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

Town of Hancock’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Work in the Town of Hancock that must conform to the Uniform Code or Energy Code, including construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation, demolition, and specified solid-fuel installations.

  • The listed Chapter 93 exemptions include certain detached accessory structures not exceeding 144 square feet, temporary sets and scenery, specified awnings and partitions, finish work, portable equipment, specified replacements, and repairs without fire- or life-safety impact.
  • An exemption does not authorize work that violates the Uniform Code or Energy Code.

  detached accessory-structure exemption maximum gross floor area: <= 144 square feet (One-story detached tool/storage sheds, playhouses, or similar uses associated with qualifying dwellings.)

  “Building permits required. Except as otherwise provided in Subsection B of this section, a building permit shall be required for any work which must conform to the Uniform Code and/or the Energy Code, including, but not limited to, the construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation, or demolition of any building or structure or any portion thereof, and the installation of a solid-fuel-burning heating appliance, chimney, or flue in any dwelling unit. No person shall commence any work for which a building permit is required without first having obtained a building permit from the Town of Hancock.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction work in the Town of Hancock.

  • Work must remain accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted.
  • Inspections apply where applicable and include a final inspection after all work authorized by the permit is completed.
  • A remote inspection may replace an in-person inspection at the Code Enforcement Officer's or authorized inspector's discretion if it provides equivalent information; otherwise an in-person inspection is required.

  “Work shall remain accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted by the Code Enforcement Officer or by an inspector authorized by the Code Enforcement Officer. The permit holder shall notify the Code Enforcement Officer when any element of work described in Subsection B of this section is ready for inspection.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Work subject to a building permit and buildings or portions converted to another use or occupancy classification in the Town of Hancock.

  • A certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance may issue only after completion in accordance with the applicable Uniform Code and Energy Code.
  • The Code Enforcement Officer or authorized inspector must inspect before issuance.
  • Where applicable, the applicant must provide structural-observation or special-inspection documents, flood-hazard certifications, Energy Code test results, and required factory-manufactured-building or manufactured-home seals, insignias, and data plates.

  “Certificates of occupancy and certificates of compliance required. A certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance shall be required for any work which is the subject of a building permit and for all structures, buildings, or portions thereof, which are converted from one use or occupancy classification or subclassification to another. Permission to use or occupy a building or structure, or portion thereof, for which a building permit was previously issued shall be granted only by issuance of a certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Lots in a Town of Hancock subdivision served by an individual onsite sewage disposal system.

  • The lot must be sufficiently sized, wide, and deep for a system compliant with New York State Department of Health standards.
  • Percolation tests and soil profiles are required on all lots.

  “Percolation tests and soil profiles will be required on all lots.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land in the unincorporated portion of the Town of Hancock, Delaware County, New York.

  • Planning Board approval and filing of the approved plat with the Delaware County Clerk are required before subdivision.
  • Construction, excavation, filling, regrading, clearing vegetation, or similar activity may not begin in a proposed subdivision until Planning Board approval or conditional approval.
  • Specified boundary-line adjustments and natural land divisions may be exempt if the code's criteria are met.

  “Land within the unincorporated portion of the Town of Hancock may be subdivided [...] only if approved by the Planning Board”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Residential subdivision and development land in the Town of Hancock.

  • Applies to land proposed for subdivision or residential development that is subject to hazards including flood.
  • Such hazardous land may instead be set aside for uses that do not involve the stated danger or unsatisfactory living conditions.

  “shall not be subdivided nor developed for residential purposes”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Hancock

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings, structures, and premises in the Town of Hancock.

  • Except as otherwise provided in the Uniform Code, other state law, or Chapter 93.

  “This chapter provides for the administration and enforcement of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (the "Uniform Code") and the State Energy Conservation Construction Code (the "Energy Code") in the Town of Hancock. This chapter is adopted pursuant to § 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction in the Town of Hancock.
• Local zoning — Land inside the Town of Hancock, Delaware County, New York.
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside the Town of Hancock.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings in the Town of Hancock.
• Minimum lot size — Residential lots in the Town of Hancock other than the conditional subdivision suitability standards.

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.