Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Grove, New York

Town of Grove’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  All new construction inside Grove town.

  • Completed applications are submitted to the Code Enforcement Officer.

  “Building permits are required for all new construction.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Grove, Allegany County, New York.

  • The town describes two primary districts: Business and Agricultural.

  “The Town of Grove has a zoning ordinance with two primary districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Grove town.

  • The Agricultural-Residential district is all land not contained in the General Commercial district.

  “The Agricultural-Residential District (A-R) shall be described as all that land not contained within the General Commercial District (GC).”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings and structures inside Grove town.

  • Attached or detached single-family homes and duplexes also may not exceed 2½ stories.

  maximum building height: <= 28 feet

  “No building or structure may exceed 28 feet in height.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary trailer living during construction of a residence inside Grove town.

  • Construction must be under a valid building permit.
  • The period cannot exceed the building permit's validity.

  “Temporary building or trailer for living purposes during the period that construction work on a residence under a valid building permit is in progress, for a period not to exceed that of the validity of the building permit | P | P”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  One manufactured home on a single-family lot where permitted inside Grove town.

  • A building permit is required before placement.
  • Where Article 3 requires it, Planning Board special-use approval is required.
  • The home must be on a permanent foundation and meet dimensional requirements.

  “one manufactured or mobile home may be located on a lot where a single family home is permitted.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Individual sewage-disposal systems inside Grove town, which is within the Allegany County Health District.

  • The sanitary code applies throughout the Allegany County Health District.

  “All applicable provisions of these Laws/Codes shall be in force throughout the Allegany County Health District.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, installation, connection, alteration, or extension of an individual sewage-disposal system inside Grove town.

  • The written permit must be received from the Allegany County Public Health Director before work.
  • A separate permit is required for sewage-disposal work on each residence.

  “No person shall construct, install, connect, alter, or extend an ISDS within the Allegany County Health District without having filed for and received a written permit to do so from the Public Health Director.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  New, installed, altered, or extended individual sewage-disposal systems inside Grove town.

  • The owner or agent must request final inspection at least 48 hours before expected completion.
  • The system may not be covered or operated until inspected and approved.

  final inspection request lead time: >= 48 hours

  “The owner or his agent shall request a final inspection of the ISDS at least 48 hours in advance of the expected time of completion of construction, installation, alteration, or extension of the system.”

• Off-grid sanitationAllowed (with conditions)

  Non-waterborne individual sewage-disposal systems inside Grove town.

  • The system must be an accepted non-waterborne ISDS under the cited state standards/design handbook.
  • A health-district permit is required for installation work.

  “Any of the accepted "non-waterborne" ISDS acceptable for use in areas where running water is not available”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Agricultural uses in relation to the zoning-law site-plan-review provision inside Grove town.

  • This exemption concerns the cited site-plan-review provision only.

  “Agricultural uses shall be exempt from this provision.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision associated with two or more proposed single-family dwellings on one lot inside Grove town.

  • Each new lot must meet the zoning law, the Town's Subdivision Regulations, and other applicable Town regulations.

  “If two or more single family dwellings are proposed to be located on the same lot, the lot shall be subdivided and each new lot shall meet all the requirements of this Law, the Town’s Subdivision Regulations and other applicable Town regulations.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways serving parking lots and structures inside Grove town.

  • Driveways serving detached single-family homes or a single duplex are excepted from the side-yard location restriction.
  • A driveway may cross the front-yard setback to provide access.

  “Driveways, except for driveways that serve detached single family homes or a single duplex, shall not be located within the side yard setbacks.”

• Short-term rentalsAllowed

  Rental of dwellings for periods less than 30 days in both A-R and GC districts inside Grove town.

  • The Land Use Table marks the use P in both districts.

  rental period: < 30 days

  “Rental of dwellings for periods less than 30 days | P | P”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Permits and applications required under Grove's zoning code.

  • The Town Board establishes the schedule and may change it from time to time.
  • SEQRA fees may be required and cover actual EIS preparation or review costs.

  “A schedule of fees for all permits and applications required by this Code shall be established by the Town Board.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town building-permit applications.

  • The application calls for a parcel sketch or survey, project plans or sketch as applicable, and workers' compensation/disability documentation or exemption affidavits.
  • Application and check are mailed to the Code Enforcement Officer or delivered to the Town Clerk.

  “The following documents MUST be submitted with your completed application:”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Grove

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Agricultural-Residential (A-R) district inside Grove town.

  • Minimum lot width is 200 feet.

  minimum lot size: >= 2 acres

  “(1) Lot Size: The minimum lot size is two (2) acres. (2) Lot Width: The minimum lot width is 200 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — General Commercial (GC) district inside Grove town.

    “(1) Lot size: Minimum lot size is ½ acre (2) Lot Width: Minimum lot width is 80 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Agricultural-Residential (A-R) district inside Grove town.

  • Principal rear setback is 30 feet; accessory buildings may be within 10 feet of the rear property line.
  • Side yards are 40 feet each, with 80 feet combined.

  front yard setback: >= 50 feet

  “a minimum of 50 feet from the front property line”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Recreation and vacation trailers used for temporary habitation in the Agricultural-Residential district inside Grove town.

  • The Land Use Table marks this use S (special permitted) in A-R.
  • The use is NP in the General Commercial district.

  “Recreation and vacation trailers used for temporary habitation | S | NP”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built construction inside Grove town.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Grove town.
• Inspections — Building construction inside Grove town.
• Certificate of occupancy — New or altered buildings inside Grove town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Grove 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.