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

Town of Deerfield’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Deerfield town limits. The town building inspector enforces the town's local law and the New York State codes.

  • The building department page says the inspector follows both town codes and New York State codes.
  • The page links to a local law '#5 of 2006' on NYS building codes administration and enforcement; that local law was not opened.

  “This local law provides for the administration and enforcement of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (The Uniform Code) and the State Energy Conservation Construction Code (the Energy Code) in this Town.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Deerfield town limits (Oneida County, NY). The Town of Deerfield administers its own zoning ordinance, titled the Town of Deerfield Zoning Ordinance, for all land inside the town.

  • Enacted under article 16 of the New York Town Law, per Section 1.01.
  • The ordinance text on the town site is the March 2007 revision (cover page revision dates run to March 12, 2007). Later amendments listed on the town Laws page were not verified.
  • Uses are regulated by district under the zoning map, which the ordinance says is adopted by the town board and made part of the ordinance.

  “For the purpose of this Ordinance, the Town of Deerfield is divided into the following types of classes of districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  All land inside Deerfield town limits, by zoning district under the Town of Deerfield zoning ordinance.

  • The districts are listed in the ordinance: R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-A (residential-agricultural), R-M (mobile home park), A (agricultural), C-1, C-2, C-3, and planned development districts.
  • The district boundaries are on the zoning map; the ordinance text does not reproduce the map. A Deerfield zoning map link appears on the town building department page.

  “R-1, Residential District R-2, Residential District R-3, Residential District R-4, Proposed Residential District R-A, Residential-Agricultural District R-M, Mobile Home Park District A, Agricultural District”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 and R-2 residential districts inside Deerfield town (Article 15, Section 15.16, Table 23).

  • Living area is measured from exterior faces of exterior walls, exclusive of garages and unenclosed porches.
  • The table row reads: one building story, 864 sq. ft. per first floor, single family dwellings.
  • Table 23 gives separate values for other districts; the agricultural and R-A values were not reliably parsed and are left to followups.

  minimum living area (one story): >= 864 sq ft per first floor (single-family dwelling in R-1 and R-2)

  “R-1 & R-2 Residential [...] One [...] 864 sq. ft. per first floor”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family lots in the R-1 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 1).

  • Lots served by neither public water nor public sewer must have a minimum area of 2 acres with a minimum frontage of 200 feet (applies to all R-1 lots not on public water or sewer).
  • Lots served by only one public service must have a minimum area of 1 acre, and any dwelling must be connected to that service before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

  minimum lot area: 8000 sq ft (2 acres if served by neither public water nor sewer; 1 acre if served by only one public service) · minimum lot width: 85 feet

  “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 8,000 85 25% 2 35 25 10/20 35”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family lots in the R-2 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 3).

    “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 10,000 100 20% 2 35 25 10/25 35”

  • Specified — Any residential lot inside Deerfield town that lacks public water or public sewer, under the general area regulations in Article 15, Section 15.12.b.

    “Lots that are served by neither public water nor public sewer must have a minimum area of 2 acres with a minimum frontage of two hundred (200) feet. Lots that are served by only one public service must have a minimum area of 1 acre”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal single-family dwellings in the R-1 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 1).

  • Accessory building setbacks are listed separately in Table 2 (Schedule B) and are not included in this claim.
  • The schedule is a table row; the front, side and rear columns are read from the column headers in the same schedule.

  minimum front yard: 25 feet · minimum side yards (one/both): 10/20 feet · minimum rear yard: 35 feet

  “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 8,000 85 25% 2 35 25 10/20 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal single-family dwellings in the R-2 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 3).

    “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 10,000 100 20% 2 35 25 10/25 35”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Principal single-family dwellings in the R-1 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 1).

  • Maximum lot coverage stated in the schedule row for single-family dwellings.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 25 percent

  “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 8,000 85 25% 2 35 25 10/20 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal single-family dwellings in the R-2 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 3).

    “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 10,000 100 20% 2 35 25 10/25 35”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal single-family dwellings in the R-1 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 1).

  • Height is the schedule maximum for principal buildings; accessory buildings are on a separate schedule B.

  maximum building height: <= 2 stories · maximum building height: <= 35 feet (peak height)

  “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 8,000 85 25% 2 35 25 10/20 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal single-family dwellings in the R-2 residential district inside Deerfield town (Article 4, Table 3).

    “Single Family Dwellings Accessory Apartments 10,000 100 20% 2 35 25 10/25 35”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Recreational living units (RVs) parked or stored on residentially used property in residential districts inside Deerfield town (Article 19, Section 19.02.g). The rule restricts living use, not parking or storage.

  • Recreational living units may not be connected to electricity, water, gas, or sanitary sewer facilities while parked or stored.
  • Recreational vehicles not parked in a building must be in the rear or side yard, at least 5 feet from a side or rear property line.
  • Recreational vehicles may occupy no more than 20 percent of the rear yard.
  • The utility and living-use provisions may be waived for up to two weeks to repair the owner's equipment or to park a guest's recreational living unit; the building inspector issues the waiver, and no more than two permits per activity per calendar year.
  • The owner's storage rule is the only one read; temporary camping rules are a separate topic.

  maximum rear yard coverage by recreational vehicles: <= 20 percent · minimum side or rear setback for stored recreational vehicles: >= 5 feet

  “At no time shall recreational living units parked or stored in residential districts be used for living or housekeeping purposes;”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A new dwelling on a lot inside Deerfield town that is served by only one public service (water or sewer), under the general area regulations in Article 15, Section 15.12.b.

  • A dwelling on a lot served by only one public service must be connected to that service before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
  • A lot served by neither public water nor public sewer must be at least 2 acres with 200 feet of frontage.
  • The ordinance does not state a general duty to connect to public water or sewer when available; that duty was not found.

  “Lots that are served by only one public service must have a minimum area of 1 acre, and any dwelling erected thereupon must be connected to the public service before a certificate of occupancy is issued.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways built on private land inside Deerfield town.

  • The building page lists driveways among structures to call the building inspector about before building or altering them.
  • No driveway width, curb cut, or road-access standard was found in the pages read.
  • Town road access permits for driveways onto town roads were not checked.

  “Please Call the Building Inspector's Office if you are going to build, alter or remove any structures on your property. This includes but is not limited to: driveways, fences, pools, sheds, barns, accessory buildings, and homes.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Bed and breakfast operations, the closest ordinance category to short-term rental, in listed districts inside Deerfield town (Articles 5, 7 and 9 special uses). Other short-term rental forms were not addressed.

  • A bed and breakfast is defined as a structure with sleeping rooms for up to 4 guests, with a morning meal only, and only one kitchen facility.
  • Bed and breakfasts are special uses that require planning board review and approval under the ordinance's special-use standards in Article 17.

  maximum guests: <= 4 guests (bed and breakfast definition)

  “The following Special Uses may be permitted upon review and approval by the Planning Board in accordance with the standards for all Special Uses found in Article 17: [...] Bed and Breakfasts;”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Deerfield town.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping or tent use on private land inside Deerfield town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes used as dwellings inside Deerfield town.
• Septic permit — A new individual sewage (septic) system for a home inside Deerfield town.
• Septic inspection — Septic system inspection inside Deerfield 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Deerfield 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.

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