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

Town of Otto’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Manufactured or mobile homes at least 15 years old proposed for installation inside Otto town.

  • Inspection before permit issuance is required to determine suitability for habitation.
  • If the permit is granted, inspection is required every two years after issuance.
  • The permit must be denied if the Building Inspector finds the home unsuitable for habitation.

  home age threshold: >= 15 years (at time of building-permit application) · post-permit inspection interval: per 2 years (if permit is granted)

  “the Building Inspector shall inspect the structure to insure that it is suitable for habitation prior to issuing such permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Development subject to Otto site-plan review inside Otto town.

  • Where applicable, site-plan approval and all conditions of approval must be met before issuance.
  • The Planning Board determines when the condition must be met.

  “prior to the issuance of a Building Permit or Certificate of Occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Otto, Cattaraugus County, New York.

  • The zoning law regulates land use and is administered by Otto's Code Enforcement Officer.

  “designed to regulate the use of land in the Town of Otto.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Trailers used as living quarters on single-family lots inside Otto town.

  • One trailer is allowed on each single-family lot only if the lot does not already contain a single-family home.
  • The owner/occupant must obtain an annually renewed trailer permit and provide adequate water and sewage disposal.
  • The trailer may remain for a total of six months in a calendar year.
  • Resident-owned recreation or travel trailers may be stored adjacent to an existing single-family home indefinitely only if no residence is taken therein and no business is conducted therewith.

  maximum trailer living-quarter duration: per 6 months (any one calendar year) · trailer permits: per 1 year (must be renewed annually)

  “The trailer may remain on the lot for a total of six months in any one calendar year.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured and mobile homes used as principal residences on lots where a stick-built single-family dwelling is allowed inside Otto town.

  • The home must meet width, roof-pitch, exterior-siding, removal-of-towing-device, permanent-installation, landing/step, and skirting requirements.
  • Homes 15 years old or more require pre-permit suitability inspection and biennial inspection after a granted permit.

  minimum home width: >= 14 feet · minimum roof pitch: >= 3/12

  “A manufactured home or a mobile home may be installed as the principal residence on any lot”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable

  Agricultural activities and normally necessary agricultural buildings and structures inside Otto town.

  • The exemption is from Article 8 site-plan review only; it does not establish exemption from other applicable requirements.

  “All agricultural activities, including construction of buildings and structures that are normally necessary to agricultural activities.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Permits and applications required by Otto's zoning law.

  • The Town Board establishes the fee schedule and may change it from time to time.

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

Rules another office applies inside Town of Otto

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

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in the Floodplain Overlay District, consisting of Otto areas designated FEMA Zone A on the referenced map.

  • Underlying district uses are subject to restrictions in the Town of Otto Land Use Control Ordinance, revised February 1988.
  • The zoning-law source does not reproduce that ordinance's detailed approval requirements.

  FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map number: 360090B (dated April 20, 1984)

  “Such uses, however, shall be subject to the restrictions contained in “Town of Otto Land Use Control Ordinance”, revised February, 1988.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders constructing residences inside Otto town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption and enforcement for land inside Otto town.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Otto town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Otto town.
• Septic permit — Installation of an onsite sewage-disposal system inside Otto 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.