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

Town of Danby’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Work subject to a Danby building permit and changes of use or occupancy classification.

  • The Code Enforcement Officer issues a certificate when work complies with the Uniform and Energy Codes.
  • The building, structure, or work must be inspected before issuance.

  “A Certificate of Occupancy shall be required”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Danby, Tompkins County, New York.

  • The town states that its zoning was last amended January 4, 2022.

  “The Town of Danby last amended our zoning”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts town-wide in Danby.

  • The town directs property owners to its interactive zoning map and PDF zoning law for zoning requirements by zone district.

  “zoning requirements town-wide and by zone district”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of lots and clustering of development rights in Danby.

  • The town states that the regulations were last amended July 18, 2016.
  • The regulations include lot-creation processes based on the zoning law, cluster regulations, and annexation/lot-line adjustment processes.

  “Subdivision regulations control the way lots can be created”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Future development in a flood zone inside Danby.

  • Applies in addition to other permits.
  • Development includes man-made changes to improved or unimproved real estate, including buildings, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, drilling, or storage of equipment or materials.

  “will require a separate floodplain development permit”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town building-permit applications.

  • The permit checklist says the fee is determined by the town office.

  “Permit Fee (as determined by our office)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications in Danby.

  • The listed package includes an application, site plan, ground-disturbance worksheet, construction plans, septic permit when applicable, energy compliance statement, insurance or exemption, agricultural notice, fee, and asbestos survey for demolition.
  • The town states complete applications without special zoning review generally may be issued in two or three days, workload permitting.

  “Complete an Application for Building Permit”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Danby

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Individual and non-municipal sewage systems inside Danby.

  • The county sanitary code identifies the Tompkins County Health Department Public Health Director or designee as permit issuing official for county sanitary-code items.

  “permit from the Tompkins County Health Department”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-municipal sewage disposal inside Danby.

  • Individual or non-municipal sewage systems require a Health Department construction permit before the listed activities.
  • Human waste or sewage may not be exposed or discharged to the atmosphere, ground, storm drainage, or waters, except as stated for a DEC-permitted wastewater-treatment system.

  “No person shall expose or discharge human wastes or sewage”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Properties inside Danby where a municipal sewage system is available and accessible.

  • A temporary alternative sewage system may be used in connection with a construction project.
  • The permit issuing official may order abandonment of another sewage system and connection within a specified period.

  “no person shall construct any other sewage system”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway entrances onto a Tompkins County highway inside Danby.

  • The county page applies to installation or replacement of commercial or residential driveway entrances.
  • Regular owner maintenance and repairs do not require a permit.
  • All county construction permits expire 60 calendar days after the permit date, with a 30-day written extension.

  “All work within or adjacent to a County Highway requires a permit”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction in Danby.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings in Danby zoning districts.
• Minimum lot size — Residential lots in Danby zoning districts.
• Setbacks — Structures in Danby zoning districts.
• Lot coverage — Lots in Danby zoning districts.

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.