Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Woodstock, Vermont

Village of Woodstock’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside the Village of Woodstock

  • Text opened is the town-site copy of the regulations (replacing those adopted December 28, 1998); a later 2023 version and 2026 amendment drafts exist and were not opened, so verify current text.

  “these zoning regulations for the village of woodstock are hereby established.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Base and overlay districts inside the Village of Woodstock

  • Base districts: community, R3, R1, RL, RM, RH, RO, CC, CL, LC, Inn; overlays: conservation, flood hazard, design review, scenic ridgeline.
  • Official map is on file with the administrative officer.

  “the following base zoning districts are hereby established within the village of woodstock: 1. community co 2. residential three acre r3 3. residential one acre r1 4. residential low density rl 5. residential medium density rm 6. residential high density rh 7. residential/office ro 8. central commercial cc 9. commercial/light industrial cl 10. light commercial lc 11. inn in”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential Low Density (RL) district inside Woodstock village

  • Lot frontage minimum 75 feet
  • Other districts (R3, R1, RM, RH) have different limits

  minimum lot area: 20,000 sq ft per dwelling unit or two-family dwelling; 40,000 sq ft per three dwelling units

  “1. minimum lot area: 20,000 square feet per dwelling unit or two-family dwelling, 40,000 square feet per three dwelling units. 2. minimum lot frontage: 75 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential One Acre (R1) district inside Woodstock village

    “1. minimum lot area: one acre per dwelling unit or two-family dwelling. 2. minimum lot frontage: 75 feet or 50 feet along the perimeter of a cul-de-sac.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential Low Density (RL) district inside Woodstock village

  • Corner lots have two front yards per town permit page

  front: 50 ft from centerline of routes 4, 12, 106; 35 ft from street centerline · rear: >= 25 ft · side: >= 15 ft

  “3. minimum front setback: 50 feet from centerline of routes 4, 12, or 106 or 35 feet from street centerline. 4. minimum rear setback: 25 feet. 5. minimum side setback: 15 feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential Low Density (RL) district inside Woodstock village

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft

  “5. minimum side setback: 15 feet. 6. maximum building height: 35 feet. 7. parking requirements: (see section 517)”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Individual mobile homes inside Woodstock village

  • Treated as one- or two-family dwelling so district rules and permits apply; mobile home parks (3+ homes) are separately defined; district-by-district allowance not verified

  “c. for the purposes of administering these regulations, an individual mobile home is considered to be a one or two family dwelling.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Detached apartments inside Woodstock village

  • Conditional use permit in RL district
  • Counts as an additional family dwelling for density; no more than two dwelling units per lot unless conditional use approval for multi-family
  • 2026 amendments to conform to Vermont HOME Act are proposed and not reviewed

  maximum size: 900 sq ft or 33% of primary structure living area, whichever is larger

  “d. uses requiring a conditional use permit: 1. detached apartment. (see section 510)”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Agriculture use in RL district inside Woodstock village (zoning permit only)

  • Only zoning permit exemption; definition is raising crops and animal husbandry

  “b. uses not requiring a permit: 1. agriculture. 2. exempt home occupation (see section 514)”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land in RL district inside Woodstock village

  • Conditional use permit; see Section 612

  “d. uses requiring a conditional use permit: 1. detached apartment. (see section 510) 2. multi-family dwelling.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit applications inside Woodstock village

  • Site plan and building elevations required for new construction/exterior changes; design review district needs more detail

  “the community development and planning office is on the second floor of the woodstock town hall. only completed application will be considered.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Woodstock

Village of Woodstock 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

  Septic systems inside Woodstock village; the town's own permit page states state issuance

  • Effective July 1, 2007 per the page

  “effective july 1, 2007, permits for all septic systems, new and replacement, are issued by the vermont department of environmental conservation,wastewater management district.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic systems on lots inside Woodstock village needing a state permit

  • State septic application does not hold up the zoning permit, but construction cannot start until the town office has the state permit

  “applications requiring state septic permits will not hold up the zoning permit, but one cannot commence construction until the community development and planning office has received the state septic permit.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Woodstock village
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Woodstock village
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Woodstock village
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Woodstock village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Woodstock 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.