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

Town of Highgate’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Land development, including construction, buildings, uses, and land development regulated inside Highgate town.

  • Exemptions in Sections 1.3(B) and 1.3(C) apply.
  • Projects requiring conditional-use review, variance review, site-plan approval, or subdivision review require DRB approval before the Zoning Administrator issues a zoning permit.

  “No land development, as defined in Article 10 (Definitions) of these Regulations, may continue or commence without required permits and approvals having been issued in conformance with these Regulations, except as exempted in Section 1.3(B) and (C)”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Zoning permits involving new principal structures, additions to principal structures, or new accessory dwelling units inside Highgate town.

  • A Certificate of Occupancy must be issued before the structures or uses may be occupied for their intended use.

  “A Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued by the Zoning Administrator for any zoning permit involving new principal structures, additions to principal structures, new accessory dwelling units. A Certificate of Occupancy must be issued before such structures and/or uses may be occupied for their intended use according to Section 3.2 (E.).”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Highgate, Vermont.

  • Uses and structures are allowed by district as either permitted or conditional.

  “For the purposes of this bylaw, the Town is divided into a number of zoning districts specifying types of uses and buildings and other structures that are allowed in each district as either “permitted” or “conditional.””

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Highgate town.

  • The Official Zoning Map is the final authority for current zoning status.
  • Airport and Flood Hazard Overlay Districts are superimposed on other districts.

  zoning district count: 10 districts (Includes the Airport and Flood Hazard Overlay Districts listed in Table 2.1.)

  “The Zoning Districts in the Town of Highgate are: Table 2.1 Zoning Districts in Highgate District Name Abbreviation Agricultural District AD Town Center District TC Village District VD Medium Density Residential District MD Protected Area District PA Industrial Commercial District I/C Shoreline District SL Forest Reserve District FR Airport Overlay District AO Flood Hazard Overlay District FH”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of tracts inside Highgate town.

  • Applies where subdivision into two or more lots is for development, transfer of ownership, or lease.
  • Minor subdivisions contain fewer than four lots; major subdivisions divide an existing lot into four or more lots.
  • Application materials include a town form, fee under the Selectboard fee schedule, site plans, adjoiner information, and any additional DRB-required materials.

  minor subdivision lot count: < 4 lots · major subdivision lot count: >= 4 lots

  “Any land developed for agricultural, residential, commercial, recreational, or industrial purposes that would involve the subdivision of any tract into two or more lots for the purpose of development, transfer of ownership, or lease of a lot shall be subject to the subdivision regulations according to this Article.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permits inside Highgate town.

  • Applications must be submitted to the Zoning Administrator with a permit fee, any request to waive application materials, and other required approvals.
  • Conditional uses, site-plan review, variance review, and subdivision review may require DRB approval first.

  “An application for a zoning permit shall be completed and submitted to the Zoning Administrator along with a permit, fee, a written request for any waiver of required application materials, and all other approvals required by these regulations.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Highgate

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

• SetbacksSpecified

  Agricultural District (AD) inside Highgate town.

  • Front setback is measured from the road centerline.
  • Dimensional exceptions may only be granted by the DRB as a setback waiver, variance, or PUD under Article 3.

  front setback: 65 ft · side and rear setback for principal structures and other structures over 200 square feet: 30 ft

  “Minimum Setbacks Front 65 ft 65 ft 40 ft 40 ft 40 ft 65 ft 65 ft 85ft 45 ft Side & Rear Principal Structures and all other structures greater than 200 square feet 30 ft 30 ft 10 ft 10 ft 10 ft 30 ft 30 ft 30 ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Medium Density Residential District (MD) inside Highgate town.

    “Minimum Setbacks Front 65 ft 65 ft 40 ft 40 ft 40 ft 65 ft 65 ft 85ft 45 ft Side & Rear Principal Structures and all other structures greater than 200 square feet 30 ft 30 ft 10 ft 10 ft 10 ft 30 ft 30 ft 30 ft”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development inside Highgate's Flood Hazard Area Overlay District.

  • The overlay district overlays other zoning districts, and underlying-district requirements apply unless otherwise indicated.
  • The regulations identify river corridors and the Special Flood Hazard Area as components of the overlay district.
  • All development in the Flood Hazard Overlay requires conditional-use review.

  “The (FH) Flood Hazard Overlay District is the area delineated on the Flood Insurance Rate Map for the Town of Highgate by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or 100-year floodplain. [...] Therefore, a conditional use review shall be required for all development in this district.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Highgate town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Highgate town.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Highgate town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Highgate town.
• Lot coverage — Land inside Highgate 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.