Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Newbury, Vermont

Village of Newbury’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Zoning permit for development in Newbury Village district; this is the zoning permit, not a building-code permit

  • Section 1.9 lists exempt structures and uses, which still must meet setbacks
  • The exemption does not apply to development in the flood hazard overlay district, within 250 feet of waterbodies in the shoreland district, or in riparian buffers
  • Permit is issued by the administrative officer

  “no building or land development, construction, conversion, relocation, or enlargement of any building or structure, sitework incidental to development regulated under these regulations, or extension of use of land may commence without a permit first being issued by the administrative officer.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land in the Newbury Village (NV) zoning district, which is within the Town of Newbury (Orange County); zoning is adopted by the Town, not a separate village ordinance

  • Bylaw adopted 10/11/17; later amendments not checked
  • Copy opened is hosted on the regional planning commission site, not the town's own site

  “the following land use districts are established within the town of newbury:”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Newbury Village (NV) district inside the Town of Newbury

  • Districts are shown on the official Newbury zoning map; map not opened
  • NV district has municipal water but no sewer service, per the bylaw

  “2.2.3 newbury village (nv) district the purpose of the nv is to encourage a mix of commercial, civic and residential development that is in keeping with the historic pattern of settlement.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Newbury Village (NV) district, Town of Newbury

  • Value read from the table column order wrc wrr nv ham r1 r2 r5 cnr mxu ind sh: NV is the third value (0.5 acre); the extracted table text is compressed
  • Minimum frontage in NV is 50 ft

  minimum lot area NV: >= 0.5 acre

  “wrc wrr nv ham r1 r2 r5 cnr mxu ind sh minimum lot area (ac) ǂ.25.5.5 1 1 2 5 10 2 2 2”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Newbury Village (NV) district, Town of Newbury

  • Column order wrc wrr nv ham r1 r2 r5 cnr mxu ind sh; NV is the third value
  • Extracted table text is compressed; a footnote marker follows each row label

  front setback NV: >= 25 ft · side/rear setback NV: >= 10 ft

  “minimum front setback (ft) ǂ 25 25 25 50 65 65 65 65 65 65 65 minimum side/rear setback (ft) ǂ 10 10 10 20 25 25 50 50 25 25 10”

• Building heightSpecified

  Newbury Village (NV) district, Town of Newbury

  • 40 ft in all districts except shoreland (30 ft)

  maximum building height NV: <= 40 ft (30 ft in shoreland district)

  “maximum building height (ft) 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 30”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land in Newbury, including Newbury Village district

  • Subdivision standards not opened; the bylaw is a combined zoning and subdivision regulation

  “6.6.1 applicability. in accordance with the act [§4418], whenever any subdivision of land regulated herein is proposed, unless exempted in section 1.9, subdivision approval by the development review board is required prior to:”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in the flood hazard overlay district in Newbury

  • Permit exemptions do not apply in the flood hazard overlay; sections 3.6.1-3.6.5 (prohibited, permitted, conditional uses, state referral) not opened

  “3.6.1 prohibited development the following are prohibited within the overlay: a) new principal residential or non-residential structures (including the placement of manufactured homes); b) storage of materials or junk yards;”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning permit filing fee in Newbury

  • Fee amount is set by the selectboard; the schedule was not found

  “permitted uses require only the payment of a filing fee set by the selectboard and issuance of a zoning permit by the administrative officer.”

• Permit processPublished

  Zoning permit process in Newbury Village district

  • Conditional uses need development review board approval before the zoning permit
  • Site plan approval applies to some uses

  “permitted uses require only the payment of a filing fee set by the selectboard and issuance of a zoning permit by the administrative officer. conditional uses require conditional use approval by the drb prior to the issuance of a zoning permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Newbury or Orange County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Newbury village
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Newbury village
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Newbury village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Newbury village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Newbury village

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.