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

Town of Hopewell’s own rules

• InspectionsLimited

  Building-permit and certificate-of-occupancy/compliance work inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • The Code Enforcement Officer determines through necessary inspections whether construction or the proposed use complies with the ordinance.

  “A Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Compliance shall be issued only if the Code Enforcement Officer determines that, through any necessary inspections, the construction or proposed use complies with all the requirements and provisions of this Ordinance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Residential, commercial, and industrial use of a building or premises inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • The certificate must state conformance with the New York State Uniform Code and Hopewell Town Zoning Ordinance; issuance follows necessary inspections.

  “It shall be unlawful for an owner to use or permit any residential, commercial, or industrial use of any building or premises, or part thereof, until the Code Enforcement Officer shall have issued a Certificate of Occupancy and/or a Certificate of Compliance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Hopewell, Ontario County, New York.

  • Uses and development must comply with the zoning ordinance and applicable approvals.

  “The Town Board of the Town of Hopewell, County of Ontario, New York, adopts and enacts this Ordinance to be known as the “The Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Hopewell.””

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Recreational vehicles on lots or parcels in any district inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • A transient RV may be occupied by visitors or guests for no more than 14 consecutive days or 14 total non-consecutive days, except as §715 permits; paid or rented temporary occupancy and living use after 14 days are prohibited.

  maximum temporary occupancy: <= 14 days (May be consecutive or total non-consecutive days; §715 exception applies.)

  “A transient recreational vehicle may be temporarily occupied by visitors or guests of the occupant of any lot or parcel within any district, upon such lot or parcel, for a period not in excess of 14 (fourteen) consecutive days or 14 (fourteen) total non-consecutive days, except as permitted by §715 of this Ordinance.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • Manufactured homes must conform to §813 and normally be in licensed manufactured-home communities unless another ordinance provision permits them; factory-manufactured modular and double-wide mobile homes are permitted in agricultural and residential zoning districts.

  “Manufactured homes shall conform to the regulations specified in this section and shall be located in licensed manufactured home communities unless permitted by other parts of this Ordinance.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-site individual wastewater treatment systems inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • Systems must also conform to New York State Department of Health requirements.

  “All on-site individual wastewater treatment systems shall conform to the requirements of the Town of Hopewell regulations for on-site wastewater treatment systems as specified in Local Law 1 of 2000 and the NYS Department of Health (NYS DOH).”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  On-site sanitation systems inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • An on-site individual wastewater treatment system must conform to Town Local Law 1 of 2000 and New York State Department of Health requirements.

  “All on-site individual wastewater treatment systems shall conform to the requirements of the Town of Hopewell regulations for on-site wastewater treatment systems as specified in Local Law 1 of 2000 and the NYS Department of Health (NYS DOH).”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Permits provided for by Article II of the Hopewell Town Zoning Ordinance.

  • The fee accompanies each application and is set through a Hopewell Town Board resolution; the schedule is available at the Town Clerk's Office.

  “A fee, payable in cash or other form of security, approved by the Municipal Attorney in accordance with the schedule established by resolution of the Hopewell Town Board, shall accompany each application for a Permit provided for by this Article. The fee schedule is available at the Town Clerk’s Office.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • Applications must be in writing on an acceptable Code Enforcement Officer form, comply with the Uniform Code and zoning ordinance, and include the appropriate fee; other uses in any district require a preliminary site-plan application unless the stated interior-alteration exception applies.

  “All applications for a Building Permit shall be made in writing by the applicant on a form provided by, or otherwise acceptable to, the Code Enforcement Officer in the detail specified in §204 of this Ordinance and shall be in compliance with the NYS Uniform Code, and the Hopewell Town Zoning Ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Hopewell

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Local projects inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • The Town applies the New York State Uniform Codes and Energy Code.

  “Applying the New York State Uniform Codes and Energy Code to all local projects.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural District (AG) land inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • The applicable lot size is set by the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901; non-agricultural development on Prime Farmland Soils is additionally subject to §504.

  “D. Lot Size See the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural District (AG) land inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • The applicable setbacks are set by the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901; special corner- and through-lot rules also apply under §706.

  “F. Setbacks See the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural District (AG) land inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • The applicable lot-coverage limits are set by the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901.

  “E. Lot Coverage See the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural District (AG) land inside the Town of Hopewell.

  • The applicable height limits are set by the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901.

  “G. Height See the Town of Hopewell Minimum Lot Area and Setback Tables, §1901”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside the Town of Hopewell.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside the Town of Hopewell.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside the Town of Hopewell.
• Septic permit — On-site individual wastewater treatment systems inside the Town of Hopewell.
• Septic inspection — On-site individual wastewater treatment systems inside the Town of Hopewell.

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.