Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Bergen, New York

Village of Bergen’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, enlargement, alteration or change of use of buildings inside Bergen village

  • Only for work for which a permit is required by the NYS Uniform Code
  • No permit for ordinary non-structural repairs
  • Issued by the village code enforcement official

  “without first obtaining a separate building permit from the ceo for each such building or structure.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use, occupancy or change of use of any building or land inside Bergen village

  • Issued by the code enforcement official
  • An affidavit from an architect, engineer or construction superintendent may be required at the CEO's discretion

  “no building or land shall be used or changed in use wholly or in part nor shall any land be used or occupied until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the ceo.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside the Village of Bergen (Genesee County)

  • Adopted October 27, 2021; supersedes all prior village zoning laws

  “this zoning law shall be known as the "zoning law of the village of bergen." for convenience, it is also referred to as the "zoning code."”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Bergen village

  • Residential: LDR, TVR; commercial: GC, NC, VCC; industrial: MU-LI, GI; PUD districts also in Art. 6

  “district name abbreviation & map symbol traditional village residential tvr low density residential ldr”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single- or two-family lots in the LDR (low density residential) and TVR (traditional village residential) districts of Bergen village

  • Column order LDR then TVR
  • Multi-family in TVR: 2,000 sf per unit; nonresidential 25,000 sf LDR / 15,000 sf TVR
  • Minimum lot width residential: 80 ft LDR, 40 ft TVR

  LDR minimum lot size: >= 15000 sq ft · TVR minimum lot size: >= 8000 sq ft

  “dimensional requirements ldr tvr 15,000 sf 8,000 sf multi-family dwelling - 2,000 sf / unit 1 nonresidential use 25,000 sf 15,000 sf residential use 80 ft 40 ft”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Primary structures in the LDR and TVR districts of Bergen village

  • Column order LDR then TVR; table order front, side, rear
  • Front setback may instead match adjacent developed lots
  • Accessory structure side/rear: 5 ft LDR, 3 ft TVR

  LDR front/side/rear primary: 20 ft / 10 ft / 40 ft (front may match adjacent lots) · TVR front/side/rear primary: 10 ft / 7 ft / 35 ft (front may match adjacent lots)

  “primary use or structure 20 ft 2 10 ft 2 primary use or structure 10 ft 7 ft accessory use or structure 5 ft 3 ft primary use or structure 40 ft 35 ft accessory use or structure 5 ft 3 ft”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Parking/storage of recreational vehicles on residential property in Bergen village residential districts

  • Stored RVs must be owned by a full-time resident of the property
  • Stored means parked more than seven days; full-time resident lives on the property at least six months in 12
  • Registration/inspection required where applicable
  • Section governs parking/storage; occupancy as living quarters not addressed in the opened text

  max RVs per residential property: <= 2 vehicles

  “no more than two recreational vehicles may be parked on a residential property at any one time.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in the LDR and TVR residential districts of Bergen village

  • Special use permit and site plan review required (§5-3 and Art. 12)

  “accessory dwelling unit sp sp § 5-3 outside fuel burning devices - - - temporary storage unit p p § 5-19”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Bergen or Genesee County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Bergen village
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Bergen village
• Inspections — Inspections inside Bergen village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size, Bergen village
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage, Bergen village residential districts

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.