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

Town of Bovina’s own rules

• InspectionsRequired

  Projects using the Town building-permit application.

  • The owner or agent must notify the Code Enforcement Officer to schedule inspections.

  “Owner/Agent is responsible for notifying the code enforcement officer to schedule inspections.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Projects for which the Town Building Inspector issues a certificate of occupancy.

  • The Building Inspector cannot issue the certificate until receiving a Certificate of Compliance from the Zoning Administrator.

  “The Building Inspector shall not issue a Certificate of Occupancy until the Building Inspector has received certification (Certificate of Compliance) from the Zoning Administrator”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Bovina, Delaware County, New York.

  • The local law was amended through September 13, 2022.

  “This Local Law shall be known and may be cited as the "Town of Bovina Zoning Local Law".”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Bovina.

  • District locations and boundaries are shown on the Town zoning map on file with the Town Clerk.

  districts: GR General Rural; H Hamlet

  “The Town of Bovina is divided into the following districts: GR General Rural H Hamlet”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Site-built or modular tiny dwellings inside Bovina.

  • Site-built and modular dwellings must have at least 800 square feet of habitable floor area; accessory apartments are excepted.

  minimum habitable floor area: >= 800 square feet (Accessory apartments have no minimum size requirement.)

  “Site-built and modular dwellings shall have a minimum habitable floor area of at least eight hundred (800) square feet per dwelling unit”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes inside Bovina.

  • Mobile homes must have at least 600 square feet of habitable floor area.

  minimum habitable floor area: >= 600 square feet

  “Mobile homes shall have a minimum of six hundred (600) square feet.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land in the unincorporated portion of the Town of Bovina.

  • Planning Board approval and filing of the approved plat in the Delaware County Clerk's Office are required before subdivision.
  • Specified site activities may not begin until approval or conditional approval.

  “only if approved by the Planning Board in accordance with the procedures and requirements as set forth in these Regulations”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Accesses to Town highways in Bovina.

  • Town access permits are granted at the Highway Superintendent's discretion.
  • For a County Highway, an access permit must be obtained from the Delaware County Department of Public Works.
  • No building-permit application is considered before an access permit issues.

  minimum access width: >= 20 feet (Town Highway access.)

  “No building Permit Application shall be considered by the Code Enforcement Officer until an Access Permit is issued.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town building permits.

  • If actual cost or contracts are not provided, the Code Enforcement Officer sets a minimum cost using nationally recognized standards.
  • A $40-per-hour charge may be assessed for reviews and inspections not covered by the schedule.

  single-wide mobile home on slab: 120 USD · demolition permit: 50 USD (Most demolition permits require an asbestos inspection before issuance by a state-licensed asbestos inspector.)

  “A. Single-wide on slab $120.00 [...] 9. Demolition Permit **$50.00”

• Permit processPartial

  Building and zoning permit applications inside Bovina.

  • A plot plan and requested additional information are required before issuance as described in the zoning law.
  • Construction authorized by a zoning permit must start within one year or the permit is void.

  “If construction authorized by a Zoning Permit has not been started within one year, said Permit shall be null and void.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Bovina

Town of Bovina 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 sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  General Rural (GR) District inside Bovina.

  • Average density must be one building lot per seven acres of gross parcel acreage.
  • Pre-existing principal-structure lots may be one acre if average-density requirements are met.

  minimum lot size: >= 2 acres (Average-density requirements must be met.)

  “Minimum lot size shall be two (2) acres, provided average density requirements are met.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures in Bovina's General Rural (GR) District.

  • Larger setbacks and frontages may be required case by case during subdivision or site-plan review.

  front setback on Town Road: >= 65 feet from centerline · front setback on State or County Road: >= 35 feet from edge of right-of-way · side and rear setback: >= 35 feet

  “Front setback on Town Road..…………………..…. 65-feet from centerline”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  General Rural and Hamlet districts inside Bovina.

  • Certain specified non-occupancy structures are exempt from height limitations; structures higher than 40 feet may be permitted by site plan/special use permit.

  maximum building height: <= 40 feet (Site plan/special use permit and stated general exceptions may apply.)

  “Other structures higher than forty (40) feet may be permitted by site plan/special use permit.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction in Bovina.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside the Town of Bovina.
• Lot coverage — Land inside Bovina.
• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Bovina.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Bovina.

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.