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

Town of Horicon’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  A building inside Horicon town that was erected or materially altered under a land-use and development permit.

  • The building may not be occupied until the certificate is issued; the Town Zoning Administrator must first determine compliance with Town permit conditions and notify Warren County.

  “Upon the completion of a building erected or materially altered, for which a land use and development permit has previously been issued, a certificate permitting the occupancy of the building and the use designated in the land use and development permit shall be required, and the building may not be occupied until such certificate of occupancy has been issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within the Town of Horicon, Warren County, New York.

  • The local law was adopted October 20, 2016 and amended June 16, 2022.

  “No land use or development shall be undertaken or maintained except in conformity with all provisions contained in this Local Law relating to both the zoning district and the land use area in which the land, water, site, structure or use is located, or is proposed to be located, and in conformity with the permit requirements of this Local Law.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Horicon town zoning map and districts.

  • District boundaries are located and bounded on the Town of Horicon Zoning Map, 2012, which is part of the local law.

  “Examine the map entitled “Town of Horicon Zoning Map” to determine the zoning district in which the project is located and if any overlay district requirements apply. The district name consists of two parts: (1) the land use designation and (2) the intensity designation.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Projects within Horicon town, except authorized cluster-development projects and the Industrial District.

  • The schedule excepts Section 11 cluster-development authorization and prescribes no intensity in the Industrial District; all subdivisions must comply with minimum lot size and intensity requirements.

  R1-20,000 and CR-20,000 minimum lot size: 20000 square feet · R1-1.3 minimum lot size: 1.3 acres · R1-2 and R2-2 minimum lot size: 2 acres · R1A-3.2, R2-3.2, RRD-3.2, and CR-3.2 minimum lot size: 3.2 acres

  “R1-20,000 CR-20,000 | 20,000 square feet [...] R1-1.3 | 1.3 acres [...] R1-2 R2-2 | 2 acres [...] R1A-3.2 R2-3.2 RRD-3.2 CR-3.2 | 3.2 acres”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in Horicon town zoning districts.

  • Schedule columns include front yard measured from road centerline, side yard, rear yard, and shoreline setback from mean high-water mark.

  R1-20,000 and CR-20,000 front-yard setback: 50 feet (measured from centerline of road) · R1-20,000 and CR-20,000 side-yard setback: 10 feet · R1-20,000 and CR-20,000 rear-yard setback: 20 feet · R1-1.3 front-yard setback: 60 feet (measured from centerline of road)

  “Front Yard (measured from the centerline of the road) [...] R1-20,000 CR-20,000 | 20,000 square feet | 100 feet | 50 feet | | 10 feet | 20 feet | 50 feet | 50 feet | R1-1.3 | 1.3 acres | 100 feet | 60 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots inside Horicon town.

  • The maximum applies to lots two acres or less, including nonconforming undersized lots; there is no maximum requirement for lots over two acres.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent (Lots two acres or less, including nonconforming undersized lots.)

  “Maximum lot coverage shall be 30 percent for all lots 2 acres or less in size, including non-conforming undersized lots. (There is no maximum lot coverage requirement for lots more than 2 acres in size.)”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in any Horicon town zoning district.

  • Specified listed structures are exempt; Adirondack Park Agency Class A regional-project jurisdiction may still apply.

  maximum structure height: <= 40 feet (Does not include chimneys, antennas, or other small elements.)

  “Maximum Height. The maximum height of a structure in any zoning district shall be 40 feet.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions inside Horicon town.

  • Subdivisions must meet both minimum lot-size and intensity requirements.

  “All subdivisions shall be in accordance with the intensity designations and minimum lot sizes specified in Section 6.10 hereof.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Horicon

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

• Building permitRequired

  Work inside Horicon town that is required to conform to the New York Uniform Code.

  • Certain exceptions are permitted under the State code-enforcement program.

  “Building permits must be required for any work which is required to conform to the Uniform Code. Certain exceptions are permitted.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  The New York Uniform Code applies inside Horicon town.

  • New York City is excepted; Horicon town is not in New York City.

  “The Uniform Code is applicable in every part of the State (except the City of New York, which was permitted to retain its own code).”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction in Horicon town; Warren County's stated exclusions are only Queensbury and Glens Falls.

  • Construction inspections are among the County department's listed duties.

  “The Fire Prevention and Building Code Enforcement Department is responsible for the enforcement and administration of the New York State Uniform Code and the Energy Conservation Construction Code in Warren County (except in the Town of Queensbury and City of Glens Falls). [...] Conducting construction inspections”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Horicon town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Horicon town.
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of a recreational vehicle on private land inside Horicon town.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Horicon town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Horicon 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.