Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of North Hero, Vermont

Town of North Hero’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Any land or building development, structure alteration or extension, or occupancy inside North Hero town

  • A certificate of compliance must also be issued after the building permit.
  • The bylaw says exceptions for qualifying farm structures are covered by section 401c, which was not opened.
  • Permit fees are set by the selectboard (section 322).

  “no land or building development can commence, nor can any structure be altered or extended, nor any land or structure used in any way or occupied unless the administrative officer has issued a building permit and subsequently, a certificate of compliance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use or occupancy of structures built, altered or extended inside North Hero town (called a certificate of compliance in the bylaws)

  • The certificate of compliance is issued by the administrative officer after the building permit.
  • Individual septic systems must have an installation certificate attached to the application for a certificate of compliance when required under state wastewater rules.
  • Each certificate is recorded in the town clerk's office.

  “the administrative officer stating that all bylaws, regulations and imposed conditions are satisfied.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside North Hero town's limits; the town administers its own zoning bylaws (June 7, 2010 text on the Vermont ACCD bylaws database).

  • Confirm the 2010 text is still the operative version; a November 2022 proposed-amendments notice exists and was not confirmed as adopted (see search_notes).

  “the administrative officer is hereby designated to administer the zoning bylaws as provided for in 24 v.s.a. §4448.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning district map and district list inside North Hero town

  • Districts in the captured text include the conservation zone, Rural Lands Two (RL-2), Village (V), Shorelands (SL) and Off Islands (OI).
  • The zoning map is part of the bylaws but was not opened.

  “the location and boundaries of zoning districts are established as shown on the attached zoning map, which is part of these bylaws.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land in the Rural Lands Two (RL-2) district inside North Hero town, the rural and farming district that also allows single-family dwellings

  • Minimum total area including density reserve is three acres.
  • Two-family and multi-family dwellings are conditional uses.

  minimum building lot size: >= 1.5 acre · minimum density per single-family dwelling: >= 1.5 acre · minimum total area including density reserve: >= 3 acre · minimum lot frontage: >= 100 feet · minimum lot width: >= 100 feet

  “minimum total area including density reserve three (3.00) acres consisting of the following: minimum building lot size one and 1/2 (1.50) acres minimum density per single family dwelling one and 1/2 (1.50) acres minimum lot frontage one hundred (100.00) feet minimum lot width one hundred (100.00) feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Land in the Village (V) district inside North Hero town, the main single-family residential district

    “minimum total area including density reserve two (2.00) acres consisting of the following: minimum building lot size one (1.00) acre minimum density per single family dwelling one (1.00) acre minimum lot frontage one hundred (100.00) feet minimum lot width one hundred (100.00) feet”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land development in the Village (V) district inside North Hero town; section 500 applies setbacks to all land development

  • Setbacks may be reduced by conditional use under section 503 where existing development patterns justify it, and only if the lot does not have more than one dwelling.
  • Projections, fences and retaining walls of four feet or less are exempt under section 504.
  • Wastewater system setbacks are in a separate section that was not captured.

  setback from state highway: >= 100 feet · setback from town road: >= 75 feet · setback from Lake Champlain: >= 75 feet · side and rear setback from property lines: >= 25 feet · front setback from deeded right-of-way: >= 50 feet · side and rear setback from deeded right-of-way: >= 25 feet

  “section 502: setback requirements a. from a state highway one hundred (100.00) feet b. from a town road seventy-five (75.00) feet c. from lake champlain seventy-five (75.00) feet d. from side & rear property lines twenty-five (25) feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Land development in the Rural Lands Two (RL-2) district inside North Hero town; section 500 applies setbacks to all land development

    “section 502: setback requirements a. from a state highway one hundred (100.00) feet b. from a town road seventy-five (75.00) feet c. from lake champlain seventy-five (75.00) feet d. from side & rear property lines twenty-five (25) feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers, campers, motor homes and other recreational vehicles on private land inside North Hero town

  • On a developed residential lot, a legally registered trailer may be stored or parked but not occupied for residential use, not attached to a septic system, and no more than two units per lot.
  • On an undeveloped lot, seasonal occupancy is limited by the day counts in the quoted text and requires a water supply and a legally existing septic system.
  • Storage must be as inconspicuous as possible and meet the setbacks for the district.

  seasonal occupancy, May 1 to November 30: <= 180 days (total maximum on an undeveloped lot) · seasonal occupancy, November 1 to May 31: <= 60 days · travel trailers per developed lot: <= 2 units

  “it may be occupied seasonally (for not more than a total of 180 days between may 1 and november 30 and no more than 60 days between november 1 and may 31) if it is hooked up to a water supply and a legally existing septic”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Seasonal camping with a registered travel trailer or RV on an undeveloped lot inside North Hero town

  • Tent camping and campgrounds were not addressed in the captured text.
  • Mobile home parks and travel trailer camps require planned unit development approval (see the manufactured-home claim).

