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

Town of Bethany’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Site work and building work inside Bethany town.

  • Work may not begin before issuance of a building permit.

  “NO WORK CAN BE STARTED ON SITE WITHOUT BUILDING PERMIT”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Owner applicants for a building permit for an owner-occupied one-, two-, three-, or four-family residence, including condominiums, in Bethany town.

  • Applicant must certify under penalty of perjury that they are the owner of the owner-occupied residence and either perform all work, do not hire/pay workers, or maintain homeowners insurance while hiring or paying workers less than 40 aggregate hours per week.

  paid worker aggregate hours: < 40 hours per week (Applies where the owner has homeowners insurance covering the permitted property.)

  “I have a homeowners insurance policy that is currently in effect and covers the property listed on the attached building permit AND am hiring or paying individuals a total of less than 40 hours per week (aggregate hours for all paid individuals on the jobsite) for which the building permit was issued.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction under a Bethany town building permit.

  • Listed stages are footer, foundation, rough frame, rough plumbing, electrical/third party, and final; final includes health-department septic and water tests and electrical certificates.

  “INSPECTIONS PERFORMED AT THE FOLLOWING STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION: Footer Foundation Rough Frame Rough Plumbing Electrical/3rd party Final (along with final septic and water tests by health department and electrical certificates).”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Occupancy or use of buildings in Bethany town.

  • Certain uses provided in the zoning ordinance are excepted; otherwise no building may be occupied or used until the Zoning Enforcement Officer grants a certificate of occupancy.

  “No building shall be occupied or used in whole or in part for any purpose until a Certificate of Occupancy has been granted by Zoning Enforcement Officer. Except for certain uses as provided in the Zoning Ordinance a Certificate of Occupancy shall not be required.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Bethany, Genesee County, New York.

  • The Town Code Enforcement Officer administers local zoning regulations.

  “The Town of Bethany’s Code Enforcement Officer, Gerry Wood, is responsible for making sure all building projects and property maintenance meet local laws, zoning regulations, and New York State building codes.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Bethany town.

  • The building-permit application identifies AR, AR-RD, R, C, and I as zone or use districts; the town also publishes Zoning Schedule A.

  “Zone or Use District in which premises are situated (circle one): AR AR-RD R C I”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision plats and subdivision permits inside Bethany town.

  • The town publishes a subdivision permit fee and the zoning law recognizes subdivision plats reviewed and approved under Town Law § 276.

  subdivision permit fee: 500 USD (Each additional parcel is $15.00.)

  “Subdivision Permit | $500.00 | Each additional parcel | $15.00”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town-administered land-use and temporary permits inside Bethany town.

  • Other fees may be assumed by the applicant, including additional permit requirements and state/county permit requirements; once begun, fees are non-refundable.

  temporary mobile home/RV permit fee: 100 USD · temporary certificate of occupancy fee: 50 USD (Three months.)

  “Temporary Mobile Home/RV Permit | $100.00”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Bethany town.

  • Application must be legible, use ink or typewriter, be submitted to the Zoning Enforcement Officer, and include the described plot plan; work cannot commence before permit issuance.

  “Application is to be legible using ink or typewriter and submitted to the Zoning Enforcement Officer. A plot plan showing location of the lot and buildings on the premises, relation to public streets or areas and adjoining premises giving a detailed description of the layout of the property to be drawn on a diagram which is part of the application.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Bethany

Town of Bethany 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)

  Final septic testing for construction inside Bethany town.

  • The town guide directs applicants to the County Health Department for environmental septic matters and calls for final septic testing by the health department.

  “Septic system approval – County issued yellow card. (NO PERMIT WITHOUT IT)”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Final inspection of permitted construction with septic service inside Bethany town.

  • Final stage includes final septic testing by the health department.

  “Final (along with final septic and water tests by health department and electrical certificates).”

Still unanswered

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

• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Bethany town.
• Minimum lot size — Lots inside Bethany town.
• Setbacks — Buildings and structures inside Bethany town.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Bethany town.
• Building height — Buildings inside Bethany town.

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.