Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Grottoes, Virginia

Town of Grottoes’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Grottoes town limits

  • Chapter 100 combines the zoning and subdivision ordinances; amendments are noted in the text.

  “chapter 100 land development [history: adopted by the town council of the town of grottoes 11-14-1989. amendments noted where applicable.]”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Grottoes town (C-1, R-1 through R-8, B-1 to B-3, M-1, I-1 per the lot table)

  • Table dated 11-01-2011; later amendments not checked.

  “town of grottoes district c-1 conservation r-1 lowdensity residential r-2 residential r-3 residential limited”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family lots inside Grottoes town; varies by district and by public water/sewer availability

  • Table lists separate minimums with public water and sewer and other; the extracted table text is garbled, so per-district figures are not recorded here.
  • Lots using individual sewage disposal need area approved by the health official.

  R-3 single-family detached minimum existing lot size: 12000 sq ft (zoning administrator may permit a home on three contiguous lots totaling at least 9,000 sq ft in certain cases (note k))

  “g the development of each single-family detached dwelling shall require an existing lot size of twelve thousand (12,000) square feet in the r-3 residential limited district.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Yards in each Grottoes zoning district; see Table 1

  • Street-facing setbacks may be reduced to the block average.
  • Duplexes may have a zero-foot interior side setback.

  “minimum setback requirements of this chapter for yards facing streets shall not apply to any lot where the average setback on developed lots within the same block”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings inside Grottoes town; table shows 35 ft principal building height in residential districts

  • Public or semipublic buildings may reach 60 ft with larger yards.
  • Buildings over 45 ft need administrator approval.

  dwelling height increase ceiling: <= 45 feet (up to three stories with larger side yards)

  “the height limit for dwellings may be increased up to a total of forty-five (45) feet and up to three (3) stories, provided that each side yard is twenty (20) feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Overnight RV parks inside Grottoes town

  • Requires Town Council hearing and approval with conditions.
  • Does not address a single RV on a private residential lot.

  “the following uses may be permitted with appropriate conditions: a. overnight recreational vehicle park.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes inside Grottoes town; the R-6 district is for manufactured home parks/subdivisions

  • Other districts' treatment of manufactured homes not confirmed.

  “the intent of the manufactured housing district r-6 is to allow low-cost residential development in the form of manufactured home subdivisions.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Grottoes town

  • Plat approval and installation of improvements per Chapter 100.

  “requires the council of the town of grottoes, virginia, to adopt regulations to assure the orderly subdivision of land and its development”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in Grottoes floodplain districts

  • RVs under 180 days must be licensed and highway-ready; otherwise must meet manufactured home elevation rules.
  • Floodway district bars encroachments unless no-rise shown.

  “manufactured homes that are placed or substantially improved on sites shall be elevated on a permanent foundation, such that the lowest floor of the manufactured home is elevated to or above the base flood elevation”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Grottoes town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Grottoes town
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Grottoes town
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Grottoes town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Grottoes 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.