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

Town of Reading’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Land development, including building construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation, enlargement, or change/extension of use, inside Reading town.

  • Development specifically exempted by the ordinance is excepted.

  “A zoning permit issued by the Zoning Administrator shall be required for any Land Development”

• InspectionsLimited

  Certificate-of-occupancy applications for development in Reading Special Flood Hazard Areas or River Corridors.

  • The inspection is tied to a certificate-of-occupancy application in a Special Flood Hazard Area or River Corridor.
  • parameters not applicable.

  “Within 14 days of the receipt of the application for a certificate of occupancy, the ZA shall inspect the premises to ensure that all required permits have been acquired and that all work has been completed in conformance with the zoning permit and associated approvals.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Use or occupancy of land or structures created, erected, changed, converted, altered, or enlarged within Reading Special Flood Hazard Areas or River Corridors.

  • A residential or commercial certificate cannot issue until the applicant provides the Town a RBES or CBES compliance certificate for recording.
  • Existing structures built in compliance with prior bylaws and not improved since adoption of this bylaw do not require a certificate of occupancy.

  “until a certificate of occupancy is issued therefore by the Zoning Administrator”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Reading town, Vermont.

  • The ordinance became effective February 3, 2025, following Selectboard adoption on January 13, 2025.

  “there is established the Town of Reading Zoning Ordinance”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Reading town.

  • Official zoning maps are located in the Town Office and control the current status of district boundaries.

  “the Town of Reading is divided into the following districts as shown on the Town’s Zoning Maps”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential/Conservation 25 (RC-25) district inside Reading town.

  • Front-yard setbacks are measured from the center of the traveled portion of the roadway.
  • Handicap-accessibility ramps require a permit but are exempt from setback requirements and must be removed when no longer needed if they violate a property-line setback.

  front setback: 50 ft (RC-25 district; measured from center of traveled roadway) · side setback: 25 ft (RC-25 district) · rear setback: 25 ft (RC-25 district)

  “Minimum Frontage 400 feet 50 ft 25 ft 25 ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural Residential 10 (RR-10) district inside Reading town.

    “Minimum Frontage 200 feet 50 ft 25 ft 25 ft”

• Camping on your landAllowed

  Seasonal camps in the Rural Residential 10 (RR-10) district inside Reading town.

  • This claim concerns the listed permitted seasonal-camp use in RR-10; other requirements of the ordinance and applicable State wastewater requirements remain applicable.

  “PERMITTED USES CONDITIONAL USES Accessory Dwelling Unit Bed & Breakfast (more than 3 bedrooms) Accessory On Farm Business* Child Care Facility (serving more than 6 children full time and more than 4 part time) Accessory Structures and Uses Essential Services Bed & Breakfast (up to 3 bedrooms) Forestry Product Processing Camp (Seasonal) Home-based Business”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  New residential manufactured-home placement or use in Reading Special Flood Hazard Areas and River Corridors.

  • The restriction is limited to the designated flood-hazard areas; the ordinance separately regulates other districts and uses.

  “New residential structures (including the placement of manufactured homes) or uses;”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units in all Reading zoning districts.

  • The ADU must be within or appurtenant to a single-household dwelling.
  • Only one ADU is allowed per lot.
  • The owner may occupy either the principal dwelling or ADU.
  • Applicable flood-hazard and district dimensional requirements must be met.

  “shall be considered a permitted use in all districts”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural activities in Reading flood-hazard areas.

  • Activities must be conducted in accordance with the Vermont Department of Agriculture Required Agricultural Practices.
  • Before constructing farm structures, the farmer must notify the Zoning Administrator in writing and include a sketch with setbacks.

  “Agricultural activities conducted in accordance with the Vermont Department of Agriculture’s Required Agricultural Practices (RAP).”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Reading town, including lot-line adjustments.

  • A subdivision requires a zoning permit and approval before land development begins.
  • Applicants must identify and obtain any required State permits.
  • The ordinance distinguishes lot-line adjustments, minor two-lot subdivisions, and major multi-lot subdivisions.

  “Any proposed subdivision of land requires a zoning permit”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways and curb cuts serving lots inside Reading town.

  • Individual-lot driveways must comply with VTrans Standard B-71 as most recently amended.
  • Town-highway curb cuts require Reading Selectboard approval; State-highway curb cuts require VTrans approval.
  • No driveway or highway access point may be within 50 feet of a street-line intersection.

  minimum distance from street-line intersection: >= 50 ft (Driveway or highway access point)

  “No driveway or highway access point shall be located within fifty (50) feet of a street line intersection.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in Reading River Corridors and Special Flood Hazard Areas.

  • Conditional-use, nonconforming-use, or variance approvals required by the flood regulations must be obtained before the ZA issues the permit.
  • Other necessary Vermont or Federal permits must be received before work begins.
  • New structures, storage, and fill are prohibited in the listed hazard-area table; particular development may be permitted, conditional, or exempt.

  “A permit is required from the Zoning Administrator for all development in all areas defined in Section 5.5.4.”

• Permit processPartial

  Subdivision permit applications inside Reading town.

  • Lot-line-adjustment applications require a complete application, applicable fees, and a survey plat.
  • Minor-subdivision applications additionally require specified municipal and State documentation, including wastewater/potable-water permit materials when applicable.

  subdivision plat recording deadline: 180 days (After subdivision approval; the ZA may extend an additional 90 days when required local or State permits or approvals remain pending.)

  “Within 180 days of any subdivision approval, the applicant shall submit a survey plat”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Reading

Town of Reading does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal systems and related water supply systems inside Reading town.

  • The State permit requirement applies to uses requiring approval under State on-site sewage-disposal regulations, including seasonal camps.

  “a State Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply permit must be obtained”

• Septic permitRequired

  Uses inside Reading requiring State on-site sewage-disposal approval, including seasonal camps.

  • The State Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply permit must be obtained before construction of structures or initiation of use associated with the wastewater and water-supply system.

  “prior to the commencement of construction of any structures”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders constructing residences inside Reading town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for land inside Reading town, Vermont.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Reading town.
• Lot coverage — Land inside Reading town.
• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy in a recreational vehicle on private land inside Reading 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 Reading 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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