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

Town of Barton’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Use or occupancy of land or structures changed or enlarged inside Barton town

  • Certificate is issued by the administrative officer stating the use conforms to the bylaw.
  • Applications are made on forms provided by the administrative officer.

  “It shall be unlawful to use or occupy or permit the use or occupancy of any land or structure, or part thereof created, erected, changed, converted, or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use or structure after the effective date of this bylaw, until a certificate of occupancy is issued therefor by the Administrative Officer”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Barton town limits (joint zoning bylaw with Barton Village and Orleans Village). Does not apply to unincorporated county land.

  • The bylaw in the archive is the 2006 amendment; the zoning office page says the current bylaws and town plan are posted there, and a 2018 Barton zoning bylaw date appears in a third-party listing that was not verified. Current text must be checked before relying on dimensional figures.
  • Zoning permits are issued by the administrative officer (zoning administrator); a certificate of occupancy is also required (see certificate_of_occupancy claim).

  “Permits may be obtained at the town clerk's office or downloaded below. Zoning maps are available below along with the bylaws and town Plan.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Barton town limits

  • Districts named in the 2006 bylaw: remote land (205.01), low density (205.02), medium density (205.03), high density (205.04), commercial 1 (205.05), commercial 2 (205.06), industrial (205.07), shoreland (205.08).

  “The zoning maps show a division of the town and villages into the following districts: "R" Remote Land "LD" Low Density "MD" Medium Density "HD" High Density "C1" Commercial 1 "C2" Commercial 2 "I" Industrial "SH" Shoreland”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Medium density district (main single-family residential district, table 205.3) inside Barton town

  • Lot size depends on lot class: class a (off-lot water supply and sewage disposal) 0.5 acre; class b (off-lot water or sewage disposal) 1.0 acre; class c (on-lot water supply and sewage disposal) 2.0 acres.
  • Single-family dwellings are a permitted use in this district.

  minimum lot area, class a: 0.5 acre (off-lot water supply and sewage disposal) · minimum lot area, class b: 1 acre (off-lot water supply or sewage disposal) · minimum lot area, class c: 2 acre (on-lot water supply and sewage disposal)

  “Lot classification A B C Lot area, acres: 0.5 1.0 2.0”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Low density district (rural-residential and agriculture, table 205.2) inside Barton town

    “development will be on lots of 2 acres or more”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Remote land district (table 205.1) inside Barton town

    “lot area, acres: lot width, feet: lot depth, feet: ** front yard, feet: side yard, feet: rear yard, feet: maximum building height, feet: 10 350 350 50 20 20 35”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Medium density district (table 205.3) inside Barton town

  • Values are listed by lot class a, b and c in that order.
  • Front yard applies to all classes.

  front yard: 50 feet · side yard, class a / b / c: 10 / 15 / 15 feet · rear yard, class a / b / c: 10 / 15 / 15 feet

  “** Front yard, feet: 50 50 50 Side yard, feet: 10 15 15 [...] Rear yard, feet: 10 15 15”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Medium density district (table 205.3) inside Barton town

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “rear yard, feet: 10 15 15 max. building height, ft:35 35 35”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers, pickup campers and motor homes used as a dwelling inside Barton town

  • Permanent occupancy is allowed only in conformance with the district requirements, such as an approved travel trailer park, or on one's own private property (as stated in the sentence that follows the quoted text).

  “It shall be unlawful for a travel trailer, pickup camper or motor home to be utilized as a permanent home unless in conformance with the requirements of the district in which it is located such as in an approved travel trailer park, or on one's own private property.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units inside Barton town

  • Unit must be an efficiency or one-bedroom apartment, located within or appurtenant to an owner-occupied single-family dwelling, and clearly subordinate to it.
  • Unit may not exceed 35 percent of the total habitable floor area of the single-family dwelling.
  • Property must have sufficient wastewater capacity; setback, coverage and parking requirements must be met.
  • Conditional use approval is required for a new accessory structure built after enactment, or an increase in height or floor area of the existing dwelling, or an increase in parking dimensions.

  maximum share of single-family floor area: <= 35 percent

  “An accessory dwelling unit shall be a permitted use in all zoning districts.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions and lot line adjustments inside Barton town

  • Subdivision is a permitted use in several districts only with site plan review and approval by the planning commission (asterisk in district use lists).
  • Fees are listed on the zoning office page; the fee schedule is not a substitute for the bylaw subdivision procedure.

  subdivision fee base: 115 USD (plus $50 per lot)

  “No subdivision, as defined under these By-laws, which results in the creation of one or more building or non-building lot(s) shall be created without first receiving a subdivision permit under the provisions of this by-law.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Land development inside Barton town

  • Access by frontage on a maintained public road (class 1, 2, 3) or, with planning commission approval under sec. 324, by permanent easement or right-of-way to such a road or to public waters.
  • Access easements or rights-of-way must be at least 20 feet wide; if serving more than two lots or uses, further requirements apply (text truncated in capture).

  access easement width minimum: >= 20 feet

  “Access easements or rights-of-way shall not be less than 20 feet in width. [...] Access on a Town Road must be permitted by the Town Select Board. Access on a state highway must be permitted by the Vermont Agency of Transportation.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development inside mapped special flood hazard areas in Barton town

  • Conditional use permit by the board of adjustment is required before development in a special flood hazard area; a copy of the application is sent to the Vermont agency before new construction permits.
  • Applies to areas identified on the current National Flood Insurance Program maps adopted by reference.

  “All development including fill, excavation, grading, erection or placement of structures, substantial improvement of existing structures and storage of equipment and material prescribed by the Town of Barton zoning bylaw are permitted within an area of special flood hazard only upon the granting of a conditional use permit by the Board of Adjustment.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit fees inside Barton town

  • Recording and certificate of compliance fees are included in permit fees.
  • Fee schedule shown on the zoning office page; other items include change of use, commercial structures, signs, DRB hearings and professional expenses.

  new residential structures, additions: 130 USD (plus $0.05 per square foot)

  “New residential structures, additions, $1 3 0 + $.05 per sq. ft.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit application process inside Barton town

  • Zoning administrator available Wednesdays 10am to 12pm at the town office, 34 Main St., Barton VT.
  • Permits may be obtained at the town clerk's office or downloaded from the site.

  “Permits may be obtained at the town clerk's office or downloaded below.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Barton town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Barton town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Barton town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Barton town
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Barton 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 Barton 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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