Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Lake George, New York

Village of Lake George’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Development inside Lake George village; a zoning permit from the zoning administrator is required, and a building permit fee is listed in § 220-9

  • Basic permits are subject to site plan review; special use permits need additional review.
  • Zoning permit expires if no certificate of occupancy within one year of issuance.
  • Building code enforcement is by Warren County (see building_code_adoption).

  “no development may be commenced within the village without a zoning permit issued by the zoning administrator.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code inside Lake George village; the village elected to have Warren County administer and enforce it rather than administering it itself

  • Village elected under § 381(2) not to administer or enforce the code itself.
  • Election added 4-9-1984 by L.L. No. 1-1984.

  “elects to authorize the warren county department of fire prevention and building code enforcement to administer and enforce said code for the village of lake george.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings inside Lake George village

  • Zoning administrator issues it once all conditions of the zoning permit are fulfilled.
  • Nonrenewable temporary certificate of occupancy may be issued for up to 30 calendar days.

  temporary CO duration: <= 30 calendar days (nonrenewable)

  “no building may be occupied until a certificate of occupancy has been issued.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Lake George village (Warren County)

  • Adirondack Park Agency jurisdiction over Class A regional projects is not superseded (§ 220-5).

  “no development may be commenced within the village without a zoning permit issued by the zoning administrator.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Lake George village: R, RMU, CMU, CR and others

  • District boundaries are shown on the Village of Lake George Zoning Map (§ 220-14).

  “the zoning districts established by this chapter shall be as follows: a. r - single-family residential.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwelling units inside Lake George village (stated for all districts, including R single-family residential)

  • Two-family dwelling: 750 sq ft per unit; multiple residences: 600 sq ft per unit; hotels, motels, boardinghouses: 200 sq ft per unit.
  • Retail business minimum 500 sq ft.

  minimum floor area, single-family dwelling: >= 800 sq ft

  “the minimum floor area per dwelling unit shall be as follows: (a) single-family dwelling: 800 square feet.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Lake George village; planning board approves plats

  • Pursuant to Article 7 of NY Village Law.
  • Section amended 4-17-2017 and 5-21-2018.

  “the planning board of the village of lake george is authorized and empowered to approve plats showing lots, blocks or sites, with or without streets or highways”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning and building permit, variance and sign fees inside Lake George village

  • Fees due on submission; village expenses billed on invoice from the village clerk.
  • Fee schedule itself was not opened.

  “the fees for applications and appeals shall be established by the village board from time to time. a fee schedule shall be posted in the village hall.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit process inside Lake George village

  • Basic permit applications go through site plan review under Art. VII; special use permits also need special use review.
  • Appeals and variances go to the Board of Appeals.
  • Application forms and checklists were not opened.

  “no development may be commenced within the village without a zoning permit issued by the zoning administrator.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Lake George village
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Lake George village
• Minimum lot size — R single-family residential district
• Setbacks — R single-family residential district
• Lot coverage — R single-family residential district

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.