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mrgoodwrench9970
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2020 10:24pm
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hello ..i am currently looking purchase 8 acres in northern vermont and to build a seasonal 14x24 cabin in a town that has no zoning requirements .i already contacted the town hall and explained what i wanted to build they basically said they have no zoning ..."you can do what you want" ...other than if i want to have running water and toilet i have to follow vt state guidelines as far as septic and potable water ...so does this mean i can build a cabin on permanent foundation of any size as long as i dont require the use of septic system? i am going to build cabin up to state codes although i dont have to but i want it to be safe ..i may eventually in the long term may want to go to year round living . basically i want to know before purchase of the land is does this allow me to just go in and build without breaking the law ...what is considered primitive camp? is a seasonal cabin the same ?..the town did advise me the only permit required is a driveway permit..
can i use rain harvest for water supply(as long as i have enough storage supply) if i decide to put in septic? current plans are to run off generator .. would like to be off grid as much as possible ..this is long term goal and eventually adding solar power
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redneckpaul
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2020 11:43pm
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If the say...."you can do what you want"...go in and do what you want!
Putting in a septic might open it up to inspections.
Put your cabin in the middle of the 8 acres, keep a small footprint and low profile.
Put in a outhouse and disguise it as a "storage shed".
That's my opinion FWIW.
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Princelake
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2020 06:52am
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Where I'm building it's basically the same. I'm building with no permit but I'm still going to build as if it were getting inspected. All I need is someone falling over a railing that is below code and sue me. Then with septic I dug and built my outhouse to district standards but no permit needed. Grey water does need a permit and I have the specs and options and they are pretty basic and easy to follow so it may not be as bad as you think
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lburners
Member
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2020 09:10am
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I think you are good to build what you want for a "Seasonal" cabin which gives you like 3 weeks or something you can legally stay there per year. To have an actual residence it requires State approved water and septic. You can find all this info on the VT state website but it takes some decent digging around.
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mrgoodwrench9970
Member
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2020 10:04am
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I pretty much found everything regarding septic and water permit .I didn't know if there are regulations on season camp cabin size or if it can be mounted on permanent foundation
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 7 Feb 2020 06:12pm
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Just because it's an outhouse didn't mean you need to poop into the ground. Make the "shed" on skids and use a holding tank.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 9 Feb 2020 08:02am
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Zoning, permits, codes and inspections are all separate things. The questions you ask here should be questions you ask the town/county.
Why would the town care how much rainwater supply you have?
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JDH83VT
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2020 10:28am
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We're in the southern part of Vermont, but ran into the same circumstances when preparing to build. The seller had done a little of the leg work and made sure that it would be legal to build a camp on the property prior to listing.
This isn't verbatim because I don't have the paperwork in front of me, but the document I was given listed the following stipulations (I believe they also recorded in the deed):
-Due to the terrain and soil conditions, it would have to be a "primitive camp".
-Their only definition of primitive camp was that there be "no interior plumbing consisting of more than a sink with water".
-It shall be no larger than 24' x 36'.
-The camp shall not be occupied more than (3) consecutive weeks per year or (60) total days per year.
There were no rules regarding foundation type or rainwater.
I did speak with someone from the town office before getting started and he kind of laughed off the list of rules. He told me not to worry, nobody would be coming out to count the days I spend at my property and then remarked "the only one who really gives a crap what you do up there is the tax man". I had a laugh over that statement, but it has proven to be 100% accurate.
Good luck with your build!
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