Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Milan, New Hampshire

Town of Milan’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, extension, removal, or alteration of a building or structure inside Milan town; this also includes swimming pools, manufactured housing, and exterior signs.

  • The ordinance separately states that no person may erect or alter a building or structure or alter its use without first obtaining a building permit.

  “A building permit shall be obtained before a building or structure is constructed, extended, removed or altered. This requirement also applies to swimming pools, manufactured housing and exterior signs.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  All land inside Milan town.

  • The ordinance treats the entire town as one district, subject to its stated regulations and restrictions.

  number of town-wide zoning districts: 1

  “For the purpose of regulating the use of land and the location and construction of buildings, the Town, after adopting the provisions of this ordinance, shall be considered as one district with the following regulations and restrictions.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Conventional lots inside Milan town's single town-wide zoning district.

  • The lot size is based on soil-characteristic standards in the Milan Subdivision Regulations.
  • The one-acre floor does not apply to an open-space cluster development as determined by the Planning Board.
  • Only one dwelling is allowed per lot.

  minimum lot size: >= 1 acre (Except in an open space cluster development as determined by the Planning Board.)

  “The minimum lot size is based upon the soil characteristics of the lot as determined by the minimum lot size by soil type standards in the Milan Subdivision Regulations. The minimum lot size shall, in no case, be less that one (1) acre, except in a open space cluster development as determined by the Planning Board. Only one dwelling is allowed per lot.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Travel trailers on private land inside Milan town.

  • One travel trailer may be stored if unoccupied and owned or leased by the landowner.
  • Temporary construction-related use requires Building Inspector permission for no more than six months, subject to review at expiration.
  • A nonpaying guest trailer is limited to 90 days in one year.
  • A trailer permanently placed on a lot without a dwelling is limited to seasonal, not year-round, use and requires minimum lot size plus DES-approved septic system and water supply.

  construction-related trailer permission: <= 6 months (Subject to Building Inspector review at expiration.) · nonpaying guest trailer: <= 90 days per year

  “The temporary use of a trailer by a person engaged in adjoining construction work or for whom a dwelling is being built provided that such use is shown to be a temporary expedient, may be permitted by the Building Inspector. The Building Inspector shall grant such permission for a period not to exceed six (6) months excepting that he/she may review at his/her discretion such permission at the expiration of said six (6)months.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Open-space cluster residential development inside Milan town.

  • Planning Board subdivision approval is required regardless of whether lot lines are created or ownership form.
  • Selectmen or Building Inspector may issue permits only after Planning Board final-plat approval.

  “An open space cluster development shall be a permitted use throughout the Town of Milan. Such a development shall require subdivision approval by the Planning Board under the Milan Subdivision Regulations, regardless of whether any lot lines are created, or what form of ownership is contemplated. The Selectmen or Building Inspector may issue permits after the Planning Board has approved the final plat.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Milan building-permit applications.

  • The application must be accompanied by a permit fee.
  • The amount is based on a fee schedule established by the Selectmen; the schedule itself was not found in the opened materials.

  “A building permit application shall be on a form provided by the Town, and shall furnish all requested information, and be accompanied by a permit fee, based on a fee schedule established by the Selectmen.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Milan

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

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Installation of a replacement individual sewage disposal system serving an owner's own domicile inside Milan town.

  • The homeowner must certify through the specified affidavit that the structure served is the homeowner's domicile.
  • This exception is for replacement ISDS installation and does not establish a general exemption from Milan building-permit requirements.

  “individual may install the replacement ISDS”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Individual sewage disposal systems serving land inside Milan town.

  • Milan's zoning ordinance requires all land uses to comply with New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services subdivision and sewage-disposal design rules and obtain necessary permits.

  “All land uses in the Town of Milan shall comply with the NH Department of Environmental Services subdivision and sewage disposal design rules and have all necessary permits.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Land uses and individual sewage disposal systems inside Milan town.

  • All Milan land uses must have necessary permits under the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services rules.

  “written approval for construction of an ISDS”

Still unanswered

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

• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Milan town, New Hampshire.
• Inspections — Building work inside Milan town, New Hampshire.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Milan town, New Hampshire.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Milan town's single town-wide zoning district.
• Lot coverage — Land inside Milan 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Milan 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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