Planning & Zoning Regulations
Below are the Subdivision of Land and Zoning Ordinances. To view the code, click on each link below:
General Information
All zoning/building permits must be submitted by the Friday before to the Historic District Commission Meeting date.
If you live in Cool Springs at Charlestown or Trinity Woods Preserve, an approval letter is needed from the Homeowners Association before a permit with the Town can be approved.
No building or other structure 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.
Zoning/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 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 Zoning/Building Permits
MINOR Zoning/Building Permit Fee – $20 ($100 after work starts)
This application is a permit for construction, without limitation, of the following (list is not all inclusive):
Fences
Tree Removal
Major Landscaping
Relocation and/or addition of siding, windows or doors (as applicable)
Roof or siding repair
Change type of driveway surface
MAJOR Zoning/Building Permit Fee – $50 ($250 after work starts)
This application is a permit for construction, with limitation, of the following (list is not all inclusive):
New Dwellings
Garages/Sheds
Additions
Above Ground and In-Ground Swimming Pools
Decks/Patios/Porches and/or enclosing thereof
Rooftop Solar
Interior Renovations
Demolition
Major permits, and some minor permits, will be reviewed by the Charlestown Planning and Zoning Commission. Those meetings are held on the 1st Thursday after the 1st Tuesday of every month. Permits must be submitted by the Friday before the meeting date. Individuals, or their representative, with a permit on the agenda may attend the meeting.