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

Town of Harrington’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Any structure 100 square feet or larger, or any structure used for habitation, inside Harrington town

  • Permit is approved or denied by the Planning Board, which meets on the first Tuesday of each month.
  • The page also says 'a building permit is necessary for all structures', which is broader than the 100 sq ft threshold; the ordinance was not opened to resolve the difference.

  minimum structure size requiring permit: >= 100 square feet (any structure used for habitation also requires a permit)

  “a building permit is necessary for any structure 100 square feet or larger or any structure used for habitation.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Harrington town's limits that falls under the town's shoreland zoning ordinance. Comprehensive (non-shoreland) zoning is not confirmed.

  • The town's Planning Board page lists a 'shoreland zoning ordinance' and an appendix, plus 'land use regulations' and a 'solar energy ordinance'. Only the shoreland zoning ordinance name is quoted here; the text of those PDFs was not opened.
  • Whether the town's land use regulations are a zoning ordinance covering general districts is unverified.

  “shoreland zoning ordinance, appe ndix b solar energy ordinance”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for work inside Harrington town

  • Fees as stated on the town Planning Board page; the page does not state an effective or revision date.
  • Subdivision fee is per lot for the first 5 lots and $100.00 for each additional lot.

  residential/commercial/industrial building permit fee: 20 USD · subdivision fee, first 5 lots: 250 USD per lot (first 5 lots) · subdivision fee, each additional lot: 100 USD per lot (each lot after the first 5)

  “fees for building permits are as follows: residential/commercial/industrial buildings: $20.00 subdivisions: $250.00 per lot for first 5 lots, $100.00 each additional lot thereafter.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications for work inside Harrington town

  • Permits go to the Planning Board, which meets on the first Tuesday of each month.
  • Applications are delivered to the Town Office no later than 1 week before the meeting, or the last Tuesday of the month before the meeting.
  • The application form is linked from the Planning Board page; the form itself was not opened.

  “these permits should be delivered to the town office no later than 1 week prior to the meeting or the last tuesday of the month before the planning board is to meet.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Harrington town
• Building code adopted — Whether Harrington town has adopted a building code (MUBEC or otherwise)
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Harrington town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Harrington town
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Harrington 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.