Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Marshall, North Carolina

Town of Marshall’s own rules

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Marshall town corporate limits.

  • The Official Zoning Map is incorporated by reference and is on file at Town Hall for public inspection.

  “For the purposes of this Ordinance, the Town of Marshall is hereby divided into zoning districts whose locations and boundaries are shown on the Official Zoning Map for the Town of Marshall which is hereby adopted by reference and declared to be a part of this Ordinance.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential lots inside Marshall town containing a principal structure and accessory structure or structures.

  • Total combined accessory-structure area may not exceed the principal-structure size.
  • No single accessory structure may exceed 40 percent of the principal-structure size.

  maximum combined principal-and-accessory lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “Maximum lot coverage for the principal structure and accessory structure(s) combined shall be 30 percent. The total combined area of accessory structures shall not exceed the size of the principal structure, and no single accessory structure shall exceed 40 percent of the size of the principal structure.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Recreational vehicles inside Marshall town.

  • Outside a compliant camping and recreational-vehicle park, RV living, sleeping, housekeeping, and utility connection are prohibited.
  • Temporary dwelling use may be separately permitted for up to 180 days when all UDO conditions are met.

  temporary occupancy duration: <= 180 days (A temporary RV-dwelling permit may be renewed if a good-faith construction effort is underway.)

  “Outside of campground use as regulated in Section 4.6.3 of this ordinance, a recreational vehicle may be permitted as a temporary dwelling only in situations in which all of the following conditions are met:”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and camping-unit sites inside Marshall town.

  • Campground applications must comply with the Special Use Permit application provisions.
  • Camping units are for temporary human occupancy.
  • No camping-unit site may be used as a permanent place of abode.

  permanent-occupancy presumption: > 3 months in any 12-month period (Continuous occupancy beyond this period is presumed permanent.)

  “No camping unit site shall be used as a permanent place of abode. Continuous occupancy extending beyond three (3) months in any 12-month period shall be presumed to be permanent occupancy.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes on individual lots inside Marshall town.

  • The home must satisfy the single-family district's lot-width and setback rules.
  • The home must meet stated construction, foundation, porch, and placement standards.

  minimum roof pitch: 2.2:12 · minimum permanent front porch: >= 32 square feet

  “A permanent front porch of at least 32 square feet in area shall be constructed within 12 inches of the floor elevation and. All secondary entrances and exits to the Manufactured Home shall also have concrete steps or similar approved steps.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwellings inside Marshall town.

  • The principal dwelling must be owner occupied.
  • The accessory dwelling may not exceed one-half the total area of the principal dwelling.
  • It must meet principal-structure setbacks and North Carolina Building Standards.

  maximum accessory-dwelling area: <= 0.5 fraction of principal dwelling total area

  “The accessory dwelling shall not exceed one-half (½) of the total area of the principal dwelling.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Individual water supply and septic systems in subdivision development inside Marshall town.

  • Individual systems are addressed where connection to Town systems is not possible.
  • The location plan requires Madison County Health Department approval.

  “Location plans for individual water supply and septic system as approved by Madison County Health Department (if connection to Town systems not possible)”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Subdivision development inside Marshall town.

  • Individual water supply and septic systems are an alternative only if connection to Town systems is not possible.
  • Water and sewer layout plans require approval letters from appropriate agencies and Town consulting-engineer review before preliminary plat approval.

  “Location plans for individual water supply and septic system as approved by Madison County Health Department (if connection to Town systems not possible)”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivisions inside Marshall town.

  • Preliminary plats require water/wastewater information and approvals.
  • Final plats must conform to North Carolina plats, subdivisions, and mapping requirements.

  “No person may subdivide his/her land except in accordance with all of the provisions of this Ordinance.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Single-family and two-family residential driveways inside Marshall town that materially change existing land topography.

  • The Administrator may inspect and waive the section's requirements if no significant topographic change is proposed.
  • Application requires the appropriate fee and stated attachments.

  “No person or entity shall establish, construct, improve, modify, or rework a residential driveway that materially changes the existing topography of the land without first obtaining a Driveway Construction Permit from the Town.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development activities within Special Flood Hazard Areas inside Marshall town.

  • Application must be made to the Floodplain Administrator before development activities.
  • Other local, state, and federal permits required before floodplain-permit issuance must have been received.

  “Application for a Floodplain Development Permit shall be made to the Floodplain Administrator prior to any development activities located within Special Flood Hazard Areas.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Marshall zoning-permit applications.

  • The fee is set by the Town Board of Aldermen.
  • The adopted fee schedule is available at Town Hall.

  “A fee, set by the Town Board of Aldermen, shall be charged for the processing of such application. The adopted fee schedule shall be available at Town Hall.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Marshall zoning permits for single-family residential structures.

  • Applications must be complete before the Administrator is required to consider them.
  • A plot plan and listed information must accompany single-family residential applications.

  “All applications for Zoning Permits must be complete before the Administrator is required to consider the application. An application is complete when it contains all the information necessary for the permit-issuing authority to decide whether or not the development, if completed as proposed, will comply with all of the requirements of this Ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Marshall

Town of Marshall does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  Site-plan development inside Marshall town.

  • Town zoning approval precedes obtaining the building permit from the Building Inspections Department.

  “Issuance of a Zoning Permit, authorizes the recipient to commence the activity resulting in a change in use of the land or (subject to obtaining a building permit) to commence work designed to construct, erect, move, or substantially alter buildings or other substantial structures.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Building-code enforcement for development inside Marshall town where the Town UDO directs the developer to the Building Inspections Department.

  • The Town UDO requires the zoning-permit process before the developer may obtain a building permit from the Building Inspections Department.

  “A permit obtained from the Madison County Building Inspections Department which setsthe inspection schedule and construction techniques for a project.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Site-plan development inside Marshall town.

  • The UDO describes final building and zoning inspections for a certificate of occupancy.

  “Prior the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy by the building inspector, the Administrator or his designee shall conduct a final zoning inspection to ensure that the approved plan has been followed and all required improvements have been installed to Town standards.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Site-plan development inside Marshall town.

  • A final zoning inspection is required before issuance by the building inspector.

  “Prior the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy by the building inspector, the Administrator or his designee shall conduct a final zoning inspection to ensure that the approved plan has been followed and all required improvements have been installed to Town standards.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Individual water supply and septic systems for subdivision development inside Marshall town when connection to Town systems is not possible.

  • The location plan must be approved by Madison County Health Department.
  • parameters are limited to the UDO subdivision context.

  “Location plans for individual water supply and septic system as approved by Madison County Health Department (if connection to Town systems not possible)”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Marshall town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwelling units inside Marshall town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Marshall town.
• Septic permit — Private septic systems inside Marshall town.
• Septic inspection — Private septic systems inside Marshall 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.