Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Cambridge, Nebraska

Cambridge’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction and applicable renovations/remodels inside Cambridge city's zoning jurisdiction

  • Permit issued by the municipal clerk after the governing body approves the application.
  • Permit is effective for one year from approval.
  • Also required to increase or expand impervious surface, excluding portions within the right-of-way.

  permit validity: 1 year

  “it shall be unlawful to proceed with any of the following until the municipal clerk has issued a building permit for such work:”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Cambridge city limits and its one-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction

  • Jurisdiction extends one mile past corporate limits, except on the west side where it stops at the Furnas/Red Willow county line.
  • Zoning regulations are 2015, revised August 2020; later amendments (e.g. ordinance 775, 8-17-2020) are noted in the text.

  “these regulations constitute and may be referred to as "the cambridge zoning ordinance".”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts in Cambridge city and its ETJ

  • Districts are bounded as shown on the official zoning map and official ETJ zoning map.
  • Land annexed later is classed R-1 unless changed; land newly entering the ETJ is classed A-1.

  “"a-1" agricultural district "r-1" single-family residential district "r-2" multi-family residential district "m-p" mobile home park district "c-1" general commercial district "c-2" highway commercial district "i-1" industrial district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, Cambridge city

  • Table is flattened in the source; 7,000 sq ft and 50 ft width are shown for single-family; two-family is 3,500 sq ft per dwelling unit.

  minimum lot area single-family: >= 7000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 50 feet

  “singlefamily 7,000 50 3,500/dwelling unit 50/dwelling unit other permitted uses 7,000 50 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7* 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district, Cambridge city and ETJ

    “minimum lot area: 3 acres. minimum lot width and depth: 200 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, Cambridge city

  • Source table is flattened; per-column assignment (front 25, side 7, street side 25, rear 20 feet) is read from the row order and should be verified against the PDF table.
  • Side yard between two-family units may be reduced to zero with a two-hour fire-rated common wall.

  front yard: >= 25 feet · side yard: >= 7 feet · rear yard: >= 20 feet

  “other permitted uses 7,000 50 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7* 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district, Cambridge city and ETJ

    “front yard: 50 feet side yard: 25 feet street side yard: 50 feet rear yard: 100 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, Cambridge city

  • Source table is flattened; 35% building and 45% impervious coverage are the values shown in the R-1 rows.

  maximum building coverage: <= 35 percent · maximum impervious coverage: <= 45 percent

  “other permitted uses 7,000 50 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7* 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45%”

• Building heightSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district, Cambridge city and ETJ

  • Barns, silos and other agricultural structures may be of any height.

  maximum structure height: <= 35 feet (agricultural structures such as barns and silos)

  “maximum structure height; 35 feet, except that barns, silos and other agriculture structures may be of any height.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district, Cambridge city

    “other permitted uses 7,000 50 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7* 25 20 35 35% 45% 25 7 25 20 35 35% 45%”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny homes in the R-1 district, Cambridge city

  • Listed among R-1 permitted uses only as tiny home accessory buildings; use as a primary dwelling was not confirmed.
  • Tiny home definition (chapter 1) not reviewed.

  maximum accessory building size: <= 2500 sq ft

  “tiny home accessory buildings, not greater than 2,500 sq. ft. (ord. no. 775, 8-17-2020)”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Cambridge city's zoning jurisdiction

  • Administrative subdivisions (up to three lots, no new streets or utilities) are defined separately; details not reviewed.

  “chapter 11: wind energy system regulations chapter 12: subdivision regulations chapter 13: street, utility, & drainage regulations”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit applications inside Cambridge city's zoning jurisdiction

  • Written application on a clerk-furnished form with legal description, use, dimensions, estimated cost, owner/architect/contractor names.
  • Governing body reviews and authorizes clerk to issue; refusal is given in writing with cause.

  “the governing body shall authorize the municipal clerk to issue the said applicant a permit. such permits shall be effective for one year from the date of approval by the governing body.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Cambridge city
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Cambridge city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Cambridge city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Cambridge city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Cambridge 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.