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

Town of Erin’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration and related work inside Erin town limits

  • Building permits are issued by the town code enforcement officer under the Uniform Code (Local Law No. 1 of 2019, section 3(a)(1)-(2)).
  • Zoning permit under Article II section 201 is required for erection, moving, alteration, addition or enlargement of buildings, except accessory buildings of 144 square feet or less and not exceeding 10 feet in height where yard clearances are maintained.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit issues.

  “no building shall be erected, moved, altered, added to, or enlarged (excepting accessory buildings having a floor of one hundred forty-four (144) square feet or less, and not exceeding ten (10) feet in height may be placed or erected without a permit if yard clearances are maintained), and no excavation for any building shall begin unless and until a zoning permit for such work has been issued by the code enforcement officer.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  All buildings and structures inside Erin town limits

  • The town adopts the state Uniform Code and Energy Code as administered by its own code enforcement program under Local Law No. 1 of 2019.

  “this local law provides for the administration and enforcement of the new york state uniform fire prevention and building code (the uniform code), as amended, and the state energy conservation construction code (the energy code), as amended, in the town of erin”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction inside Erin town limits under the Uniform Code

  • Construction inspections and inspections before a certificate of occupancy or temporary certificate are made by the code enforcement officer and inspectors (Local Law No. 1 of 2019, section 3(a)(3)).

  “to conduct construction inspections, inspections to be made prior to the issuance of [certificates of occupancy / certificates of compliance], temporary certificates and operating permits”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Erin town limits, Chemung County, NY (not the county's unincorporated area)

  • Town zoning plan is the Comprehensive Zoning Plan of the Town of Erin, date of adoption May 3, 1992, with later amendments (local laws cited in the code book).
  • Zoning permits and the Zoning Board of Appeals are administered by the town's code enforcement officer under Article II.

  “the town of erin chemung county, new york comprehensive zoning plan date of adoption may 3, 1992”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning district map and district list for all land inside Erin town limits

  • Districts are AR (agricultural-residential, default), AR1, AR1-R, R-1 (Shamrock Drive), and R-2 (hamlet of Erin), plus PD (planned development).

  “r-1 (residential) - all of that area comprising shamrock drive.. r-2 (residential in the hamlet of erin. account small lot size) - all that property within the hamlet of erin.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings erected in the AR1-R (agricultural-residential with additional restrictions) district only, inside Erin town limits; the AR district is not subject to this limit

  • AR1-R district covers land 500 feet each side of State Route 223 from the Horseheads town line to the hamlet of Erin, per the district description in section 501.

  minimum dwelling occupancy space: >= 720 square feet (AR1-R district only)

  “restriction 1 - any dwelling erected in said district shall contain no less than 720 square feet of occupancy space regardless of its type or method or mode of construction.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  AR (agricultural-residential) district, the default district covering all of the Town of Erin not otherwise designated (main residential district)

  • Schedule titled Article VIII lot size, yard requirements, percentage of lot coverage, revised June 5th 2017. The extracted table text is garbled and lacks a rear-yard column.
  • Footnotes: all measurements include accessory uses; front measurements are taken from the centerline of the highway.
  • Exception for residential lots of record as of May 13, 1992; the schedule is intended to apply to subdivisions after April 9, 1997.
  • Revision date is not treated as an effective date.

  minimum lot area: >= 3 acres (residential lots of record as of May 13, 1992 excepted) · minimum lot width: >= 150 feet

  “section 800 minimum lot requirement: minimum yard requirement. amendment. local law 1-97 district area width (ft) front side ar 3 ac. 150 30 20 ar1 3 ac. 150 30 20 ar1-r 3 ac. 150 30 20 r-1 3 ac. 100 30 20 r-2 15,000 sf. 75 30 10 pd 10 ac.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 (residential) district, the area comprising Shamrock Drive in the Town of Erin

    “r-1 (residential) - all of that area comprising shamrock drive..”

  • Specified — R-2 (residential, small lot) district, all property within the hamlet of Erin

    “r-2 (residential in the hamlet of erin. account small lot size) - all that property within the hamlet of erin.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  AR (agricultural-residential) district, main residential district of the Town of Erin

  • Front yard 30 feet and side yard 20 feet per the Article VIII schedule; front measured from the centerline of the highway; all measurements include accessory uses.
  • Rear-yard value is not present in the extracted table text and is unknown.

  front yard: >= 30 feet (measured from centerline of highway) · side yard: >= 20 feet

  “o all measurements including accessory uses. o front measurements from centerline of highway.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 (residential) district, Shamrock Drive area of the Town of Erin

    “o all measurements including accessory uses. o front measurements from centerline of highway.”

  • Specified — R-2 (residential, small lot) district, hamlet of Erin

    “o all measurements including accessory uses. o front measurements from centerline of highway.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes on individual lots inside Erin town limits, AR districts only

  • Permitted on an individual lot in AR districts only, for the exclusive use of one family.
  • Additional mobile or manufactured home for members of the same family is allowed only if it conforms to the zoning plan and does not exceed the limit stated in section 1200.
  • Mobile home and manufactured home parks require a special permit and a town board license (Article XIII).
  • The town board may grant a temporary permit for an interim dwelling during reconstruction after damage; the permit is for up to 12 months and renewable by the town board.

  temporary interim dwelling permit maximum duration: <= 12 months (renewable by the erin town board)

  “section 1200. requirements. a mobile home and/or manufactured home may be placed on an individual lot in ar districts only.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions and residential developments inside Erin town limits (Article VI)

  • Minor subdivision is defined as up to four lots, parcels or sites for residential use fronting an existing street with no new street and no municipal facility extension.
  • Special permit and review are required for covered actions under section 607, including housing for five or more dwellings and new access roads for two or more families.
  • Actions exempt from special permit requirements are listed in section 608, not opened.

  “section 607 actions covered. 1. housing for five (5) or more individual dwellings. 2. a new access road or street is required for two (2) or more families,”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building and zoning permit fees inside Erin town limits

  • Fees are set by the Erin town board; the published fee schedule was not located in the opened text.

  “fees for such permits shall be established by the town board and shall be paid to the enforcement officer at the time of filing of application.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building permit process inside Erin town limits

  • Zoning permits are issued by the code enforcement officer; the Zoning Board of Appeals hears appeals (Article II, sections 201 and 207).
  • A zoning permit expires one year from issue unless substantial progress is made (Article II section 201).

  “unless there has been substantial progress in the work for which zoning permit was issued, said zoning permit shall expire one (1) year from date of issue.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Erin town limits
• Lot coverage — Percentage lot coverage inside Erin town limits
• Building height — Building height limits inside Erin town limits
• Living in an RV — Recreational vehicle occupancy on private land inside Erin town limits
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Erin town limits

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 Erin 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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