cover runs 80.8% and the terrain is otherwise gentle at 95% under 15% slope²¹²⁵²⁶. Jurisdiction: verify whether your parcel is organized-town or LUPC unorganized territory before you assume any permit rule, since the two follow completely different processes¹. Flood: development in a mapped flood hazard area needs a separate Flood Hazard Development Permit, determined by the state's decision tree for your community's flood map²⁷. Short-term rentals: in LUPC territory, a short-term rental notice must be filed with the Commission, and rentals are only an allowed use in zoning subdistricts where residential dwellings or campsites are permitted²⁸. Taxes: the effective property tax rate is about 1.1%, with a median annual bill around $1,654²⁹³⁰. Location: Washington County is remote — about 240 miles from the nearest metro area, with a population density of 12.3 people per square mile³¹³².

Watch-outs

• Whether you need a LUPC permit or a town permit depends entirely on which side of the organized/unorganized-territory line your parcel sits on; the county's own research could not find one countywide rule, so confirm your parcel's status with LUPC or your town before you plan around either¹.
• No official source confirms an owner-builder exemption from LUPC's building-permit or inspection requirements, or a minimum dwelling size anywhere in the county; call LUPC (unorganized territory) or your town (organized land) directly⁸.

Sources

1. Maine DACF - LUPC Washington County CGPZ (2026 county census)
2. Buying and Selling Property in the Land Use Planning Commission Service Area, quoted and re-checked
3. Maine DACF - Land Use Planning Commission (2026 county census)
4. Maine CDC - Subsurface Wastewater System Permitting (2026 county census)
5. Maine Land Use Planning Commission Building Permit Application (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. Title 30-A, §4363: Regulation of tiny homes, quoted and re-checked
7. Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A, §4358: Regulation of manufactured housing (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Title 10, §1489: Exemption (2026 county census)
9. Title 25, §2448: Construction permit; when required (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC), Augusta Office (maine.gov)
11. Maine Land Use Planning Commission Building Permit Application (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Washington County Commissioners' / County Manager's Office (washingtoncountymaine.com)
13. Washington County Registry of Deeds (washingtoncountymaine.com)
14. Office of Washington County Unorganized Territories (wcut.maine.gov)
15. Washington County Region - Community Guided Planning and Zoning, quoted and re-checked
16. About LUPC, quoted and re-checked
17. Land Use Districts and Standards - Chapter 10 (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Subsurface Wastewater System Permitting (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Subsurface Wastewater Unit, quoted and re-checked
21. Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
22. Maine Revised Statutes Title 22, §2491: Definitions (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Maine Revised Statutes Title 12, §682: Definitions (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Self-Certification Form for Residential and Non-residential Development, quoted and re-checked
25. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
26. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
27. Floodplain Ordinances & Permit Forms (Maine statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
28. Operating a Short-Term Rental in the Commission's Service Area, quoted and re-checked
29. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
30. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
31. Distance to the nearest metro area: Bolthole Index county data
32. Population density: Bolthole Index county data

Written September 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.