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

Town of Clermont’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and structures inside the Town of Clermont, Columbia County, New York.

  • The law takes effect upon filing in the office of the New York State Secretary of State.
  • The law supersedes the previous and existing Town of Clermont Zoning Local Law as of its effective date.

  “A Local Law regulating the location, design, construction, alteration, occupancy, and use of structure or buildings and the use of land in the Town of Clermont, New York, dividing the Town into districts.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Clermont town.

  • The Flood Area Overzone is identified as an overzone.
  • District boundaries are shown on the zoning map.

  “3.1 RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURAL (RA) 3.2 LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (LDR) 3.3 HAMLET (H) 3.4 FLOOD AREA OVERZONE (FAO)”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling units in all Clermont zoning districts.

  • Accessory apartments must be smaller than the dwelling unit to which they are accessory and comply with applicable State building-code requirements.
  • Basements are excluded from the floor-space measurement.
  • The stated minimum does not apply to apartment units.

  minimum floor space per single-family dwelling unit: >= 700 square feet (Excludes basement; does not apply to apartment units.)

  “In all districts, there shall be a required minimum of seven hundred (700) square feet of floor space per single family dwelling unit”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single commercial buildings or structures inside Clermont town.

  • The stated maximum applies to a single commercial building or structure.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20000 square feet (Single commercial building or structure.)

  “No single commercial building or structure may exceed twenty thousand (20,000) square feet of lot coverage.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes in the RA, H, RLB-3, LDR, RLB, and RJC zoning districts inside Clermont town.

  • The schedule identifies the listed use as permitted by right in the six stated districts.
  • The schedule refers to § 4.32.6, which may impose supplemental requirements.

  “Dwelling, Manufactured home (See § 4.32.6) ● ● ● ● ● ●”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways as accessory structures inside Clermont town.

  • A common shared driveway between two properties has no required setback along the shared property line.
  • Other driveways must comply with minimum side-yard setbacks for accessory structures.

  “Driveways are an accessory structure and shall comply with the minimum side yard setback distances for accessory structures”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Permit applications and services inside Clermont town.

  • Fees are set by the Town Board.
  • The fee schedule is available at Town offices.

  “All fees shall be set by the Town Board and a fee schedule shall be available at the Town offices.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and land-use applications inside Clermont town.

  • The Planning Board's stated powers apply as provided by the authority of the Town Board.
  • Specific building-permit application steps were not retrieved.

  “The Planning Board shall have the authority to review and approve, approve with conditions, or deny all site plans and subdivisions and any other land use permits”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Clermont

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Principal buildings in Clermont's Low Density Residential (LDR) district.

  • New lots must meet the applicable minimum lot area and lot width except for lots created solely for listed public-utility infrastructure not intended for human occupancy beyond maintenance and repair.

  minimum lot area: >= 5 acres · minimum lot width at front-yard setback: >= 400 feet

  “Minimum Lot Width at Front Yard Setback (Feet) 150 100 200 400 150 150”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings in Clermont's Low Density Residential (LDR) district.

  • Setbacks are measured from property lines for a deeded highway; front-yard setbacks are measured from the road edge for a user road.
  • Accessory structures may not be in a front yard unless waived under § 4.5.

  minimum front setback: >= 75 feet · minimum side setback: >= 50 feet · minimum rear setback: >= 100 feet

  “Minimum Rear Setback (Feet) 2 50 25 75 100 30 50”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in Clermont's Residential Agricultural (RA) district.

    “Minimum Side Setback (Feet) 2 30 20 50 50 20 50”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings in Clermont's Low Density Residential (LDR) district.

  • The maximum may be exceeded if approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
  • The 35-foot limitation does not apply to the listed tower, utility, agricultural, and similar structures.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (Unless approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals; listed structures are excepted.)

  “Maximum Building Height (Feet) 35 35 35 35 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal buildings in Clermont's Residential Agricultural (RA) district.

    “In all districts, structures shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height above average ground level unless approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  A separately owned preexisting lot in Clermont that does not meet applicable area or width requirements and is proposed to be built upon.

  • The provision applies to a single lot at the effective date of adoption that is in separate ownership and not in continuous frontage with other such lots in the same ownership.
  • Yard dimensions and other requirements not involving lot area or width must conform to the district regulations.

  “a single lot at the effective date of adoption of this Local Law may be built upon, as long as it meets approval by the County Department of Public Health.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in Clermont's Flood Area Overzone.

  • The rule covers erecting, constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, improving, moving, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling, or commencing those activities.
  • A zoning permit must be obtained first from the Zoning Enforcement Officer.
  • Additional flood-hazard requirements apply before permit issuance.

  “without first obtaining a zoning permit from the Zoning Enforcement Officer.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Clermont town.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Clermont town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Clermont town.
• Inspections — Residential construction inspections inside Clermont town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Clermont 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.