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

Town of Freetown’s own rules

• Local zoningAbsent

  Land inside the Town of Freetown, Cortland County, New York.

  • The county planning department reports that Freetown has site-plan review and subdivision control despite having no zoning ordinance.

  “Does not have Comprehensive Plan, Mobile Home Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance”

• Zoning districtsNot published

  Zoning districts inside Freetown.

  • Freetown has no zoning ordinance according to the county planning department.

  “Does not have Comprehensive Plan, Mobile Home Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance”

• Minimum dwelling sizeNone

  Minimum dwelling-size control under Freetown zoning law.

  • This finding concerns zoning only; state building-code or health rules may impose other requirements.

  “Does not have Comprehensive Plan, Mobile Home Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance”

• Minimum lot sizeNone

  Minimum lot-size control under Freetown zoning law.

  • This finding concerns zoning only. The County Sanitary Code separately requires sufficient usable area for lots served by individual sewage systems.

  “Does not have Comprehensive Plan, Mobile Home Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance”

• SetbacksNone

  Setback control under Freetown zoning law.

  • This finding concerns zoning only; septic separation requirements and other non-zoning laws may apply.

  “Does not have Comprehensive Plan, Mobile Home Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance”

• Lot coverageNone

  Lot-coverage control under Freetown zoning law.

  • This finding concerns zoning only; other laws may apply.

  “Does not have Comprehensive Plan, Mobile Home Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance”

• Building heightNone

  Building-height control under Freetown zoning law.

  • This finding concerns zoning only; state building-code or other non-zoning laws may apply.

  “Does not have Comprehensive Plan, Mobile Home Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside the Town of Freetown.

  • The county planning department identifies adopted Freetown subdivision control; the detailed local subdivision ordinance was not located in the available official materials.

  “Adopted regulations include Site Plan Review, and Subdivision Control”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Freetown

Town of Freetown 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)

  Individual sewage treatment systems inside Freetown, which is located in Cortland County and therefore within the Cortland County Health District.

  • The County Sanitary Code identifies the Health District as the area of Cortland County.

  “Health District shall mean the Cortland County Health District (the area of Cortland County) [...] The provisions of this Code shall be in force throughout the Health District.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction or modification of an individual sewage treatment system inside Freetown.

  • Applies to an individual system serving a dwelling designed for fewer than three families or 10 or fewer people, with sewage flow not exceeding the Sanitary Code threshold.
  • The Commissioner issues the permit.
  • Standards include 10 NYCRR Appendix 75-A or other Commissioner-established standards.
  • A written application and information such as engineering drawings, maps, soil analyses, test borings, percolation tests, groundwater and flood elevations, and detailed plans may be required.
  • The Commissioner may refuse, revoke, or suspend a permit for inadequate usable area, soils, groundwater conditions, or separation from water supplies.

  “No person shall undertake to construct an individual sewage treatment system, or modify an existing individual sewage treatment system, without having first obtained a permit to construct an individual sewage treatment system issued by the Commissioner.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Completed, altered, or extended individual sewage treatment systems inside Freetown.

  • No part of the system may be covered with soil or placed into operation before inspection by a New York State licensed professional engineer.
  • The Department issues a certificate of completion upon satisfactory inspection and receipt of the engineer's completion letter.

  “After construction, alteration or extension of an individual sewage treatment system has been completed, no portion of the system shall be covered with soil or placed in operation until it is first inspected by a NYS licensed professional engineer.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Individual, off-grid sewage treatment systems inside Freetown.

  • A construction permit is required for a new or modified individual sewage treatment system.
  • Sewage may not be exposed or discharged to the atmosphere, ground surface, storm sewer, drain, roadside ditch, watercourse, or water body unless approved under the Environmental Conservation Law.

  “No person shall construct, maintain, or use any pipe, drain, sewage treatment system or privy so as to expose or discharge sewage to the atmosphere, onto the ground surface or into any storm sewer, drain, roadside ditch or into any water course or body of water within the Health District unless approval for such exposure or discharge has been issued in accordance with the provisions of the State Environmental Conservation Law.”

• Permit processPartial

  Individual sewage-treatment-system permitting inside Freetown.

  • The application must be made in writing on Department-provided form or forms.
  • The Commissioner may require engineering drawings, maps, soil analyses, test borings, percolation tests, groundwater and flood elevations, and detailed system plans.

  “Application for a permit to construct an individual sewage treatment system shall be made in writing on a form or forms provided by the Department. [...] The application shall be accompanied by such data including but not limited to engineering drawings, maps, soil analyses, test borings, percolation tests groundwater and flood elevations and detailed plans of the proposed individual sewage treatment system, as the Commissioner may require or direct.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside the Town of Freetown.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside the Town of Freetown.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside the Town of Freetown.
• Inspections — Building work inside the Town of Freetown.
• Certificate of occupancy — New or altered buildings inside the Town of Freetown.

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.