The Town of Georgetown in Madison County requires a building permit before work that must meet New York's building or energy code begins, subject to listed exemptions.1 Georgetown also applies townwide development standards, while Madison County Public Health reviews alternative onsite wastewater designs and observes soil tests.23
At a glance
- Building permit
- Required before code-regulated work begins, with listed exemptions1
- Land-use rules
- Townwide development controls apply even though the county table says no zoning ordinance42
- Septic
- Town sanitary-system applications plus county health review for alternative designs53
- RV living
- Temporary residence only, capped at 150 cumulative days per calendar year6
- Minimum lot size
- 1 acre, or 2 acres when an alternate septic system is required7
- Tiny homes
- No specific tiny-home rule confirmed; ordinary building and land standards may apply87
Who to call
Building permits
Town of Georgetown Code Enforcement
Building-code administration and the town's building, sanitary-system, mobile-home and driveway applications
995 State Route 26, Georgetown, NY 13072
Septic permits
Madison County Public Health — Water & Septic (Individual Systems)
Guidance on individual water and septic systems, review of alternative onsite wastewater designs, and observation of percolation and deep-hole tests
138 N Court Street - Building 5, Wampsville, NY 13163
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 9, 2026.
Off-grid gear
Going off-grid in Town of Georgetown means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:
- Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
- Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
- Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
- Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.
These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.
Do you need a building permit in the Town of Georgetown, NY?
Yes. In the Town of Georgetown, work that must conform to the Uniform Code or Energy Code needs a building permit before work starts.1 The town law lists exemptions, including qualifying detached one-story tool or storage sheds and similar structures no larger than 144 square feet, but exempt work still must comply with the applicable codes.1
Applications go to the Town Code Enforcement Officer and must be made in writing on an acceptable form.9 The application materials include the work description, tax-map number, street address, occupancy classification, applicable inspection information and construction documents.10 Permitted work must remain accessible and exposed until the Code Enforcement Officer or an authorized inspector accepts it.11 Georgetown's current fee amounts were not confirmed; the town law says the Town Board approves the schedule kept in the Town Clerk's office.12
Who issues building permits in the Town of Georgetown?
The Town of Georgetown Code Enforcement Officer administers the Uniform Code, Energy Code and local building-control law.13 The office receives and decides applications for building permits, sanitary-system permits, mobile-home permits and certificates of occupancy.14 Contact Town Code Enforcement at the phone number above before ordering plans or scheduling work.15
For a new driveway connecting to a Georgetown town highway, apply to the Town Code Enforcement Officer before construction; the Highway Superintendent advises on the application.16 Farm driveways and qualifying home occupations using an existing residential driveway are exempt from that local driveway rule.17 Access to a state highway instead requires a New York State Department of Transportation permit.18 These are separate approvals from the building permit and septic review.
Does the Town of Georgetown have zoning and land-use rules?
Madison County's municipal table says Georgetown has no zoning ordinance, but Georgetown's later Building and Development Control Law still regulates uses and development townwide.42 The practical answer is that a parcel is not unrestricted: some multifamily, mobile-home-park, commercial, industrial, home-occupation, junk-facility and private-club uses need a Planning Board special-use permit.19
For ordinary development, the minimum lot is 1 acre, rising to 2 acres when an alternate septic system is required; minimum road frontage is 200 feet and minimum lot depth is 150 feet.7 The front setback is 50 feet or 75 feet from the road centerline, whichever is greater, and both side and rear setbacks are 30 feet.20 Buildings and structures may cover no more than 50% of a lot.21 The usual height limit is 35 feet, with farm buildings exempt from that height limit only.22
How do septic permits work inside the Town of Georgetown?
Georgetown's Code Enforcement Officer receives and decides sanitary-system permit applications.5 Madison County Public Health separately reviews and approves alternative onsite wastewater designs and construction, advises on septic placement, and observes percolation and deep-hole tests.3 Call both offices before finalizing a house location because the town's lot-size rule increases the minimum from 1 acre to 2 acres when an alternate septic system is required.7
Only 11.9% of Madison County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so soil testing can materially affect the site plan and system design.23 The county's published schedule lists a $125 residential individual sewage-disposal-system base fee and a $125 per-system charge for onsite wastewater plan approval and inspection.24 The official sources do not establish that every conventional system follows the same approval path, so confirm the exact review, fee and inspection sequence with Town Code Enforcement and Madison County Public Health.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of Georgetown?
A travel trailer or motor home may be used as a temporary residence in Georgetown for no more than 150 cumulative days in a calendar year; the local law otherwise prohibits using one as a residence.6 That limit answers RV residence, but Georgetown's reviewed materials do not establish a broader rule for tent camping.
Georgetown does not publish a distinct tiny-home category in the reviewed law. A tiny home treated as a dwelling should be planned around the same building-permit, code, lot, setback, water and wastewater requirements that apply to other dwellings.8720 Mobile and double-wide manufactured homes are permitted uses, but placement requires the applicable permits plus an approved driveway, septic system and water supply.25 A mobile home also needs a certificate of occupancy before it may be occupied.26 Ask Town Code Enforcement how it will classify a proposed tiny home before buying the unit.
Building a home in the Town of Georgetown: what are the steps?
- Ask Town Code Enforcement to confirm the proposed use, lot dimensions, setbacks and whether Planning Board review is needed. Georgetown regulates uses townwide and sends certain uses through special-use review.19
- Arrange the site plan and wastewater path with Town Code Enforcement and Madison County Public Health; county staff provide septic-placement guidance and observe percolation and deep-hole tests.3
- Secure the correct driveway approval before construction: Georgetown issues permits for access to town highways, while NYSDOT handles access to state highways.1618
- Submit the written building-permit application with the property, occupancy and construction information the town requires.9
- Keep covered work open for inspections and call when each stage is ready.27
- Complete the final inspection and obtain the required occupancy approval before moving in.28
What should you check before buying land in Georgetown?
Confirm the parcel's legal frontage, depth, setbacks and septic assumptions before treating it as buildable. Georgetown requires at least 200 feet of road frontage and 150 feet of lot depth, while the minimum lot area can double when an alternate septic system is necessary.7 Ask Town Code Enforcement whether a special-use or subdivision review applies, and ask Madison County Public Health about soil tests and the likely wastewater design.193
Check which government owns the road because Georgetown, Madison County and New York State use different driveway processes.172918 Also map flood hazards before designing: development in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area is subject to a local floodplain development permit.30 Madison County's effective property-tax rate is about 2.3%, and its median annual property-tax bill is about $4,058; parcel taxes will differ.3132
Watch-outs
- The county table's 'no zoning ordinance' entry does not erase Georgetown's townwide Building and Development Control Law.42
- A farm building is exempt from Georgetown's 35-foot height cap, but the reviewed rule does not create a blanket exemption from building permits or other approvals.33
- Georgetown's current building-permit dollar amounts were not confirmed; ask the Town Clerk for the fee schedule approved by the Town Board.12
Sources
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Water & Septic - Individual Systems (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Land Use / Zoning (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Town of Georgetown Code Enforcement (madisoncounty.ny.gov)
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Residential Driveway Permits (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
- Plan Review Fee 1.1.2024, quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Administration and Enforcement of the Uniform Code (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
- Frequently Asked Questions - Highway Department, quoted and re-checked
- Floodplain Management - NYSDEC (New York statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
- Local Law 1 of 2010 — Town of Georgetown Building and Development Control Law (Town of Georgetown), quoted and re-checked
Written October 9, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.