Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of St. George, Vermont

Town of St. George’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Land development requiring a zoning permit inside St. George town, including residential development subject to the Land Use Regulations.

  • Development may not commence until the Zoning Administrator issues the permit and the 15-day appeal period passes; if appealed, it may not commence until the appeal is decided.
  • Projects requiring Development Review Board or Selectboard approval require that approval first.
  • Projects requiring subdivision approval require recorded subdivision approval first.

  appeal period: 15 days (Before land development may commence after zoning-permit issuance.)

  “A permit shall be required for all land development. All land development shall conform to these regulations.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Structures inside St. George town after completion of construction requiring a town permit.

  • The requirement applies before occupation.
  • The certificate is issued by the Zoning Administrator after final inspection if permit conditions are met.

  “After the completion of construction requiring a permit under these regulations and before any structure is occupied, the applicant shall obtain a certificate of compliance (CC) from the ZA.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of St. George, Chittenden County, Vermont.

  • The official zoning map is incorporated into the regulations.
  • Permitted uses require a zoning permit; conditional uses require Development Review Board approval before a zoning permit may issue.

  “Zoning Districts. The following zoning districts are established in the Town of St. George:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside St. George town.

  • District locations and boundaries are established by the incorporated Official Zoning Map.
  • The map is available for public review at town offices during normal business hours.

  “The location and boundaries of the zoning districts are established as shown on the Official Zoning Map, which is incorporated into these regulations.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures inside St. George town.

  • For ordinary structures, the regulations refer to normal setback requirements for the district where the structure is located.
  • Fences up to 4.5 feet are exempt; taller fences require a zoning permit; fences over 7 feet additionally require conditional-use approval.

  fence exemption height: <= 4.5 feet (Exempt from the regulations and does not require a zoning permit.) · conditional-use fence height: > 7 feet (Requires Development Review Board conditional-use approval.)

  “A fence over 7 feet in height shall be considered a structure subject to normal setback requirements for the district in which it is located, unless otherwise approved by the DRB.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures inside St. George town.

  • District story-height requirements apply unless an exemption or Development Review Board waiver applies.
  • Agricultural structures, steeples/spires/belfries, exempt telecommunication facilities, and certain accessory structures are exempt from the general height provisions.
  • The Development Review Board may waive height restrictions for specified industrial, communication, utility, renewable-energy, and architectural-element circumstances.

  maximum story height: <= 16 feet (Unless approved by the Development Review Board.) · maximum non-building structure height: <= 35 feet (Unless otherwise specified in the regulations.)

  “Maximum building height shall be measured in stories as established in Article 2. No story shall exceed a height of 16 feet unless approved by the DRB in accordance with Subparagraph (C)(1) below. For all other structures, maximum height shall not exceed 35 feet as measured from the lowest grade at ground level to the highest point of the structure unless otherwise specified in these regulations.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Mobile homes and other prefabricated housing inside St. George town.

  • Mobile homes are subject to the single-family-dwelling requirements of their district unless in an approved mobile-home park, sales establishment, or permitted temporary construction-site structure.
  • A mobile-home park must be an allowed use and meet applicable requirements.

  “Mobile homes shall be considered single-family dwellings and shall meet the requirements for single-family dwellings in the district in which they are located except when located in an approved mobile home park or mobile home sales establishment, or permitted as a temporary structure (i.e., on a construction site).”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory apartments to owner-occupied dwellings inside St. George town.

  • The apartment must meet all applicable requirements for that use.
  • The town's use table identifies accessory apartments as permitted in the Village Neighborhood, Medium-Density Residential, Low-Density Residential, and Rural Development districts.

  “No provision of these regulations shall have the effect of excluding accessory apartments as an accessory use to an owner-occupied dwelling that meet all the applicable requirements for such use.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision development inside St. George town.

  • No zoning permit may issue where subdivision approval is required until approval is obtained and the plat properly recorded.
  • Subdivision review is administered under Article 7, § 7.10.

  “No zoning permit shall be issued by the ZA for development on a lot for which subdivision approval is required until such approval has been obtained and the plat has been properly recorded.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Applications under St. George's Land Use Regulations.

  • Fees may include posting and publishing notices, public hearings, and periodic inspections during construction or for ongoing compliance when required as a condition of approval.
  • Applications are submitted with fees established by the Selectboard.

  “The Selectboard may establish reasonable fees to be charged to the applicant for the administration of these regulations.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder projects inside St. George town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for land inside St. George town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside St. George town.
• Minimum lot size — Residential lots inside St. George town.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside St. George 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.