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

Town of Portville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Work inside the Town of Portville that must conform to the Uniform Code or Energy Code, including residential construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation, demolition, and specified heating work.

  • Exemptions include certain detached one-story accessory structures of 144 square feet or less, among other listed categories.
  • A person may not begin covered work before obtaining the permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.

  accessory-structure exemption maximum gross floor area: <= 144 square feet (One-story detached structures associated with specified one- or two-family dwellings and used for tool/storage sheds, playhouses, or similar uses.)

  “Building Permit shall be required for any work which must conform to the Uniform Code and/or the Energy Code, including, but not limited to, the construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation or demolition of any building or structure or any portion thereof, and the installation of a solid fuel burning heating appliance, chimney or flue in any dwelling unit. No Person shall commence any work for which a Building Permit is required without first having obtained a Building Permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  All buildings, structures, and premises inside the Town of Portville, regardless of use or occupancy.

  • The local law is subject to contrary provisions of the Uniform Code, other state law, or another section of the local law.

  “This local law provides for the administration and enforcement of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (the Uniform Code) and the State Energy Conservation Construction Code (the Energy Code) in this Town. This local law is adopted pursuant to section 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law. Except as otherwise provided in the Uniform Code, other state law, or other section of this local law, all buildings, structures, and premises, regardless of use or occupancy, are subject to the provisions this local law.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Applicable permitted construction inside the Town of Portville.

  • Work must remain accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted.
  • The permit holder must notify the Code Enforcement Officer when a listed element is ready for inspection.
  • Inspections are only required where applicable.

  “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. The Permit Holder shall notify the Code Enforcement Officer when any element of work described in subdivision (b) of this section is ready for inspection.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Any work that is the subject of a building permit, and structures or portions converted to another use or occupancy classification, inside the Town of Portville.

  • The Code Enforcement Officer or authorized Inspector must inspect before issuance.
  • Where applicable, structural-observation/special-inspection documentation and flood-hazard certifications must be provided.
  • A temporary certificate may be issued only under the local law's safety conditions, for no more than six months.

  temporary certificate maximum duration: <= 6 months (Only when the Code Enforcement Officer makes the required safety determinations.)

  “A Certificate of Occupancy shall be required for any work which is the subject of a Building Permit and for all structures, buildings, or portions thereof, which are converted from one use or occupancy classification or subclassification to another. Permission to use or occupy a building or structure, or portion thereof, for which a Building Permit was previously issued shall be granted only by issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town building permits, certificates, inspections, and other Code Enforcement Officer actions.

  • The fee schedule is established and may be amended by Town Board resolution.
  • The opened official material does not publish the current fee-schedule amounts.
  • Building-permit application, amendment, and renewal fees are payable when the application is submitted.

  “A fee schedule shall be established by resolution of the Town Board of this Town. Such fee schedule may thereafter be amended from time to time by like resolution. The fees set forth in, or determined in accordance with, such fee schedule or amended fee schedule shall be charged and collected for the submission of applications, the issuance of Building Permits, amended Building Permits, renewed Building Permits, Certificates of Occupancy, Temporary Certificates, Operating Permits, fire safety and property maintenance inspections, and other actions of the Code Enforcement Officer described in or contemplated by this local law.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications for covered work inside the Town of Portville.

  • Applications must be in writing on an acceptable form and signed by the owner or authorized agent.
  • Application materials include a work description, tax-map number, street address, occupancy classification, applicable special-inspection statement, and at least two sets of construction documents.
  • The Code Enforcement Officer issues a permit when proposed work complies with the Uniform Code and Energy Code.

  construction-document sets: >= 2 sets (Required with the building-permit application.)

  “Applications for a Building Permit shall be made in writing on a form provided by or otherwise acceptable to the Code Enforcement Officer. The application shall be signed by the owner of the property where the work is to be performed or an authorized agent of the owner. The application shall include such information as the Code Enforcement Officer deems sufficient to permit a determination by the Code Enforcement Officer that the intended work complies with all applicable requirements of the Uniform Code and the Energy Code.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Portville

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Water-supply and sewage-disposal installations submitted for Town of Portville plot-plan approval.

  • The Town Building Inspector may not approve a plot plan unless conformity with New York State Department of Health and local County Health Department regulations is certified on the plan.

  “local County Health Department regulations”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside the Town of Portville.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside the Town of Portville.
• Minimum lot size — Residential lots inside the Town of Portville.
• Setbacks — Residential structures inside the Town of Portville.
• Lot coverage — Residential lot coverage inside the Town of Portville.

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.