Bolthole Index

Washington County, New York

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

Town of Salem is a town in Washington County, New York. Town of Salem adopts its own zoning, so inside its limits Town of Salem’s rules apply, not the county’s. Septic permits inside Town of Salem come from Washington County (Washington County Department of Code Enforcement · (518) 746-2150). 26 rules below are quoted from official sources and independently re-checked, most recently on October 29, 2026. Rules for unincorporated land are on the Washington County page.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Salem

Town of Salem’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Erection, addition, or structural alteration of any building or structure inside Salem town

    • Permit is issued by the town code enforcement officer under the zoning law; the permit is required before erection, addition, or structural alteration.
    • Application requires two copies of a layout or plot plan drawn to scale (section 7.20).
    • Fees are set by town board resolution and payable to the town clerk (section 7.20).
    “no building or structure shall be erected, added to, or structurally altered until a permit therefore has been issued by the code enforcement officer.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Land use or occupancy of a building erected, altered, or extended inside Salem town

    • Certificate of occupancy is issued by the code enforcement officer and must issue within ten days after the work is approved as complying (section 7.20).
    • County also issues certificates of occupancy when uniform code compliance is fulfilled (county page).
    “no land shall be used or occupied, and no building hereafter erected, altered, or extended shall be used or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the code enforcement officer”
  • Local zoningPresent

    All land inside Salem town limits. The town's own zoning law governs. The Town of Salem zoning law is stated as adopted April 1, 2016 with amendments; the cover page also states amended July 19, 2023 and the file is labeled Local Law 4 of 2024.

    • Lands labeled 'no zoning' (NZ) are exempt from the zoning law (section 2.11).
    • The file is labeled Local Law 4 of 2024 but the cover page dates the consolidated text to amendments through July 19, 2023. The date is recorded as stated and not treated as the effective date of the current text.
    • A 2026 draft amendment (Zoning Law Draft Amendment 7 2026) is posted on the town site but was not opened and is not treated as adopted.
    “a local law regulating and restricting the location, construction, and use of buildings, structures, and the use of land in the town of salem and for said purposes dividing the town into districts.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts of the Town of Salem

    • Districts named in the law: Agricultural (A), High-Density Residential (RH), Medium-Density Residential (RM), Low-Density Residential (RL), Mixed Use (M), Commercial (C), Industrial (I), Floodway (FW), Floodplain (FP), and No Zoning (NZ).
    • The zoning map is incorporated by reference in section 2.20 but the map image was not opened, so parcel-level district boundaries are not verified.
    “the town of salem is hereby divided into the following types of districts;”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Agricultural (A) district inside Salem town

    • Agricultural district covers Washington County Agricultural District #3 lands.

    minimum lot area: >= 5 acres · minimum lot width: >= 200 feet

    “minimum lot size: maximum percentage of lot to be occupied: town of salem zoning 5 acres and 200 feet wide 6%”
    3 more reviewed findings on this topic
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Front, side, and rear yards for principal buildings in each district inside Salem town

    • Numeric yard distances are in the district schedules of section 3.2, which did not extract from the PDF text. They are not stated here.
    • Section 3.12(d) bars narrower or smaller yards than the district requires.
    “to have narrower or smaller rear yards, front yards, or side yards than is herein required for the district in which such building is located.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Agricultural (A) district inside Salem town

    maximum percentage of lot occupied: <= 6 percent

    “minimum lot size: maximum percentage of lot to be occupied: town of salem zoning 5 acres and 200 feet wide 6%”
    3 more reviewed findings on this topic
  • Building heightSpecified

    High-Density Residential (RH) district inside Salem town

    • Height is measured from average finished grade at the front of the building to the roof point defined in section Article X (building height).

    maximum building height: <= 50 feet

    “maximum height of building: 3.23 10,000 square feet & 100 feet wide 60% 50 feet rm- medium density residential district”
    3 more reviewed findings on this topic
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured and mobile homes inside Salem town

    • Mobile homes are permitted in the Agricultural district only as a farm residence (section 3.21).
    • Mobile homes and parks must comply with a separate town mobile-home regulation, and the building permit application must include a compliance statement (section 4.100). That separate law was not opened.
    “all mobile homes and mobile home parks shall comply with the town of salem regulation of mobile homes, travel trailers, mobile home parks and travel trauer parks.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Any use in the Floodplain (FP) district inside Salem town

    • Special use permit is required for any use in the floodplain district (section 4.70).
    • Residential structures need the lowest habitable floor at least one foot above the 100-year flood (section 4.73).
    • Floodway (FW) districts prohibit human habitation of structures (section 4.60).
    “no use permitted within the town by any provision of this zoning law shall be permitted within a floodplain district without a special use permit, issued pursuant to the provisions of article v ofthis zoning law.”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Zoning permit, certificate of occupancy, and special use fees inside Salem town

    • Fees are set by town board resolution and kept on file with the code enforcement officer and town clerk, not stated in the zoning law.
    • Special use permit requires a non-refundable fee set by the town board in addition to building permit fee (section 5.13).
    • County fees are set separately by the county fee schedule; the county schedule was not opened.
    “the town board shall, by resolution, establish and amend a schedule of fees for the applications and permits required or contemplated by this zoning law; the current schedule shall be on file with the code enforcement officer and with the town clerk.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building permit process for work inside Salem town

    • Town code enforcement officer signs off first, then paperwork goes to Washington County.
    • Site plan review is required for all new land use activities before they begin (zoning section 3.14).
    • Process steps beyond the sign-off sequence were not published on the pages opened.
    “building permits forms: building permit applications (code enforcement officer must sign off prior to the paperwork going to washington county)”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Salem

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

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Construction inside Salem town. The New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code is enforced locally by Washington County Code Enforcement, with Town of Salem code enforcement officer sign-off on applications.

    • Enforcement is by the county department, not a Salem town building department, per the county page.
    • Also enforces the Washington County Sanitary Code (Local Law No. 1 of 1988).
    “this department enforces the new york state uniform fire prevention and building codes and the washington county sanitary code, local law no. 1 of 1988.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction inside Salem town

    • The county page describes the inspection function as performed during construction. It does not list a per-project inspection schedule, so the inspection frequency is not verified.
    “perform onsite inspections during various stages of construction.”
  • Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

    On-site sewage disposal systems for work inside Salem town. Applies in Salem town through the county sanitary code.

    • County sewage disposal system application is a county form.
    • For multiple-family dwellings and tourist accommodations the zoning law makes approval of water supply and sewage disposal by the New York State Department of Health mandatory (sections 4.90 and 4.110). That is a state-level approval, so septic authority is mixed for those uses.
    “sewage disposal system application (pdf fill-in)”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Work that must conform to the Washington County Sanitary Code, including on-site sewage systems, inside Salem town

    • Permit issued by Washington County Code Enforcement after plan review. The Town code enforcement officer signs off before paperwork goes to the county (town building-permits page).
    “review plans and issue permits for all work that must conform to the uniform codes and the washington county sanitary code.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Salem town
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling inside Salem town
  • Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Salem town
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on land inside Salem town
  • Tiny homes — Tiny homes used as dwellings inside Salem town
8 more unanswered
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Salem publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Washington County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Salem means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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