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

Town of Charlotte’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, additions, structural enlargement, or change of use of a building, structure, or lot inside Charlotte town.

  • Excluded are interior modifications unless they create additional dwelling units or different uses; home repairs/improvements without additions or enlargement of floor space; open porches, patios, decks, or similar open structures; and uses listed as allowed without a permit. Excluded projects remain subject to applicable zoning-law regulations.

  “No building, structure, or lot shall be erected, added to, structurally enlarged or changed to another use until a Building Permit has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer.”

• InspectionsLimited

  New construction and changes of use inside Charlotte town.

  • The zoning law describes inspections during and/or after construction or change in use, to ensure conformity with the zoning law and other applicable laws.

  “Inspect new construction or changes of use during and/or after construction or change in use to insure conformity with the provision of the Law and other applicable laws.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Charlotte, Chautauqua County, New York.

  • The Town's zoning law divides the municipality into districts.

  “A Local law regulating the location, construction and use of buildings, structures, and the use of land in the Town of Charlotte, County of Chautauqua, State of New York, and for said purposes dividing the Township into districts.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Seasonal camps and campgrounds inside Charlotte town.

  • A seasonal camp requires a special-use permit; a seasonal camp has a 10-acre minimum lot size, 200-foot front/side/rear setbacks, and public-street access or a 50-foot right-of-way. Campgrounds, group camps, and camping-vehicle camps are AR-1 special-use-permit uses.

  seasonal-camp minimum lot size: >= 10 acres · seasonal-camp setbacks: 200 feet (front, side, and rear)

  “for the purpose of preserving rural character and providing protection for existing uses, a special use permit shall be required for a seasonal camp to be created.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in identified floodplain areas inside Charlotte town.

  • Town of Charlotte Local Law No. 2 of 1987, Flood Damage Prevention, is incorporated by reference into the zoning law; exact development-permit standards were not contained in the opened zoning-law text.

  “Town of Charlotte Local Law No. 2 of 1987 entitled Flood Damage Prevention is incorporated by reference into this Zoning Law and given full force and effect.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town building-permit applications inside Charlotte town.

  • Application must include applicant and property information, project description, construction details, relevant Health Department permit, wetland/floodplain information, applicant signature, and a scaled lot sketch. A commercial permit also requires §505 site-plan compliance. A permit is valid one year and may be extended six months with Code Enforcement Officer approval; decisions are to be written within 10 days after complete application and full fee payment.

  decision period: <= 10 days (after completed form and full payment) · permit validity: 1 year (may be extended six months with Code Enforcement Officer approval)

  “Permit Contents – the application of Building Permit shall be made on a form obtained from the Code Enforcement Officer. The form shall, as a minimum, contain the following:”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Charlotte

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings inside Charlotte town, except the New York City exception stated by the State; Charlotte is not New York City.

  • The Uniform Code is automatically effective; this does not establish a Charlotte-specific more-restrictive standard.

  “The Uniform Code is automatically in effect in each city, town, and village in the State (except New York City) by directive of the State Legislature.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Work inside Charlotte town that is subject to a building permit, and structures converted to another occupancy classification or subclassification.

  • Before issuance, the building, structure, or work must be inspected and found compliant with applicable Codes; relevant flood-hazard certifications, tests, and factory-manufactured-building documentation may be required.

  “an authority having jurisdiction’s code enforcement program must provide for the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance for:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings and other allowed uses housing no more than one family unit in the Agricultural-Residential (AR-1) district inside Charlotte town.

  • State Health Laws may require more area; the schedule excludes structures housing or intended to house more than one family unit.

  minimum floor space: >= 750 sq ft (AR-1 single-family and other allowed uses excluding structures housing more than one family unit)

  “minimum floor space (sq. ft.) 750 note: refer to articles v and vi for other requirements”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings and other allowed uses housing no more than one family unit in the Agricultural-Residential (AR-1) district inside Charlotte town.

  • State Health Laws may require more area; the schedule excludes structures housing or intended to house more than one family unit.

  minimum lot size: >= 2 acres (also stated as 87,120 square feet)

  “minimum lot size (sq. ft.) 2 acres/87,120 minimum lot width (ft.) 150”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes in the Agricultural-Residential (AR-1) district inside Charlotte town.

  • Manufactured homes are allowed by right only in accordance with §608; applicable district dimensional and building-permit rules continue to apply.

  “Manufactured home in accordance with Section 608”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments in the Commercial-Industrial (C-I) district inside Charlotte town.

  • Accessory apartments are listed as a C-I special-use-permit use.

  “C. Uses by Special Use Permit Accessory Apartment”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems serving property inside Charlotte town.

  • Where community sewers are unavailable, onsite wastewater treatment systems are used. CCHD determines whether an existing system is appropriate when a building permit involves a new building, additional bedrooms, or changed structure use.

  “the local code enforcement officer will require a letter from cchd to verify that the owts serving the structure is appropriate.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New or altered private onsite wastewater treatment systems serving property inside Charlotte town.

  • The County application packet is for requesting an OWTS permit; a professionally engineered OWTS may be required where CCHD advises it is needed for the specific wastewater need.

  “The private onsite wastewater treatment system application packet (PDF) is designed to guide property owners through the process of requesting an OWTS permit and identifying a contractor for their project.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders of residential projects inside Charlotte town.
• Lot coverage — Single-family dwellings in the Agricultural-Residential (AR-1) district inside Charlotte town.
• Building height — Single-family dwellings in the Agricultural-Residential (AR-1) district inside Charlotte town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Charlotte town.
• Septic inspection — Private septic-system inspections inside Charlotte 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 Charlotte 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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