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

Town of Lyme’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Lyme town's limits: Lyme town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, which governs property use and buildings.

  • The zoning ordinance PDF on the town site is uploaded as a 2021 file, but its footers read 'March 2018'; the revision date was not confirmed on the page.
  • Zoning permit application and fee are required before building; see building permit claim.

  “planning and zoning changes to property, property use, and buildings including accessory structures and land features, are governed by town, state, and federal planning and zoning regulations.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family and other uses in the Rural district of Lyme town (main rural residential district)

  • Lot size averaging under section 5.11 d. or planned development under section 4.49 can allow reduced lot sizes with planning board approval.
  • Building lot depth may not exceed four times the average width of the lot unless approved under those provisions (section 5.11 c.).
  • Lyme Common, Lyme Center and other district minimum lot sizes were not verified; the summary table text is scrambled in the PDF.

  minimum lot size, Rural district, land within 1,000 feet of state highways: 3 acres (Applies within 1,000 feet of the state highways) · minimum lot size, Rural district, all other land: 5 acres (Applies to land farther than 1,000 feet from state highways)

  “the minimum lot size in the rural district is three acres for land within 1,000 feet of the state highways and five acres for all other land.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings near the Connecticut River and ponds greater than 5 acres in Lyme town (applies across zoning districts per section 5.13 b.)

  • Minimum building setback from all other water bodies is 100 feet; from a wetland of 2,500 square feet or greater is 100 feet.
  • Minimum distance between roads, drives, parking areas and water bodies, watercourses and wetlands is 100 feet unless permitted by special exception (section 5.13 a.).
  • Setbacks may be reduced only under section 8.20.
  • Road and side/rear property-line setbacks are set in table 5.1 by district and were not verified for the Rural district.

  building setback from Connecticut River and ponds greater than 5 acres: >= 200 ft (Connecticut River including backwaters impounded by Wilder Dam)

  “the minimum building set back from the connecticut river, including backwaters impounded by wilder dam, and from ponds greater than 5 acres in size shall be 200 feet.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Detached or attached accessory dwelling units on a lot with a single-family dwelling inside Lyme town (zoning ordinance section 4.42)

  • Only one detached accessory dwelling unit is permitted; gross floor area of the accessory unit may not exceed 750 square feet.
  • Both units share access to a town or private road and are located less than 100 feet apart or share the same wastewater disposal system; a suitable area for a replacement wastewater system must exist.
  • The lot may not be subdivided to separate the two residences; a zoning easement to the town of Lyme is required.
  • One of the units must be owner-occupied; the principal structure must be a single-family dwelling; the accessory unit may have no more than two bedrooms.
  • Parking on site is required; detached units must be at least ten feet behind the street side of the principal dwelling unless in a legally pre-existing structure; attached units have a wastewater system and entrance restrictions.

  gross floor area, detached accessory dwelling unit maximum: <= 750 sq ft · bedrooms, accessory dwelling unit maximum: <= 2 bedrooms · distance from principal dwelling, detached accessory dwelling unit: < 100 ft (Units may instead share the same wastewater disposal system)

  “a single detached accessory dwelling unit may be added to a lot with an existing or proposed residence if: a) only one detached accessory dwelling unit is permitted; b) both units share an access to a town or private road; c) both units are located less than 100 feet apart or share the same wastewater disposal system;”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Septic systems for new houses or added bedrooms inside Lyme town: the State of New Hampshire approves the septic design and the town issues the building permit.

  • A septic designer must obtain state approval for a new design when building a new house or adding bedrooms beyond the approved system's capacity.
  • The NH Department of Environmental Services publishes the list of state-approved septic designers by town.

  “if you are building a new house or increasing the number of bedrooms beyond the capacity of your state approved septic system, you will need to hire a septic system designer to help you gain state approval for a new septic design.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic systems inside Lyme town

  • State design approval is required first for a new house or added bedrooms beyond the capacity of the approved system.

  “a town building permit is also required for your septic system.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions, lot line adjustments and condominium divisions inside Lyme town

  • Survey and licensed professional work will probably be required.
  • The planning board must approve subdivisions at a public hearing; an informal planning board meeting can be scheduled through the Planning & Zoning Administrator.
  • Lot size, frontage and dimensional rules in table 5.1 and the zoning ordinance also apply.

  “all subdivisions must be approved by the planning board at a public hearing.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New driveway access from a Lyme town road

  • State road driveways need NH DOT permission (Lebanon division) and a zoning permit.
  • A zoning permit is also required for the driveway.

  “if you are putting in a new driveway access from a town road, you will need to complete a curb cut permit application.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development on a lot located within a mapped floodplain inside Lyme town

  • The flood plain development ordinance applies in addition to zoning; flood plain maps are available at the town office.
  • The flood plain development ordinance text was not opened.

  “if your proposal is located within a floodplain, the flood plain development ordinance will also apply.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning Board of Adjustment appeal hearing fee inside Lyme town

  • The planning page links a fee schedule for other permits (zoning, building, septic, subdivision); that schedule was not opened.
  • Appeal fee is paid with the appeal application and abutter list.

  ZBA appeal hearing costs: 40 USD (Hearing costs for an appeal; other permit fees are on the fee schedule not opened)

  “you must complete an application for appeal, provide a list of abutters and easement holders from the town’s list, and submit $40 for the hearing costs.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit process for construction, subdivision and site plan review inside Lyme town

  • Contact the Planning & Zoning Administrator ([email protected], (603) 795-2661) first.
  • Zoning permit application and instructions are downloadable from the town site; the administrator can say whether a permit is needed.
  • Appeals go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment; the fee schedule was not opened.

  “the first step in applying for a subdivision, site plan review, or building permit is to contact the administrator.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Lyme town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Lyme town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Lyme town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Lyme town
• Building height — Building height inside Lyme 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 Lyme 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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