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

Town of Poland’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

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

  • Structures and land must conform to the ordinance except where it provides otherwise.

  “the Town is hereby divided into the following types of districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Poland town.

  • District boundaries are shown on the certified Zoning Map of the Town of Poland, which is part of the ordinance.

  “Section 401 - FP District: Flood Plain [...] Section 417 - HI: Heavy Industrial”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Mobile homes occupied as dwellings inside Poland town.

  • A mobile home may not be occupied unless properly placed on a mobile-home stand and connected to water, sewerage, electrical facilities, and tie downs.

  minimum mobile-home floor space: >= 580 square feet

  “A mobile home must have a minimum floor space of 580 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  SR-21.7 Single-Family Residential District inside Poland town.

  • Also subject to General Provisions (Article 700) and Supplemental Regulations (Article 800).

  minimum lot area: >= 21780 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 100 feet

  “3. Minimum Lot Area: 21,780 square feet. 4. Minimum Lot Width: 100 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  CR Conservation-Residential District inside Poland town.

  • Also subject to General Provisions (Article 700) and Supplemental Regulations (Article 800).

  front yard: >= 50 feet · side yard, each: >= 20 feet · rear yard: >= 50 feet

  “Minimum Front Yard Dimension : 50 feet [...] Minimum Side Yard Dimensions : 20 feet each [...] Minimum Rear Yard Dimension : 50 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — SR-21.7 Single-Family Residential District inside Poland town.

    “Minimum Front Yard Dimension: 35 feet. [...] Minimum Side Yard Dimension: 15 feet each. [...] Minimum Rear Yard Dimension: 30 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  CR Conservation-Residential District inside Poland town.

  • Also subject to General Provisions (Article 700) and Supplemental Regulations (Article 800).

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “3. Minimum Lot Area: 2 acres 4. Minimum Lot Width : 170 feet 5. Minimum Lot Depth : 270 6. Maximum Lot Coverage: 20 percent 7. Minimum Front Yard Dimension : 50 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — SR-21.7 Single-Family Residential District inside Poland town.

    “3. Minimum Lot Area: 21,780 square feet. 4. Minimum Lot Width: 100 feet. 5. Maximum Lot Coverage: 30 percent 6. Minimum Front Yard Dimension: 35 feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  CR Conservation-Residential District inside Poland town.

  • Also subject to General Provisions (Article 700) and Supplemental Regulations (Article 800).

  maximum building height: <= 2 1/2 stories

  “10. Maximum Building Height: 2 1/2 stories”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured/mobile homes in the SR-21.7 and MR-43.5 residential districts inside Poland town.

  • In SR-21.7, mobile homes are excluded from single-family residences except in mobile-home parks and are a special-use-permit use under § 801A.
  • In MR-43.5, mobile homes require a special-use permit under § 801A.

  “Single family detached residences, excluding mobile homes except in mobile home parks. [...] Mobile Homes in Accordance with Section 801A of this Ordinance.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways or curb cuts in any zoning district inside Poland town.

  • The ordinance requires parking facilities to have appropriate vehicular access to a street or alley that least interferes with traffic movement.

  maximum driveway or curb-cut width: <= 25 feet

  “No driveway or curb cut in any district shall exceed twenty-five feet in width.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in the FP Flood Plain District inside Poland town.

  • Accessory structures for human occupancy require a parcel at least four times the structure area and parcel/access roads graded above flood level.
  • Other listed uses are subject to Article 700 and Article 800.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres (FP Flood Plain District) · maximum lot coverage: <= 10 percent (FP Flood Plain District)

  “3. Minimum Lot Area: 2 Acres [...] 6. Maximum Lot Coverage: 10 percent”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Published Town of Poland construction, occupancy, planning, and zoning-board fees.

  • The schedule is titled 'Revised 12/10/2013.'
  • Residential conventional new-construction fees vary by floor-area band.

  residential conventional new construction, 0-1,499 square feet: 100 USD · residential conventional new construction, 1,500-2,999 square feet: 150 USD · residential conventional new construction, 3,000 square feet and over: per 0.05 USD per square foot ($150 minimum)

  “0-1,499 sq. ft. $100 1,500-2,999 sq. ft. $150 3,000 sq. ft. & over .05/sq. ft. - $150 Min.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building-permit application process inside Poland town.

  • The official page publishes a Building Permit Form, but the opened material does not state the complete application/review/issuance process.

  “Forms and publications are in .pdf format for viewing or download. [...] Building Permit Form”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Poland town.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Poland town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Poland town.
• Inspections — Residential building inspections inside Poland town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for residential construction inside Poland 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 Poland 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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