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

Town of Charlton’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings, structures, and sanitary facilities inside Charlton town that are excavated for, erected, externally added to, or externally structurally altered.

  • Permit is issued by the Code Enforcement Officer.
  • The construction, addition, alteration, or use must conform with the Zoning Law.
  • Temporary accessory farm buildings of one year or less do not require a permit.

  “until a building permit has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Charlton, Saratoga County, New York.

  “hereby adopts and enacts this Law as the Town of Charlton Zoning Law.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Charlton town zoning districts.

  • The published use table identifies Rural (R), Agricultural (A), and Historic Overlay (HO) columns; Historic Overlay uses require Historic District Commission review as noted in the table.

  “USE: Residential Uses: | Rural (R) | Agricultural (A) | HO*”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Individual manufactured homes inside Charlton town.

  • Individual manufactured homes are allowed only as farmworker housing on a farm as defined by the Zoning Law.

  “Individual manufactured homes are allowed only as farmworker housing on farm as defined in this Local Law.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of one or more additional building lots from a larger parcel inside Charlton town.

  • Applicant must apply to the Planning Board.
  • Subdivision or lot-line change cannot create a lot failing the Zoning Ordinance unless the Zoning Board of Appeals approves a variance.
  • Applications require survey maps prepared by a professional land surveyor.

  “they need to apply to the Planning Board for a subdivision.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  A proposed building needing a town building permit inside Charlton town.

  • Access must be from an existing state, county, or town highway, or Planning-Board-approved plotted street.
  • The street or highway must be suitably improved to Town Board satisfaction before permit issuance.
  • Applicant may appeal hardship circumstances to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

  “Proposes to provide access [...] from an existing state, county or Town highway”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town building permits inside Charlton town.

  • The fee is set by the Town Board.
  • A renewal of an expired permit costs one-half the original fee.

  “A fee equal to one half of the original fee amount shall be charged”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Charlton town.

  • Applications may be made by the property owner, lessee, or legal agent.
  • Application must include two plot-plan copies and the specified site, structure, septic, drainfield, percolation, contour, and well information.
  • The Code Enforcement Officer must certify conformity with the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and NYS Energy Conservation Code.

  “Each building permit application shall include: Two (2) copies of a layout or plot plan”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Charlton town.
• Inspections — General residential building inspections inside Charlton town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Private dwellings in the Rural (R) District of Charlton town.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV or travel-trailer occupancy on private land inside Charlton town.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Charlton 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.