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

Town of Henderson’s own rules

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Henderson.

  • The official map identifies AR-40 Agriculture and Rural Residence, B Business, BR Business Residential, H Harbor, I Island, LF Lake Front, PD Planned Development, R-15 Residential, and SD Corridor Overlay districts.

  “I CERTIFY THAT THIS IS THE OFFICIALLY ADOPTED ZONING MAP OF THE TOWN OF HENDERSON”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Manufactured homes inside the Town of Henderson.

  • The rule applies when a manufactured home is installed or moved to a different lot.

  minimum gross floor area: >= 720 square feet (Manufactured home.)

  “No manufactured home less than 720 square feet in gross floor area shall be installed or moved to a different lot.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Henderson

Town of Henderson 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

  Most new residential and commercial construction, alterations, conversions, and renovations inside the Town of Henderson.

  • The County's Uniform Code service table lists Henderson as a municipality it enforces.
  • The County identifies additional covered work as mobile and modular units, wood stoves, fireplaces and inserts, heating units, pools, electrical work, septic-system installation, and most demolition projects.
  • A completed application, construction specifications, plot plan, construction plans, and local zoning permit copy are required for the County process.

  “A Jefferson County Uniform Code Building Permit is required for:”

• InspectionsRequired

  County-permitted construction inside the Town of Henderson.

  • The permit holder must notify the County inspector when ready for inspection at the intervals specified on the building permit.

  “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 CHAMPION | CARTHAGE ELLISBURG | DEFERIET HENDERSON | ELLISBURG”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  County-permitted work inside the Town of Henderson that completes with final County approval.

  • The County may issue either a Certificate of Occupancy or a Compliance Certificate after final approval.
  • The County advises allowing ten days between final inspection and issuance.

  “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 CHAMPION | CARTHAGE ELLISBURG | DEFERIET HENDERSON | ELLISBURG”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-15 Residential District inside the Town of Henderson.

  • Schedule I applies the listed dimensional requirements by zoning district.

  minimum lot area: >= 15000 square feet (R-15 district.) · minimum lot width: >= 100 feet (R-15 district.)

  “Area (square feet) 25,000 20,000 40,000 20,000 20,000 15,000 15,000”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AR-40 Agriculture and Rural Residence District inside the Town of Henderson.

  • The waterfront-front-yard entry for AR-40 is shown as a dash in Schedule I; no waterfront-front-yard numeric rule is recorded here.

  front yard non-waterfront: >= 75 feet (AR-40 district.) · rear yard: >= 25 feet (AR-40 district.) · single side yard minimum: >= 30 feet (AR-40 district.)

  “Front yard non-waterfront 50 50 75 75 75 50 *”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AR-40 Agriculture and Rural Residence District inside the Town of Henderson.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (AR-40 district; Schedule I.)

  “Maximum Building Height (feet) 35 35 35 35 45 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-15 Residential District inside the Town of Henderson.

    “Maximum Building Height (feet) 35 35 35 35 45 35 35”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of septic systems inside the Town of Henderson under Jefferson County Uniform Code enforcement.

  • The County's Uniform Code service table lists Henderson as a municipality it enforces.
  • The Town's zoning law additionally requires on-site systems to meet 10 NYCRR Appendix 75-A and the State Uniform Building and Fire Code.

  “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 CHAMPION | CARTHAGE ELLISBURG | DEFERIET HENDERSON | ELLISBURG”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Jefferson County building permits for work inside the Town of Henderson.

  • The inspector checks the application for completeness and then bills the permit fee.
  • Payment must be received before the application is processed.

  “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 CHAMPION | CARTHAGE ELLISBURG | DEFERIET HENDERSON | ELLISBURG”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Jefferson County Uniform Code permits inside the Town of Henderson.

  • The County service table identifies Henderson as a County-enforced municipality.
  • The published process requires application and construction-specification forms, a plot plan, construction plans, and a local zoning permit copy.
  • The applicant may start construction only after the County approves and issues the permit.

  “Permit Application and Construction Specification Forms”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-performed construction inside the Town of Henderson.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside the Town of Henderson.
• Camping on your land — Temporary tent or camping occupancy on private land inside the Town of Henderson.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside the Town of Henderson.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside the Town of Henderson.

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.