Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Biddeford, Maine

Biddeford’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings, structures, land uses and sanitary facilities inside Biddeford city, under the Land Development Regulations.

  • Permits are required according to the provisions of the ordinance; construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • Chapter 18 (Buildings and Building Regulations) was not opened; permit procedure not captured.

  “a plumbing permit, building permit, and/or certificate of occupancy shall be required for all buildings or structures, uses of land and buildings, and sanitary facilities, according to the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings, structures, land uses and sanitary facilities inside Biddeford city, under the Land Development Regulations.

  • Certificate of occupancy is listed with building and plumbing permits under the ordinance; issuance procedure not captured.

  “a plumbing permit, building permit, and/or certificate of occupancy shall be required for all buildings or structures, uses of land and buildings, and sanitary facilities, according to the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Biddeford city limits. Biddeford adopts and administers its own zoning under Part III Land Development Regulations, Article V (Establishment of Zones).

  • Zone-specific uses and dimensions are set by Article V section 6, Table A (land uses) and Table B (dimensional requirements). Table B was not captured in this run.

  “for the purpose of this ordinance, the city is hereby divided into the following classes of zones:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zone classes inside Biddeford city limits under the Land Development Regulations, Article V.

  • Article V lists the zone classes (SR, CR, R, B, I, W, R-F, LR-F, M, shoreland, CZ, IN, OR, MSRD, APO). The official zoning map is governed by Article III, which was not opened.

  “rural-farm zones to be known as r-f zones. limited rural-farm zones to be known as lr-f zones.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Inside Biddeford city, coastal residential (CR) district only: single-family use lot area.

  • Lot area follows Table C chart 9b1, keyed to soil profile (1-9) and soil condition (a, b, c) from the HHE-200 septic application.
  • Table C values range from 20,000 to 80,000 sq ft.

  minimum lot area, CR zone: 20000-80000 sq ft (varies by soil profile and soil condition per Table C chart 9b1)

  “table c lot size requirements for coastal residential (cr) district the minimum area in square feet required for single-family residential use as permitted in this zone shall be according to the following”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Biddeford city under Chapter 66 Subdivisions of the code.

  • Only the chapter title and section range were read on the code landing page; subdivision thresholds and review steps were not opened.

  “chapter 66 subdivisions (sec. 66-1 – sec. 66-111)”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Land development permits and charges inside Biddeford city.

  • Only the attachment titles on the code landing page were read; dollar amounts were not opened.
  • Appendix B fee schedule (sec. B-1) is also listed.

  “ldr attachment a fees and charges (1 – 12)”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Biddeford or York County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Biddeford city.
• Building code adopted — Building codes adopted for construction inside Biddeford city.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Biddeford city.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Biddeford city.
• Setbacks — Main single-family residential districts R-1-A and R-1-B inside Biddeford city.

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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Biddeford means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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