CHARLESTOWN PLANNING & ZONING

BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS

            No building or other structures shall be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered or use of land be changed without a permit.  No permit shall be issued except in conformity with the provisions of the ordinance, as required by the application. If the building site is in the Historic District, the Historic District Commission may require a certificate of appropriateness.

            Building permits shall expire one (1) year from the date of issue if work has NOT BEGUN.  If the work described has not been COMPLETED within two (2) years, the permit shall expire.

            Failure to obtain an approved permit before starting construction is a violation of Article 10, Section 4 of the Zoning Ordinance.  This is a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of not more than $100.00 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, each day the violation continues.

            As quoted from Chapter 175-1 of the Town Code:  “STRUCTURE – includes, without limitation, buildings, patios/decks/porches, garages, carports, sheds, shelters, gazebos, greenhouses, stadiums, reviewing stands, platforms, stages, observation towers, radio and television towers, water tanks and towers, trestles, piers, wharves, bulkheads, kennels, swimming pools, fences, paving, grading, land formations, driveways, parking lots and graveled areas.”

TYPES OF BUILDING PERMITS:

Minor Building Permit  Fee - $20.00 ($100.00 after work starts)

            This application is for a permit for construction, without limitation, of the following (list is not all inclusive):  storage sheds, fences, major landscaping, above-ground swimming pools, relocation and/or addition of siding, windows or doors (as applicable), change type of driveway surface

(some minor permits must be reviewed by the Charlestown Planning & Zoning meeting, which is held on the 1st Tuesday of every month. Individuals, or their representative, with a permit on the agenda must attend the meeting.)

Major Building Permit  Fee - $50.00 ($250.00 after work starts)

            This application is for a permit for construction, without limitation, of the following (list is not all inclusive):  houses, garages, buildings, room additions, in-ground swimming pools, decks/patios/porches (and/or enclosing thereof)

(all major permits also subject to county approval & permit & must be submitted at least two (2) weeks prior  to the scheduled Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, which is the 1^st Tuesday of each month)

1. For all permits:
   1. Complete appropriate building permit application
      1. need to list all work and/or structures being built (including decks, patios, porches, driveway, sidewalks, etc.)
   2. (4) copies of site plan (5 copies if commercial bldg) drawn to scale with scale indicated on drawing and need to show:
      1. all lot lines for entire property and dimensions
      2. the primary street at the bottom of the drawing
      3. dimensions of all existing structures
      4. dimensions of all proposed structures
      5. setbacks of all structures in steps 3 &4 above
         1. setbacks need to be measured from the closest point to the closest point (see site plan examples attached)
      6. note the following calculations on the site plan
         1. total square footage of the lot
         2. total impervious surface square footage and percentage (figures to include square footage of all existing and proposed structures
      7. if required, show limit of clearance/disturbance
      8. NEED TO SHOW LOCATION(S) OF ANY/ALL TREES TO BE REMOVED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE STRUCTURE(S) THIS BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION IS FOR
      9. if the lot, or part of the lot, is within the 100 ft. Critical Area buffer, need to show where the 100 ft. buffer line is on the lot
      10. if the lot, or part of the lot, is in Floodplain A13 zone, site plan/survey will need to show floodplain elevation(s) for proposed structure(s) and elevation certificate required
   3. (4) copies of building drawings [5 copies if commercial building] (if deck is to be constructed and not shown on primary building drawings, will need to submit separate set of drawings for deck)
   4. Building permit fee is to be paid at the time of submittal.
   5. Approval of permit:
      1. Preliminary approval
         1. all major permits and some minor permits will first receive preliminary approval from Planning & Zoning Commission
            1. water and/or sewer connection fees must be paid at this time
            2. applicant then gets county approval and permit
            3. after receiving county permit, return entire packet to the Town for final approval
      2. Final approval
         1. all permits must receive final approval
            1. at this time, application will contain any further qualifications/conditions required and/or applicant will execute any other certifications required by the Town
               1. for example:  at the foundation/footer stage, as-built drawing or full-blown survey, as stated in permit, must be done and reviewed by Town before proceeding with further construction