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

Town of Lima’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Projects inside the Town of Lima for which permits have been issued.

  • The stated inspection responsibility is limited to projects for which permits have been issued.

  “The Code Enforcement Officer inspects projects for which permits have been issued to ensure that construction complies with approved plans and regulations.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Lima, Livingston County, New York.

  • The Lima Code Enforcement Officer enforces the Lima Town Code.

  “[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Lima 3-4-2010 by L.L. No. 1-2010. Amendments noted where applicable.]”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Lima

Town of Lima 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)

  Individual sewage treatment systems inside the Town of Lima, which is within Livingston County.

  • County rule applies to systems located within Livingston County designed to discharge sewage to groundwater from a dwelling designed to house fewer than three families, or an establishment with sewage flow below 1,000 gallons per day.
  • Systems requiring New York State Department of Environmental Conservation approval are outside the cited county-rule definition.

  maximum sewage flow for cited county applicability: < 1000 gallons per day (Other establishments under the cited applicability provision)

  “This article shall apply to the construction and maintenance of all individual sewage treatment systems located within Livingston County which are designed and installed to discharge sewage without admixture of industrial or other waste to the ground waters of New York State, from a dwelling designed to house less than three families, or any other establishment from which the sewage flow is determined to be less than one thousand gallons per day.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, installation, or modification of an individual sewage treatment system inside the Town of Lima.

  • The county sanitary-code applicability limits the cited rule to specified individual systems in Livingston County.
  • The property owner or designated agent must apply before work begins.
  • Permit expires after two years unless good cause supports one additional period of up to one year.

  permit construction period: 2 years (Good cause may support an additional period not exceeding one year)

  “No person shall construct, install, or modify an individual sewage treatment system within Livingston County without having filed for and received a written permit from the Chief Executive Officer.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Individual sewage treatment systems inside the Town of Lima subject to the Livingston County sanitary code.

  • Final inspection must be by a professional engineer or Department of Health representative.
  • No system portion may be covered or operated before inspection and approval.
  • Written approval is required before service, subject to the stated health-hazard and weather-related conditional-use provisions.

  “A final inspection of the individual sewage treatment system must be conducted to verify correct installation in accordance with plan requirements and permit conditions. The inspection must be performed by a professional engineer or Department of Health representative.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Residences in Lima town without an approved community sanitary sewerage system that have water supply, plumbing fixtures, or a receptacle creating sanitary flow.

  • Greywater systems are not excluded.
  • The cited prohibition on surface discharge has an exception for discharge otherwise permitted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

  “Where no approved community sanitary sewerage system is available, each residence provided with a water supply, plumbing fixtures, or with a receptacle to create a sanitary flow, shall be equipped with an individual sewage treatment system. Greywater systems shall not be excluded.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside the Town of Lima.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside the Town of Lima.
• Certificate of occupancy — Completed construction projects inside the Town of Lima.
• Minimum dwelling size — One-family dwellings in Lima town zoning districts.
• Lot coverage — Land inside the Town of Lima.

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.