Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Derby Center, Vermont

Village of Derby Center’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Certificates of occupancy inside Derby Center village under the Town of Derby zoning bylaw

  • Not required for single-family or two-family dwellings outside the special flood hazard area, residential accessory structures or uses, and exempt agricultural structures.
  • Required for occupancy after construction, change in use of a building or land, change in tenancy (except multifamily), and new or substantially improved dwellings in the special flood hazard area.

  “905.1 with the exception of single-family dwellings or two-family dwellings not within the special flood hazard area, residential accessory structures or uses, and exempt agricultural structures, a certificate of occupancy is required for:”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Derby Center village, Orleans County, VT. Zoning is adopted and administered by the Town of Derby, whose bylaw has dedicated Derby Center village districts; the village itself is not shown to adopt separate zoning.

  • Bylaw as amended July 24, 2023 is the version retrieved; a later amendment may exist.
  • Zoning administrator is appointed by the Derby selectboard.

  “the zoning administrator shall literally administer and strictly enforce the provisions of the town of derby zoning bylaw”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Derby Center village districts under the Town of Derby zoning bylaw

  • Three village districts: VC/DC, VR/DC, VR-MF/DC; the SPA source protection overlay also applies town-wide.

  districts: vc/dc, vr/dc, vr-mf/dc

  “the town of derby zoning map shows the division of the village of derby center into the following districts: "vc/dc" "vr/dc" "vr-mf/dc" village commercial derby center village residential derby center village residential multi-family derby center”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  VC/DC village commercial district, Derby Center village

  • Class 1 and 2 lots: 15,000 sq ft; class 3 lots: 20,000 sq ft.

  min lot area class 1&2: >= 15000 sq ft · min lot area class 3: >= 20000 sq ft

  “1&2 15,000 100 100 30 10 20 3 20,000 100 100 30 10 20 19 maximum building height ft 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — VR/DC village residential district, Derby Center village (main single-family district)

    “1&2 12,500 100 100 30 20 25 3 20,000 100 100 30 20 25 residential accessory structures 30 10 10 20 maximum building height ft 35 35 35”

• SetbacksSpecified

  VC/DC village commercial district, Derby Center village

  • Front 30 ft, side 10 ft, rear 20 ft.

  front setback: >= 30 ft · side setback: >= 10 ft · rear setback: >= 20 ft

  “1&2 15,000 100 100 30 10 20 3 20,000 100 100 30 10 20 19 maximum building height ft 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — VR/DC village residential district, Derby Center village

    “1&2 12,500 100 100 30 20 25 3 20,000 100 100 30 20 25 residential accessory structures 30 10 10 20 maximum building height ft 35 35 35”

• Building heightSpecified

  VC/DC village commercial district, Derby Center village

  • Maximum 35 ft.

  max building height: <= 35 ft

  “class area sq ft width ft length ft front side rear 1&2 15,000 100 100 30 10 20 3 20,000 100 100 30 10 20 19 maximum building height ft 35 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — VR/DC village residential district, Derby Center village

    “residential accessory structures 30 10 10 20 maximum building height ft 35 35 35”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in the river corridor / flood hazard areas, including inside Derby Center village

  • Some items (e.g. small accessory structures, RVs outside the floodway) may be permitted administratively; others need DRB conditional use review.

  “a permit is required from the administrative officer for all development that is located within the river corridor”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Zoning permit fees inside Derby Center village

  • Amounts not found in the bylaw; set by the selectboard.

  “904.11 fees for zoning permits shall be set by the selectboard.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permits for development inside Derby Center village, issued by the Town of Derby administrative officer

  • Permit must conform to the bylaws.
  • Site plan review by the development review board is required before permits for non-exempt uses; exempt are one- and two-family dwellings and agricultural uses as provided in 24 VSA ch. 117.

  “no land development may be commenced within the area affected by this bylaw without a permit issued by the administrative officer.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit inside Derby Center village
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Derby Center village
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Derby Center village
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Derby Center village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Derby Center 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.