  seasonal occupancy, May 1 to November 30: <= 180 days (total maximum) · seasonal occupancy, November 1 to May 31: <= 60 days

  “it may be occupied seasonally (for not more than a total of 180 days between may 1 and november 30 and no more than 60 days between november 1 and may 31) if it is hooked up to a water supply and a legally existing septic”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes inside North Hero town: individual homes are treated like conventional housing; mobile home parks need planned unit development approval

  • Mobile home parks, travel trailer parks and camps, and repair, sales and display facilities must be approved under a PUD and comply with state regulations.
  • Zoning may not exclude mobile or prefabricated housing except on the same terms as conventional housing, subject to 24 V.S.A. §4414(6).

  “no zoning bylaw shall have the effect of excluding mobile homes, modular housing, or other forms of prefabricated housing from the municipality, except upon the same terms and conditions as conventional housing is excluded.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Subordinate dwelling units (accessory apartments) inside North Hero town

  • The unit must be contained within or attached to the owner-occupied single-family dwelling, in an appurtenant structure.
  • The unit is an efficiency or one-bedroom apartment and may not exceed 30 percent of the primary dwelling's habitable floor area.
  • Owner must occupy either the dwelling or the subordinate unit.
  • Approved by the zoning administrator (section 451); a larger or other configuration is reviewed as a two-family or multi-family dwelling under sections 417 or 418.
  • Wastewater capacity is one of the listed requirements in section 453; that text was only partly captured.

  maximum size of subordinate dwelling unit: <= 30 percent of primary dwelling habitable floor area

  “the owner(s) shall occupy either the dwelling or subordinate dwelling. the subordinate dwelling may not exceed 30 percent of the primary dwelling. the subordinate dwelling unit may be approved by the zoning administrator, see section 451.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside North Hero town

  • In the conservation zone (the district described before section 220), subdivision is allowed but no parcel may be created smaller than ten acres, except for property-line adjustments.
  • The selectboard sets subdivision fees (section 322).
  • Subdivision review procedure in the planning-review sections was not captured.

  minimum parcel size in conservation zone: >= 10 acre (except adjustment of property lines)

  “this area is designated as a conservation zone. a. subdivision. allowed but, except for the adjustment of property lines, no parcel of land can be created which contains less than ten (10.00) acres.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Lots and access for land development inside North Hero town

  • Development requires frontage on or access to a public road or public waters.
  • The development review board may approve access by a permanent easement or right-of-way at least 20 feet wide.
  • Deeded right-of-way setbacks apply (see setbacks claims).

  minimum width of permanent access easement or right-of-way: >= 20 feet (when approved by development review board)

  “no land development may be permitted on lots that do not have frontage on either a public road or public waters. an exception is when the development review board has approved of an access to such a road or waters by the grant of a permanent easement or right-of-way at least twenty (20.00) feet in width.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Lots in flood hazard areas, cross-referenced in the Shorelands (SL) and Off Islands (OI) districts inside North Hero town

  • Section 470 (flood hazard areas) governs; that section was not opened.
  • In the Shorelands district the lowest floor, including basement or cellar, must be above elevation 102.00 feet.

  minimum lowest-floor elevation in SL district: >= 102 feet (per flood hazard area rules in section 470)

  “see section 470, flood hazard areas – the lowest floor, including basement or cellar, must be above elevation of 102.00 feet.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning and building permit fees inside North Hero town

  • Fees are set by the selectboard; no published fee schedule was captured.
  • Fees must be paid within 30 days or the filing is invalid (section 322).

  “the payment of such fee is a condition to the validity of any such filing and must be paid within thirty (30) days.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building permit process inside North Hero town

  • Applications go to the zoning clerk, who forwards them to the zoning administrator or the appropriate board.
  • Conditional use and site plan decisions by the development review board are due within 45 days; failure to act is deemed approval on the 46th day.
  • Building permit and certificate of compliance are issued by the administrative officer (section 325).

  administrative decision deadline: <= 30 days (from receipt of application)

  “the zoning administrator shall approve, deny or return an application for completion within thirty days of the receipt of the application.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of North Hero

Town of North Hero 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 septicMixed (with conditions)

  Wastewater systems and potable water supplies for land inside North Hero town; the state rules are the primary authority and the town bylaw says it does not displace them.

  • Local regulations of a stricter nature may be imposed.
  • Individual septic systems must meet the town's subsurface sewage disposal ordinance, if any, plus other applicable municipal and state rules.

  “all wastewater systems and potable water supplies are governed by the state rules and regulations, specifically 1 v.s.a. of the state environmental protection rules.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of North Hero or Grand Isle County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside North Hero town
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside North Hero town
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside North Hero town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside North Hero town
• Lot coverage — Building coverage limits inside North Hero 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 North Hero 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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