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

Town of Parish’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Parish limits covered by the Town of Parish Zoning Law. The Village of Parish is a separate municipality with its own website and is not covered by this claim.

  • Section 140: the law applies on its effective date to uses not substantially commenced and structures not substantially constructed, regardless of permits or certificates of occupancy issued under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code.
  • Section 150: where this law conflicts with another law, the more restrictive requirement governs.
  • Effective date (Section 1530) was not read; the town documents page dates the law April 15, 2021, and that date is not treated as an effective date here.

  “This law may be known and cited as the “Town of Parish Zoning Law.””

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish

  • Article 3 establishes the zoning districts and a zoning map; the district names and boundaries were not read in this run.

  “Town of Parish Zoning Map – April 15, 2021”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish under Schedule B (dimensional requirements) of the Town of Parish Zoning Law; the district to which this row applies is not named in the extracted text

  • Schedule B lists one row of dimensional values without district headings in the extracted text; confirm which district(s) carry it against the Schedule A permitted-use matrix.
  • Schedule B also lists lot frontage of 220 feet and a frontage-to-width ratio of 1:3 and a width-to-depth ratio of 1:5.

  minimum lot size: >= 1.5 acres (Schedule B row; district not named in extracted text) · minimum lot frontage: >= 220 feet (Schedule B row; district not named in extracted text)

  “lot size, minimum: 1.5 acres (65,340 square feet)”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal structures on lots in the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish under Schedule B of the Town of Parish Zoning Law; district not named in extracted text

  • Front yard: 25 feet from the right-of-way or 50 feet from road centerline, whichever is greater.
  • Side yard: 20 feet. Rear yard: 40 feet.
  • Confirm district applicability against Schedule A.

  front yard minimum: >= 25 feet (from right-of-way; or 50 feet from road centerline, whichever is greater) · side yard minimum: >= 20 feet (none stated in Schedule B row) · rear yard minimum: >= 40 feet (none stated in Schedule B row)

  “front yard, minimum: 25 feet from R-O-W or 50 feet from road centerline (whichever is greater) [...] rear yard, minimum: 40 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Building footprint on lots in the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish under Schedule B; district not named in extracted text

  • Schedule B limits building footprint, not a percentage of lot coverage; no percentage cap was found in the extracted text.

  maximum building footprint: <= 40000 square feet (Schedule B row; district not named in extracted text)

  “building footprint, maximum: 40,000 square feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings on lots in the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish under Schedule B; district not named in extracted text

  • Schedule B lists building height maximum of 3 stories; a feet-based limit was not found in the extracted text.

  maximum building height: <= 3 stories (Schedule B row; district not named in extracted text)

  “1.5 acres (65,340 square feet) 220 feet 1:3 (frontage must be at least one third of width) 1:5 (width must be at least one fifth of depth) 25 feet from r-o-w or 50 feet from road centerline (whichever is greater) 20 feet 40 feet 40,000 square feet 3 stories 120 spaces per lot”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish

  • The town lists minor and major subdivision application forms and a site plan review form.
  • The town's Subdivision Law (2007) is linked from the documents page (subdivision_law.pdf) but was not opened; its approval steps and thresholds are unknown.

  “the Planning Board of the Town of Parish is authorized and empowered to approve preliminary and final plats of subdivisions”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permits and planning-board review for land in the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish

  • Schedule A legend: zoning permit is required for listed uses, and special use permit review applies if thresholds in Section 1410 are exceeded. Site plan review is also listed.
  • Planning board agenda items are requested through a form on the documents page.
  • The building permit and certificate-of-occupancy process was not found; it is not covered by this claim.

  “No land-use activity as listed below shall be carried out until a zoning permit has been issued by the zoning officer”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for new homes inside the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish
• Building code adopted — Building code administration inside the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish
• Inspections — Building inspections inside the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside the Town of Parish outside the Village of Parish

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 Parish 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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