Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Dorset, Vermont

Town of Dorset’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Dorset town limits; the town's own Land Use and Development Regulations administer zoning there

  • The bylaw is titled Dorset Land Use and Development Regulations; the town's zoning page links it as zoning bylaw 8-22-23.

  “the zoning administrator is tasked by state statute, with interpreting and enforcing the town's zoning regulations.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Dorset town

  • Chapter 2 of the bylaw lists the base districts (2101-2107): Village Business (VB), Village Mixed-Use (VMU), Village Residential (VR), General Business (GB), Rural Mixed-Use (RMU), Rural Residential (RR) and Rural Resource Protection (RRP).
  • A zoning districts map is linked from the town zoning page.

  “2106 rural residential (rr) district 2-18 2107 rural resource protection (rrp) district 2-20”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Village Residential (VR) district (bylaw section 2103) inside Dorset town; main single-unit residential district

  • Lots created under the bylaw must meet the district minimum (section 2008/2103).
  • A pre-existing undersized lot may be developed under section 1303.c if it was legally subdivided, existed on the effective date, is at least 1/8 acre, and is at least 40 feet wide or deep.
  • Maximum residential density is 10,000 square feet per dwelling unit (section 2103.c).

  minimum lot size: >= 20000 square feet (nonconforming lot exception in section 1303.c) · minimum lot frontage: >= 90 feet

  “2103.c 20,000 square feet 90 feet 50% (see subsection 2008.b) (see subsection 2008.c) (see subsection 2008.d) 20 feet from row 15 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural Residential (RR) district (bylaw section 2106) inside Dorset town; rural-residential district

    “2106.c 2.75 acres 240 feet 10% (see subsection 2008.b) (see subsection 2008.c) (see subsection 2008.d) 40 feet from row 30 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Rural Residential (RR) district (section 2106) inside Dorset town

  • Front setback is measured from the road right-of-way ('from row').

  minimum front setback: >= 40 feet (measured from road right-of-way (row)) · minimum side and rear setback: >= 30 feet

  “2106.c 2.75 acres 240 feet 10% (see subsection 2008.b) (see subsection 2008.c) (see subsection 2008.d) 40 feet from row 30 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village Residential (VR) district (section 2103) inside Dorset town

    “2103.c 20,000 square feet 90 feet 50% (see subsection 2008.b) (see subsection 2008.c) (see subsection 2008.d) 20 feet from row 15 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Rural Residential (RR) district (section 2106) inside Dorset town

  • Maximum lot coverage is subject to subsections 2008.b (see bylaw table reference).

  maximum lot coverage: <= 10 percent

  “2106.c 2.75 acres 240 feet 10% (see subsection 2008.b) (see subsection 2008.c) (see subsection 2008.d) 40 feet from row 30 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village Residential (VR) district (section 2103) inside Dorset town

    “2103.c 20,000 square feet 90 feet 50% (see subsection 2008.b) (see subsection 2008.c) (see subsection 2008.d) 20 feet from row 15 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  Rural Residential (RR) district (section 2106) inside Dorset town

  • Height rules in subsection 2008.f (exceptions) were not opened.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “40 feet from row 30 feet (see subsection 2008.e) (see subsection 2008.e) 35 feet n/a”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village Residential (VR) district (section 2103) inside Dorset town

    “20 feet from row 15 feet (see subsection 2008.e) (see subsection 2008.e) 35 feet 3,000 square feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupying a recreational vehicle on private land inside Dorset town

  • A parcel occupied by or designed for more than 3 camping units, including recreational vehicles, is treated as a campground under section 3210.
  • A zoning permit is not required to store a camping unit on a developed single- or two-unit residential lot, subject to the conditions in section 3005.b-c.
  • Campgrounds may not allow unregistered recreational vehicles to be occupied or stored when the campground is not operating unless approved as a seasonal campground (section 3210.b(11)).

  camping units on one parcel before campground rules apply: <= 3 units (More than 3 units triggers campground rules)

  “any parcel of land that is occupied by or designed to accommodate more than 3 camping units (e.g., tents, tipis, yurts, recreational vehicles, tiny houses on trailers, cabins, lean-tos) will be considered a campground”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Occupying a camping unit on a lot while a permanent dwelling is built or renovated inside Dorset town

  • Requires a temporary permit from the zoning administrator under section 3019.
  • A temporary permit is limited to a maximum of 1 year and cannot be extended under section 4203.c.

  temporary permit maximum duration: <= 1 year (may not be extended under section 4203.c)

  “the permit for a temporary structure or use will be limited to a maximum of 1 year. a temporary permit cannot be extended under the provisions of subsection 4203.c.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny houses on trailers used as dwellings on private land inside Dorset town

  • Tiny houses on trailers are treated as camping units; more than 3 on one parcel triggers campground rules (section 3210).
  • Temporary occupancy during construction is covered by a temporary permit (section 3019).

  “any parcel of land that is occupied by or designed to accommodate more than 3 camping units (e.g., tents, tipis, yurts, recreational vehicles, tiny houses on trailers, cabins, lean-tos) will be considered a campground”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units on single-unit residential lots inside Dorset town

  • Must be located within or appurtenant to a single-unit dwelling and clearly subordinate to it.
  • Must share a driveway with the primary dwelling.
  • Must meet residential parking requirements (section 3104) and the applicable district dimensional standards.
  • Creating an accessory dwelling unit requires a zoning permit (section 1205.b).

  maximum accessory dwelling size: <= 900 square feet (or 30% of the habitable floor area of the primary dwelling (before the ADU is created), whichever is greater)

  “3202 accessory dwelling 3202.a an accessory dwelling unit (adu) must: (1) be located within or appurtenant to a single-unit dwelling; (2) be clearly subordinate to the primary dwelling; (3) share a driveway with the primary dwelling;”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creating new lots inside Dorset town

  • Planned unit development is an exception to the minimum lot size rule.
  • Waivers and variances may not be used to create a lot below the district minimum (section 4404/4405 cross-reference in the bylaw).

  “any lot created under these regulations must meet the minimum lot size requirement for the applicable zoning district unless approved as part of a planned unit development”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New, extended or modified driveways serving development inside Dorset town

  • A driveway may not serve more than 3 lots, 6 dwelling units, or 3 non-residential principal uses.
  • New or reconstructed driveways must meet current VTrans B-71 standards (section 3008.d).

  “a property owner must obtain a zoning permit before constructing, extending or modifying a driveway”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit fees for work inside Dorset town

  • The fee schedule file was linked but not opened; amounts are not recorded here.

  “zoning fee schedule: zoning fee schedule file size: 133 kb file type: pdf download file”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit application process inside Dorset town

  • Zoning office hours are Tuesday-Thursday 11:00am-4:00pm; town office hours are 8:00am-4:00pm Monday-Friday (summer hours differ).

  “the zoning administrator is available to answer questions and assist the public with the application process.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Dorset

Town of Dorset 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 septicState (with conditions)

  Septic and wastewater disposal for development inside Dorset town; the town bylaw defers to state wastewater rules

  • Applies to development that requires a zoning permit or development approval under the Dorset bylaw.
  • The state wastewater rules themselves were not opened; the issuing state office for Dorset is not confirmed here.

  “all proposed development requiring a zoning permit or development approval under these regulations must conform to applicable state regulations regarding the provision of potable water and disposal of wastewater.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside Dorset town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for construction inside Dorset town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for new construction inside Dorset town
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Dorset town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new dwellings inside Dorset 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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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