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

Town of Little Valley’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Work inside the Town that must conform to the Uniform Code and/or Energy Code.

  • Exceptions in § 60-4B include specified minor work; permit-required work may not commence before a permit is obtained from the Code Enforcement Officer.

  “Except as otherwise provided in Subsection B of this section, a building permit shall be required for any work which must conform to the Uniform Code and/or the Energy Code”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permit work in the Town where listed construction elements are applicable.

  • Work must remain accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted; listed inspections include a final inspection after permitted work is completed.

  “Work shall remain accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted by the Code Enforcement Officer or by an inspector authorized by the Code Enforcement Officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Little Valley, Cattaraugus County, New York.

  • Chapter 140 was adopted by the Town Board on August 26, 1991; amendments are noted where applicable.

  “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Little Valley 8-26-1991. Amendments noted where applicable.]”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision plats for land within the Town of Little Valley.

  • The Planning Board is empowered to approve or disapprove plats under the Town Board resolution and Town Law § 276.

  “the Little Valley Town Planning Board is empowered and authorized to approve or disapprove plats for the subdivision of land within the area of the Town of Little Valley”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town building-code permits and inspections.

  • The Code Enforcement Officer collects fees set by the Town Board; the building-permit fee must be paid at application submission and inspection fees before or at inspection.

  “A fee schedule shall be established by resolution of the Town Board. Such fee schedule may thereafter be amended from time to time by like resolution.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside the Town.

  • Application must be in writing on a form acceptable to the Code Enforcement Officer, signed by owner or authorized agent; construction documents and site plan are required where applicable; work may not commence until permit issuance.

  “Applications for a building permit shall be made in writing on a form provided by or otherwise acceptable to the Code Enforcement Officer.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Little Valley

Town of Little Valley 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

  New onsite wastewater disposal systems inside the Town, rather than a zoning-district-wide lot minimum.

  • A replacement system may receive a Department variance with conditions to minimize risk to health or safety.

  minimum lot area without public water: >= 40000 square feet (New onsite wastewater disposal system) · minimum lot area with public water: >= 15000 square feet (New onsite wastewater disposal system)

  “40,000 square feet for those lots not served by a public water system, 15,000 square feet for those lots served by a public water system.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite wastewater systems serving land inside the Town of Little Valley.

  • The Town building-permit requirements identify a Cattaraugus County Health Department small-sewage-disposal permit.

  “The authority of the Cattaraugus County Board of Health to adopt and enforce this Code and otherwise protect and promote the health of the residents of Cattaraugus County”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, repair, or modification of an onsite wastewater treatment system inside the Town of Little Valley.

  • Application is first made to the Department; no construction may begin until the Permit-to-Construct is issued; the permit is valid one year or as otherwise stated and non-transferable.

  “Any property owner that intends to repair, modify, or construct an onsite wastewater treatment system must first make application to the Department for a Permit-to-Construct upon forms furnished by the Department.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  New or modified onsite wastewater treatment systems inside the Town of Little Valley.

  • Inspection is required at completion and before backfill, plus when the Department deems it necessary.

  “The contractor or owner must cause inspection of the onsite wastewater treatment system at completion, prior to backfill, and as may be deemed necessary by the Department.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Onsite wastewater sanitation inside the Town of Little Valley.

  • A Department permit is required for construction and operation; no onsite system may be constructed where public wastewater is available and accessible, except a temporary construction privy.

  “Where in the opinion of the Department, a public wastewater treatment system is available and accessible, no person shall construct on any premises an onsite wastewater treatment system, except a temporary privy for construction purposes.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Properties inside the Town seeking onsite water or wastewater systems where public systems are available and accessible in the Department's opinion.

  • The Department may direct connection to an available and accessible public water system; where public wastewater is available and accessible, onsite wastewater construction is barred except for a temporary construction privy and the Department may direct abandonment and connection.

  “Where in the opinion of the Department, a public wastewater treatment systems is available and accessible, the Department may direct the owner requiring abandonment of existing onsite wastewater treatment system(s) and connection to the public wastewater treatment system.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside the Town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside the Town of Little Valley.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside the Town.
• Setbacks — Structures inside the Town.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside the 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.