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

Town of Washington’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Land development, including construction, reconstruction, structural alteration, relocation, enlargement, conversion, or change of use, inside Washington town.

  • A zoning permit must be duly issued by the Administrative Officer before land development commences.
  • The ordinance defines its "building permit" as the permit issued by the Zoning Administrator after conformity and fee payment are determined.

  “No land development may commence unless a zoning permit has been duly issued by the Administrative Officer, as provided for in Section 4449 of the Act.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land development inside Washington town, Vermont.

  • No land development may commence without a validly issued zoning permit and compliance with the bylaws.
  • Any use not permitted by the bylaws is deemed prohibited.

  “there are hereby established zoning bylaws for Washington. These bylaws shall be known as the "Town of Washington Zoning Ordinance."”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Washington town.

  • The Village District includes only land served by the Fire District; where a parcel only partly lies within that service area, only that portion is Village District.
  • The Rural Residential District includes all Washington land except that served by the Fire District.

  zoning district: Village District (Land served by the Fire District.) · zoning district: Rural Residential District (All land except that served by the Fire District.)

  “Washington is hereby divided into the following zoning districts: 1. Village District 2. Rural Residential District”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Mobile homes, modular housing, and other prefabricated housing inside Washington town.

  • Such housing may be excluded only on the same terms and conditions as conventional housing is excluded.
  • The rule is subject to the cited statutory exceptions.

  “no 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 dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwellings in the Village and Rural Residential districts inside Washington town.

  • The property must have sufficient wastewater capacity.
  • The unit may not exceed 30 percent of the total habitable floor area of the single-family dwelling.
  • Applicable setback, coverage, and parking requirements must be met.

  maximum habitable floor area: <= 30 percent of principal single-family dwelling habitable floor area

  “Accessory dwellings must comply with all of the following. a. The property has sufficient wastewater capacity. b. The unit does not exceed 30 percent of the total habitable floor area of the single family dwelling.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Farm structures inside Washington town.

  • The person must notify the Town in writing of intent to build.
  • The person must follow setbacks approved by the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
  • The exemption applies to farm structures, not dwellings for human habitation.

  “A person shall notify the Town, in writing, of their intent to build a farm structure and shall abide by setbacks approved by the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets. No municipal permit for a farm structure shall be required.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision inside Washington town.

  • A single subdivision is a permitted use in both Village and Rural Residential districts.
  • A subdivision of five or more lots within five continuous years, or more than two lots within 12 continuous months, requires a Conditional Use Permit.

  conditional-use subdivision threshold: >= 5 lots within 5 continuous years · conditional-use subdivision threshold: > 2 lots within 12 continuous months

  “Subdivision of land into 5 or more lots within a continuous period of 5 years and the subdivision of land into more than 2 lots within a continuous 12 month period.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Land development lots inside Washington town.

  • Lots must have frontage on a public road or public waters, or Planning Commission-approved access by permanent easement or right-of-way at least 20 feet wide.
  • Any future public road must have at least a 50-foot right-of-way width.

  minimum permanent easement or right-of-way width: >= 20 feet (Requires Planning Commission approval when no public-road or public-water frontage.) · minimum future public-road right-of-way width: >= 50 feet

  “No land development may be permitted on lots which do not either have frontage on a public road or public waters or, with the approval of the Planning Commission, access to such a road or waters by a permanent easement or right-of-way at least twenty (20) feet in width.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town zoning permits for land development inside Washington town.

  • The zoning-permit fee is established by the Selectmen; no dollar amount was located in the opened ordinance.

  “The fee for such zoning permit shall be established by the Selectmen.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Land development and conditional uses inside Washington town.

  • The Administrative Officer issues the zoning permit.
  • Conditional uses need Board of Adjustment approval first.
  • The Board makes findings, holds a hearing, and may attach conditions.

  “No zoning permit shall be issued by the Administrative Officer for any use or structure which requires Conditional Use approval in these bylaws until the Board of Adjustment grants its approval.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Washington town.
• Building code adopted — Residential building construction inside Washington town.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Washington town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Washington town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Washington 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 Washington 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.

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.