Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Berlin, New Hampshire

Berlin’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Berlin city, Coos County, NH

  • Chapter 17 PDF on the city site is dated 10-20-2025; a final draft revised ordinance dated 09-30-2026 is listed on the city planning page and its adoption was not confirmed.

  “for the purposes of this ordinance, the city of berlin is hereby divided into the following types of land use zones”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Berlin city zoning districts (rural residential, Jericho gateway, residential single-family, two-family, general, downtown, business general, industrial/business)

  • Zoning map not opened.

  “rural residential zone (rr) residential single-family zone (rs) residential two-family zone (rt) residential general zone (rg) downtown zone (dt)”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Rural Residential zone, Berlin city

  • Section 17-22 may require larger lots where soils and drainage warrant.

  minimum lot size: 2 acres · minimum frontage: 200 feet

  “sec. 17-53. minimum lot size and frontage the following minimum requirements shall apply: 1. lot size: 2 acres 2. frontage: 200 feet on an accepted, existing, or approved city street.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential Single-Family zone, Berlin city

    “sec. 17-63. minimum lot size and frontage the following minimum requirements shall apply: 1. lot size: 5,000 square feet (ord. 1/3/2022) 3. frontage: 50 feet on an accepted, existing, or approved city street.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential Single-Family zone, Berlin city

  • Reduced rear and side setbacks apply on shallow or narrow lots per Sec. 17-64.

  front yard primary: 25 feet (or average front setback of the street, no closer than 5 feet) · rear yard primary: 25 feet · side yard: 10 feet

  “a. front yard setback: 25 feet or the average front setback of the street right of way, but no closer than 5 feet, for primary buildings; 25 feet for accessory buildings. b. rear yard setback: 25 feet for primary buildings, 10 feet for accessory buildings. c. side yard setback: 10 feet each side yard for primary and accessory buildings.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural Residential zone, Berlin city

    “sec. 17-54. setbacks the following minimum setbacks for primary and accessory buildings shall apply: 1. front yard setback: 25 feet 2. rear yard setback: 25 feet 3. side yard setback: 25 feet each side yard”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Rural Residential zone, Berlin city

  • Residential Single-Family zone coverage (Sec. 17-66) not captured.

  maximum impermeable surface: <= 25 percent of lot

  “sec. 17-56. lot coverage the following requirements shall apply: 1. lot coverage: maximum of 25% impermeable surface per lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Rural Residential zone, Berlin city

  • Accessory building height may be increased by special exception up to 35 feet or no higher than the primary structure.

  primary building height: <= 35 feet (or 2 1/2 stories, whichever is less) · accessory building height: <= 22 feet (special exception to 35 feet)

  “2. accessory building height: maximum of 22 feet; building height may be increased by special exception up to 35 feet or no higher than the primary structure, whichever is less, according to the provisions of article ii, section 17-24.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential Single-Family zone, Berlin city

    “sec. 17-65. building height the following requirements shall apply: 1. primary building height: maximum of 35 feet or 2 ½ stories, whichever is less. 2. accessory building height: maximum of 22 feet; residential building height may be increased by special exception up to 35 feet or no higher than the primary structure, whichever is less”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Attached accessory dwelling units on owner-occupied single-family properties inside Berlin city

  • Planning board conditional use permit required
  • One ADU per property
  • Section dated ord 5-15-2017; state ADU law (RSA 674:71-73) may now apply and was not checked

  max ADUs per property: <= 1 unit

  “sec 17-29. accessory dwelling units (ord 5-15-2017) to increase housing alternatives while maintaining neighborhood aesthetics and quality, attached accessory dwelling units (adu) are permitted by the planning board through a conditional use permit process on any property containing an owner-occupied single-family dwelling”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Uses in the Residential Single-Family zone inside Berlin city (two-family zone has the same sentence)

  • Applies only if municipal water and sewer service is available to the site
  • No distance threshold found

  “all uses in this zone are required to have municipal water and sewer service if available to the site.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Berlin city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Berlin city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Berlin city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Berlin city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Berlin 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.