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

Town of Wallingford’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Wallingford town limits, administered by the Town of Wallingford zoning administrator and Development Review Board.

  • Regulations take effect on voter approval; the document is Version 29.1 dated 5 August 2024, and the planning page lists the zoning districts and maps as separate documents.

  “wallingford is hereby divided into the following zoning districts.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Wallingford town limits.

  • Districts named in section 301: forest and recreation (FR); agricultural and rural residential (ARR); residential (R, formerly R15); multiple residential (MR); neighborhood commercial (NC); industrial (IN). Boundaries are on the official zoning maps (section 302); the planning page lists 2015 zoning district maps.

  “wallingford is hereby divided into the following zoning districts. forest and recreation - fr agricultural and rural residential - arr residential - r (formerly r15) multiple residential - mr neighborhood commercial - nc industrial - in”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural and rural residential (ARR) district, section 502, inside Wallingford town.

  • Lot area depends on access to municipal services: the * row applies to sites with access to municipal services (water and/or sewer); the ** row applies to sites without access to municipal services (water and/or sewer).

  minimum lot area (sites with municipal water and/or sewer): 1 acre (sites with access to municipal services (water and/or sewer)) · minimum lot area (sites without municipal water or sewer): 2 acre (site without access to municipal services (water and/or sewer))

  “residential* lot area 1 acre lot front width 150 feet lot rear width 50 feet lot depth 150 feet residential** 2 acres 150 feet 50 feet 150 feet non-residential 2 acres”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural and rural residential (ARR) district, section 502, inside Wallingford town.

  • The * row applies to sites with access to municipal services (water and/or sewer); the ** row applies to sites without access to municipal services (water and/or sewer).

  front setback (municipal services): 50 feet (sites with access to municipal services) · front setback (no municipal services): 100 feet (site without access to municipal services) · rear setback (municipal services): 30 feet (sites with access to municipal services) · rear setback (no municipal services): 50 feet (site without access to municipal services) · side setback (each side): 30 feet (both municipal-service and no-service sites)

  “residential* residential** front 50 feet 100 feet rear 30 feet 50 feet side(s) 30 feet each side 30 feet each side”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural and rural residential (ARR) district, section 502, inside Wallingford town. The same height maximum text appears in the forest and recreation section 501.

  • No height limitations for agricultural use.
  • Telecommunications and renewable energy generation facilities: 75 feet, or 100 feet as reviewed and approved by the Development Review Board.

  maximum building height: <= 38 feet (whichever is less than 3 stories; no height limitation for agricultural use) · maximum stories: <= 3 stories (whichever is less than 38 feet)

  “height maximum: 3 stories or 38 feet, whichever is less. no height limitations for agricultural use.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Trailer or recreational campground use inside Wallingford town (section 802). This section does not address an RV parked on private residential land.

  • Each trailer or recreational campground must comply with applicable state of Vermont requirements and the town's section 802 standards.
  • Minimum campground size 10 acres; minimum 1,500 square feet per trailer or recreational camping unit; 20 feet clearance between units; 100 feet from the traveled portion of a public highway; 50 feet from side and rear boundaries.

  minimum campground size: >= 10 acres · minimum lot size per trailer or recreational unit: >= 1500 square feet

  “each recreational campground must be a minimum of 10 acres in size.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Residential (R) district, section 503, inside Wallingford town: mobile homes as a permitted use with administrative permit.

  • Permitted with an administrative permit issued by the zoning administrator; the same permitted-use list appears in the agricultural and rural residential district (section 502) and multiple residential district (section 504).

  “section 503 - residential (r) (formerly r-15) 1. the following uses are permitted with administrative permit issued by zoning administrator: 1-family dwelling; 2-family dwelling; mobile home;”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units inside Wallingford town, as defined in the zoning regulations' definitions (section 201).

  • Compliance with all of: a) sufficient wastewater capacity; and b) the unit does not exceed 30 percent of the total habitable floor or 900 square feet, whichever is greater.
  • An accessory dwelling unit that is rented is a public building subject to fire and building codes.

  maximum unit size: <= 30 percent of total habitable floor area (or 900 square feet, whichever is greater)

  “provided there is compliance with all the following a) the property has sufficient wastewater capacity; and b) the unit does not exceed 30 percent of the total habitable floor or 900 square feet, whichever is greater. an adu shall be considered a public building if it is rented, and therefore subject to fire and building codes.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Accepted agricultural practices and uses inside Wallingford town.

  • Town zoning does not regulate accepted agricultural practices and uses regulated under and defined by the cited Vermont statutes; other uses remain subject to town zoning.

  “no regulation of accepted agricultural practices and uses that are regulated under and defined by 10 v.s.a. §§ 1021(f) and 1259(f) and 6 v.s.a. § 4810.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Wallingford town.

  • Separate subdivision zoning regulations exist; the planning page lists 1-4 lot minor subdivision and 5+ lot subdivision applications. The subdivision regulations document itself was not opened.

  “approved flood hazard area regulations approved subdivision zoning regulations town plan adopted june 4, 2018”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Wallingford town.

  • Requires a conditional use permit from the Development Review Board, except where permitted.
  • Subject to Vermont statutes on short-term rentals.

  “short-term rentals (air bnbs, etc.,) except where permitted, require a conditional use permit upon approval by the development review board. short-term rentals are subject to vermont statutes pertaining to short-term rentals.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning permits inside Wallingford town.

  • The planning page lists a zoning fee schedule adopted May 4, 2020; the fee schedule document itself was not opened, so amounts are not recorded here.

  “zoning permit application revised 2015 zoning fee schedule adopted may 4, 2020”

• Permit processPublished

  Zoning permits inside Wallingford town.

  • The town publishes a guide to zoning permits, a zoning permit requirements FAQ, and a zoning permit application; the guide and FAQ were not opened.

  “guide to zoning permits appeal of zoning administrator’s decision form driveway access permit driveway access policy faq zoning permit requirements flood hazard area permit application”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Wallingford town.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Wallingford town.
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Wallingford town.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Wallingford town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Wallingford 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 Wallingford 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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