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

Town of Lancaster’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Work inside the Town of Lancaster that must conform to the Uniform Code or Energy Code.

  • Includes construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation, demolition, and specified solid-fuel appliances, chimneys, or flues.
  • No person may commence covered work before obtaining the Town permit.

  “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.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • Work must remain accessible and exposed until inspection and acceptance.
  • The permit holder must notify the Code Enforcement Officer when listed work is ready for inspection.
  • Listed inspections include foundation, framing, service systems, Energy Code work, manufactured-home installation, and final inspection.

  “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 conversions of use or occupancy inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • Permission to use or occupy is granted only by a certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance.
  • The Code Enforcement Officer or authorized inspector must inspect before issuance.

  “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.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Lancaster, excluding the incorporated villages.

  • Chapter 400 was adopted by the Town Board.

  “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster 11-16-2020 by L.L. No. 1-2020. Amendments noted where applicable.]”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • Schedule A categorizes permitted principal uses, accessory uses, special-use permits, and prohibited uses by district.

  “Agricultural-Residential AR Single-Family Residential R”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Code-enforcement permits inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • Fees are set by the Town Board.

  “To collect fees as set by the Town Board of this Town of Lancaster.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • The application must be in writing on an acceptable form and signed by the owner or authorized agent.
  • The Code Enforcement Officer determines whether intended work complies with the Uniform Code and Energy Code.

  “Applications for a building permit shall be made, in writing, on a form provided by or otherwise acceptable to the Code Enforcement Officer. The application shall be signed by the owner of the property where the work is to be performed or an authorized agent of the owner.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Lancaster

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-Family Residential (R) District inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • The Schedule B floor-area standard is for livable floor area.

  minimum livable floor area, one story: 1000 sq ft · minimum livable floor area, more than one story: 1200 sq ft

  “One story: 1,000 sq. ft. More than one story: 1,200 sq. ft.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-Family Residential (R) District inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • Accessory use may add coverage under Schedule B.

  maximum coverage by principal use: 35 percent · additional maximum coverage with accessory use: 5 percent

  “35% by principal use; up to 5% additional with accessory use.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural-Residential (AR) District inside the Town of Lancaster.

  • Farm accessory structures have a separate limit; accessory structures have a separate limit.

  maximum height, other principal structures: 35 ft · maximum height, barns silos or other farm accessory structures: 65 ft

  “Barns, silos, or other farm accessory structures: 65 feet All other principal structures: 35 feet Accessory: 16 feet except as otherwise permitted”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-performed residential construction inside the Town of Lancaster.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside the Town of Lancaster.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside the Town of Lancaster.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside the Town of Lancaster.
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside the Town of Lancaster.

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 Lancaster 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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