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

Village of Cape Vincent’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Uses or structures requiring a village zoning permit (village certificate of compliance, not a county CO)

  • Certificate issued by zoning enforcement officer within ten days after the work is approved as complying
  • Applied for together with the zoning permit

  “no use or structure requiring a zoning permit shall be occupied, used, or changed in use until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the zoning enforcement officer”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Cape Vincent village (Jefferson County)

  • Zoning permits are issued by the village zoning enforcement officer; site plan review by the village planning board
  • Zoning map dated 12/13/2005

  “the village of cape vincent is divided into the following five (5) zoning districts.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Cape Vincent village zoning districts

  • Residential (RES), Commercial (COM), Manufactured Home (MHD), Industrial (IND, floating) and Waterfront Overlay (WOD)

  “the village of cape vincent is divided into the following five (5) zoning districts. residential district - res commercial district - com 12 village of cape vincent zoning law 2015 manufactured home district - mhd industrial district - ind (floating) waterfront overlay district - wod (overlay)”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential district (single-family residence, modular, double-wide manufactured home)

  • Two-family residence 9,000 sq ft per table; multi-family 6,000 sq ft plus 3,000 sq ft per additional unit
  • Table text is garbled in extraction; district row alignment should be rechecked

  minimum lot size, single-family: >= 6000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 60 ft

  “minimum side & rear setback open space requirement 6,000 sq. ft. 60 ft. 15 ft. * 8 ft. 25% 9,000 sq. ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential district, single-family residence

  • Section 5.2 adds averaging rules based on adjacent buildings
  • Accessory buildings must meet district setbacks (5.11)
  • Pools not closer than 8 ft to a lot line

  minimum front setback: >= 15 ft (see section 5.2) · minimum side and rear setback: >= 8 ft

  “minimum side & rear setback open space requirement 6,000 sq. ft. 60 ft. 15 ft. * 8 ft. 25% 9,000 sq. ft.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers/RVs in the residential and manufactured home districts of Cape Vincent village

  • Annual permit required; $200 annual fee set by village board resolution
  • Occupancy limited to April 1 through October 31
  • Public sewer and water connection must be maintained
  • Setbacks: front 15 ft, rear 8 ft, side 8 ft
  • Must be removed from village limits when unoccupied unless stored under subsection e
  • Non-owner-occupied RVs not permitted except hosting visitors up to two weeks per year
  • RVs may not be parked on a village street more than 72 hours

  annual permit fee: 200 USD (set by board resolution from time to time)

  “one owner occupied travel trailer/rv may be permitted on an undeveloped lot over 1,800 square feet upon receipt of an annual permit”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes in Cape Vincent village; double-wides permitted in the residential district, single- and double-wides in the manufactured home district

  • Building permit from Jefferson County building code department
  • Skirting, tie-downs and pad built to manufacturer minimums
  • Manufactured home parks require site plan review
  • Mobile homes not allowed in residential district

  “d. each manufactured home pad shall be built to, at least, the minimum manufacturer's requirements. e. mobile homes are not allowed in the residential district.”

• Permit processPartial

  Village zoning permits and site plan review

  • Zoning permit expires 12 months after issue unless substantial progress is made; two years to complete
  • Site plan review by planning board with public hearing within 62 days and decision within 62 days after hearing

  “the board shall have a maximum of 62 days to hold a public hearing on the application to entertain public comment, unless the hearing is waived.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Cape Vincent

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

• Building permitRequired

  Manufactured homes sited in Cape Vincent village (zoning law names the Jefferson County building code department)

  • General building-permit rule for other construction not quoted from an official page; only the manufactured-home provision is confirmed

  “all manufactured homes sited in the village shall obtain a building permit from the jefferson county building code department.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Applies inside Cape Vincent village: Jefferson County enforces the NYS building code there

  • County page lists cape vincent in both the town and village columns of municipalities the county enforces

  “the county enforces the nys building code in the following municipalities: towns villages adams adams alexandria alexandria bay antwerp antwerp brownville brownville cape vincent cape vincent”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Cape Vincent village
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Cape Vincent village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Cape Vincent village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Cape Vincent village
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Cape Vincent village

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.