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

Town of Fayette’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and development inside the Town of Fayette.

  • Town development applications are reviewed under the Town's updated Land Use Regulations.
  • The land-use permit application identifies the Land Use Regulations as adopted September 11, 2008.

  “The Town is now accepting development applications and will review all applications in accordance with the updated Land Use Regulations.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land-use districts inside Fayette town.

  • The dimensional requirements table identifies Agricultural/Rural Residential, Lakeshore/Canal, and Hamlet districts; district limits depend on use and district.

  district: Agricultural / Rural Residential (AR) · district: Lakeshore/Canal (L) · district: Hamlet (H)

  “Agricultural / Rural Residential (AR) District Dimensions [...] Lakeshore/Canal (L) District [...] Hamlet (H) Dlstrict Dimensions”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the Hamlet (H) District inside Fayette town.

  • Areas within easements and rights-of-way are excluded when determining whether a lot meets the minimum lot size requirement.
  • The table refers to Section 702 for specified restrictions on pre-existing nonconforming structures on undersized lots that are demolished, damaged, or destroyed.

  minimum lot area: 22000 square feet · minimum lot width: 50 feet

  “Single-family dwellings 22,000 sq. ft 50 ft. 10 ft. 10ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. '10 ft. 5ft. 5ft. 35 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in the Lakeshore/Canal (L) District inside Fayette town.

    “SingleJamily dwellings 40,000 sq. ft. 100 ft. 25ft. 25',ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. '10 ft. 35 ft. [...] (a) Areas within easements and rights-of-way are excluded for purposes of determining if a lot satisfies the minimum lot size requirements.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the Hamlet (H) District inside Fayette town.

  • The Town land-use application additionally certifies that buildings must be no nearer than 50 feet from the right-of-way line of any adjoining roadway.
  • No building or structure may be closer than 30 feet to any lot line of a cemetery or burial ground.

  principal-building front setback: 10 feet · principal-building rear setback: 10 feet · principal-building side setback: 10 feet

  “Single-family dwellings 22,000 sq. ft 50 ft. 10 ft. 10ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. '10 ft. 5ft. 5ft. 35 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in the Lakeshore/Canal (L) District inside Fayette town.

    “SingleJamily dwellings 40,000 sq. ft. 100 ft. 25ft. 25',ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. '10 ft. 35 ft.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the Hamlet (H) District inside Fayette town.

  maximum building height: 35 feet

  “Single-family dwellings 22,000 sq. ft 50 ft. 10 ft. 10ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. '10 ft. 5ft. 5ft. 35 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwellings in the Lakeshore/Canal (L) District inside Fayette town.

    “SingleJamily dwellings 40,000 sq. ft. 100 ft. 25ft. 25',ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. '10 ft. 35 ft.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes proposed through the Town land-use permit process inside Fayette town.

  • A land-use permit application identifies mobile homes as residential construction.
  • The application states that a mobile home requires tie down and skirting.

  “ RESIDENTIAL – 1 FAMILY / MOBILE HOME / COTTAGE / OTHER [...] A mobile home requires tie down and skirting.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater (with conditions)

  Houses, buildings, and properties situated within a Town of Fayette Water District.

  • The requirement applies only within a Water District.
  • The owner must install piping and valves to the water main at the owner's expense.
  • A written service application signed by the owner or authorized agent is required for supply through principal water mains.

  “The owner of any house, building or property used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purpose, situated within the Water District is hereby required, at his expense, to install suitable piping and valves to the water main in accordance with the provisions of these regulations.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Fayette town.

  • The application must be submitted with a $500 fee and expires on the first anniversary of the permit.
  • The application requires County registration if applicable, specified smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors, egress, parking, a site plan, sewage information if not served by public sewer, and a maximum occupancy of 10.
  • The applicant agrees to allow Land Use Enforcement Officer inspections at application, renewal, and complaint investigation.

  initial permit fee: 500 USD · permit duration: 1 year (expires on the one-year anniversary of permit) · maximum occupancy: <= 10 persons

  “Submit with $500 fee, Expires on the one-year anniversary of Permit [...] The occupancy is _ . Maximum Occupancy is 10 [...] Applicant Agrees to allow lnspections by the Land Use Enforcement officer at application, renewals and to investigate complajnts.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town zoning, subdivision, special-use, site-plan, and vacation-rental applications inside Fayette town.

  • The published fee schedule states that these fees supersede fee amounts listed on applications.
  • The schedule states it is effective June 10, 2021.

  zoning permit fee: 60 USD · agricultural zoning permit fee: 40 USD · subdivision permit fee: 100 USD · vacation rental application fee: 500 USD

  “Zoning Permit $ 60 Zoning Permit (Agriculture) $ 40 Junkyard Permit $ 50 Subdivision Permit $100 Special Use Permit $100 ZBA Application $100 Site Plan Review $100 Vacation Rental Application $500 Vacation Rental Renew $250 These fees supersede any fee amounts that might be listed on the application. Effective 6/10/21”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Land-use, subdivision, special-use, site-plan, zoning-appeal, and short-term-rental applications inside Fayette town.

  • The Town's forms page publishes the listed application materials.
  • The land-use application requires the applicant to provide the construction description, dimensions, a site depiction, and setback footage.

  “Land-Use-Permit-Updated-August-2024 [...] Application to the Zoning Board of Appeals – Updated September 2024 [...] Short Term Rental Full Application [...] Sub-division Application August 2024 [...] Special-Use-Permit Updated August 2024 [...] Site-Plan-Review Updated August 2024”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Fayette town.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Fayette town.
• Building code adopted — Buildings inside Fayette town.
• Inspections — Residential building work inside Fayette town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside Fayette 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 Fayette 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.

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.