[squarpeg]

Regarding this line of questions you have posed. First let me say I am not sure how other towns work as I have only dealt with my town. About 15 years ago there were zoning laws that were passed in my town so I am not sure how things might be different in a town with no zoning.. I originally had a 10 acre piece of land. As a single "lot" I was allowed to build my residence on it and any out buildings, barns etc. I was also allowed to build one other dwelling that was considerably smaller then the main house. I can't recall what the square footage could be but basically something like a mother in law apartment, or maybe an apartment over a garage or a small stand alone cabin. I could not build a second large home on my property without legally subdividing it. So that is what I did. In my town they require a 2 acre piece of property to build on.( I know urban people will find that incredible. ) So I divided the lot. This required a survey, and a lawyer to write a new deed for my son. It also required a septic design to be done, actually a septic design is NOT required to sell land but then it is written in the deed that the land is not build-able till resolved. I had no trouble but I do recall there were rules about being deemed a development. I do not recall how that was classified but lets say I wanted to divide it into 5 lots and put homes on that. In vermont this would be a nightmare as you would have the state in there requiring all kinds of eco studies and then, telling you had to upgrade the road etc. You would never do it.

[Isabella Tiger Moth]

Thank you! I've been interested in learning about subdividing land and have found in other state forums that it can be very tricky to do (if allowed at all). Someone in this forum made a comment once that the regulations in NY (my other choice for a place to live since it's closer to my parents and sister) can be more cumbersome than in NY, so I wanted some perspective. Yours has been invaluable!!

[Isabella Tiger Moth]

Originally Posted by Crashj007

Speaking of Spring, did anyone mention the mud?

Lol. Oh, boy, have I heard about the mud!

Thank you for your reply. Now I know where my husband's winter cap (North Face) gets its name.

[arctichomesteader]

FWIW, in my town where there's no zoning, basically no one cares what you do. There's a young family living on a 10 acre lot right in the village area in a trailer and tent while building their house (which is going very slowly I'll add). My neighbor built a cabin back in the woods a bit and no one even knows it's there yet. Guy up the road built a house, never pulled any permits as the town has none. Same for me. The only permit is a septic permit from the state, if you put one in. No one cares in my town if you live with an outhouse instead but I do recommend getting plumbing. Get land that has a permit already in place if you can. Now I doubt you'd find that situation in the parts of VT close to Albany, NY but there are some towns with no zoning that way or so I hear. Local attitude of the town is a big deal though. The town next to mine has crazy strict zoning, and busybodies on the prowl looking for people to report, so forget even building a shed without a permit there. Totally different place just 10 miles away.

[joe moving]

somewhere i read about the accessory dwelling being max 30% of the size of the main house. But it turns out the law says that towns have to allow at LEAST 30% not at most 30% (my understanding, at least - I think some exceptions apply). when i went to the town for permit they said they didn't really care how big it is...

Vermont Laws

[Isabella Tiger Moth]

Thank you both! I have to admit, VT's sounding better all the time.