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

Town of Osceola’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  A use or structure inside Osceola town that requires a zoning permit.

  • The enforcement officer must issue a certificate of compliance.
  • The certificate is issued after the use is completed and approved as compliant.

  “No use or structure requiring a zoning permit shall be occupied, used, or changed in use until a certificate of compliance has been issued”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Osceola, Lewis County, New York.

  • The official Lewis County municipal-land-use page identifies an Osceola zoning-law revision as in progress; this claim reflects the currently posted Town of Osceola Zoning Law.

  “This law shall be known as "The Town of Osceola Zoning Law."”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Osceola town.

  • The official zoning map is dated August 13, 2014 and filed in the Town Clerk's office.
  • The map and explanatory matter are incorporated into the zoning law.

  “For the purpose of this law, the Town of Osceola is hereby divided into the following zones:”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational camping vehicles outside approved campgrounds inside Osceola town.

  • Outside an approved campground, occupancy cannot exceed 180 days in one calendar year without an approved temporary permit.
  • All occupied vehicles require a plan showing potable water and compliant wastewater and sanitary-sewage disposal.
  • No more than one vehicle may be sited for occupancy on a lot for more than 30 consecutive days.

  maximum occupancy outside campground: <= 180 days per calendar year (Unless having an approved temporary permit pursuant to Section 1015.) · vehicles per lot for occupancy longer than 30 consecutive days: <= 1 vehicle

  “A recreational camping vehicle shall not be sited for occupancy for more than 180 days in a single calendar year outside of a campground”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile/manufactured homes inside Osceola town.

  • A temporary zoning permit may authorize specified temporary uses.
  • For agricultural special necessity, up to two mobile homes may be placed with an existing conventional single-family dwelling only for employees or family members and must be removed within six months after necessity ceases.

  maximum mobile homes under agricultural special-use approval: <= 2 mobile homes (Only upon proof of special necessity for an agricultural use and subject to listed occupancy and removal conditions.)

  “Mobile homes shall be used only for office or dwelling purposes, except upon issuance of a temporary zoning permit”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments associated with a single-family dwelling inside Osceola town.

  • No more than one accessory apartment is allowed per single-family dwelling unit.
  • The accessory apartment may not exceed 500 square feet.
  • The allowed-use table designates accessory apartments as requiring a principal-use permit in the listed zones.

  accessory apartments per single-family dwelling: <= 1 apartment · maximum accessory-apartment area: <= 500 square feet

  “No more than one accessory apartment shall be allowed for each single-family dwelling unit. Each accessory apartment shall be a maximum of 500 square feet.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of a sewage or waste-disposal system, or replacement of an on-site waste-disposal-system component beyond the distribution box, inside Osceola town.

  • The requirement is a Town zoning-permit requirement and is subject to the zoning-law exceptions in Section 1010.

  “Installation of a well, sewage or waste disposal system, or replacement of any on-site waste disposal system component beyond the distribution box.”

• Well permitRequired

  Installation of a well inside Osceola town.

  • The requirement is a Town zoning-permit requirement and is subject to the zoning-law exceptions in Section 1010.

  “Installation of a well, sewage or waste disposal system”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable

  Agricultural uses and timber management inside Osceola town, as to the Town zoning-permit requirement.

  • This exemption applies only to the Town zoning-permit requirement stated in Section 1010 and does not establish exemptions from other applicable laws.

  “A zoning permit shall not be required for: [...] Agricultural uses and timber management.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Lots subject to the Town of Osceola Subdivision Law inside Osceola town.

  • A post-effective-date lot filed with the County Clerk must have Planning Board approval unless exempt from the subdivision regulations when filed.

  “Proposed subdivisions shall be determined by the planning board to be either minor or major as defined in this law”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New driveways connecting to Town roads inside Osceola town.

  • The driveway permit is issued by the Highway Superintendent under Local Law No. 1 of 2012.
  • Work and materials are the property owner or contractor's responsibility.

  minimum width where driveway adjoins town road: >= 30 feet

  “The placement of new driveways on town roads shall require a driveway permit issued by the highway superintendent”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town applications for site-plan approval, special-use approval, and appeals inside Osceola town.

  • The fee is determined by Town Board resolution.
  • No permit is issued until full payment is received by the Town Clerk.

  “A fee as determined by town board resolution shall be paid for each application for a site plan approval, special use approval and appeal.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town zoning-permit applications inside Osceola town.

  • The procedure may instead be governed by a conflicting Town Board intermunicipal agreement.
  • A completed application and all fees are required before the 15-day action period begins.

  enforcement-officer decision period: <= 15 days (After receipt of a completed application and payment of all fees.) · permit expiration if construction/use not begun: 1 year (Construction must be completed within two years or the permit renewed annually after payment of all fees.)

  “The enforcement officer shall take action to approve or disapprove the application within 15 days”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Osceola

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

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Development in Osceola's zoning districts.

  • Measurements must be taken as directed by Section 1020; the table provides separate standards by zone and road type.

  county-road-centerline setback, H Hamlet: >= 40 feet · county-road-centerline setback, RR/A and F-1/F-2: >= 75 feet · side and rear setback, H Hamlet and RR/A: >= 20 feet · side and rear setback, F-1/F-2: >= 100 feet

  “Setback from side and rear lot lines minimum 20 feet 20 feet 100 feet 100 feet”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Osceola town.
• Inspections — Construction inside Osceola town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Osceola town.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Osceola town.
• Building height — Buildings inside Osceola 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.