Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Geneva, New York

Geneva’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Geneva city, Ontario County, NY

  • Residential districts are LDR, MDR, LLR and MR; other article groups cover mixed-use and special purpose districts.

  “the residential districts of the city of geneva are listed in the following table.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Residential zoning districts inside Geneva city (LDR, MDR, LLR, MR)

  • Mixed-use and special-purpose districts are in Articles V and VI, not opened here.

  residential districts: LDR, MDR, LLR, MR

  “low density residential ldr medium density residential mdr large lot residential llr mixed residential mr”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district, residential use, inside Geneva city

  • Additional dimensional requirements may be determined as part of development plan review.

  minimum lot size, residential: >= 4000 sq ft · minimum lot width, residential: >= 40 ft

  “min. lot size residential 4,000 square feet 3,000 square feet 20,000 square feet 2,500 square feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Large Lot Residential (LLR) district, residential use, inside Geneva city

    “min. lot size residential 4,000 square feet 3,000 square feet 20,000 square feet 2,500 square feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Low Density Residential (LDR) district inside Geneva city

  • Front setback may instead be the average between developed adjacent lots.
  • Additional dimensional requirements may be determined as part of development plan review.

  front setback, primary: >= 15 ft (or average of adjacent developed lots) · side setback, primary: >= 5 ft · rear setback, primary: >= 30 ft · side and rear setback, accessory: >= 5 ft

  “min. front setback primary structure 15 feet 2 10 feet 2 40 feet 5 feet 2”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Large Lot Residential (LLR) district inside Geneva city

    “min. front setback primary structure 15 feet 2 10 feet 2 40 feet 5 feet 2”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  LDR, MDR, LLR (30%) and MR (35%) residential districts inside Geneva city

  • Measured as gross impervious surface.
  • Additional dimensional requirements may be determined as part of development plan review.

  max lot coverage LDR/MDR/LLR: <= 30 percent · max lot coverage MR: <= 35 percent

  “max. lot coverage gross impervious surface 30% 30% 30% 35%”

• Building heightSpecified

  LDR, MDR, LLR (35 ft primary) and MR (45 ft primary) residential districts inside Geneva city

  • Accessory structures max 12 ft and may not exceed the primary structure height.
  • Height is measured in feet; stories (2.5, or 3 in MR) govern visual scale.

  max primary height LDR/MDR/LLR: <= 35 ft · max primary height MR: <= 45 ft · max accessory height: <= 12 ft

  “max. building height primary structure 35 feet 1 (2.5 stories) 35 feet 1 (2.5 stories) 35 feet 1 (2.5 stories) 45 feet 1 (3 stories)”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in LDR, MDR, LLR and MR residential districts inside Geneva city

  • Allowed only with a special use permit (sp) in all four residential districts.
  • Additional regulations in § 350-7.3, not opened.

  “accessory dwelling unit sp sp sp sp § 350-7.3”

• Short-term rentalsAllowed (with conditions)

  Short-term rentals in LDR, MDR, LLR and MR residential districts inside Geneva city

  • Permitted as of right subject to additional regulations in § 350-7.18, not opened here.

  “bed-and-breakfast sp sp sp sp § 350-7.7 short-term rental p p p p § 350-7.18”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Geneva or Ontario County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Geneva city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Geneva city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Geneva city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Geneva city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Geneva city

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.