TOWN OF RUSSIA, HERKIMER COUNTY

LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT PERMIT

INSTRUCTIONS

(3 pages)

When you will need a land use permit

Before you or your contractor begins work on your property, or you make any change in the present use of your land, you are required to submit an application and obtain a Land Use and Development Permit. Contingent upon where your property is located in the Town, you may also be required to obtain permits from the Adirondack Park Agency, and or Herkimer County. Dependent on the work you are planning, you may also be required by State law to submit a building permit application for approval by the Codes Enforcement Officer.

Here are some examples of the kind of work that will require a land use permit:

    • If you want to place or build on your property any new structures, such as a house, mobile home, garage, storage shed, patio, walkway, fence, etc.
    • If you plan to change the present land use, such as single family residential, to any other use, such as a business or home occupation, or hospitality accommodations (for example a bed and breakfast or motel), or to rent land or building space, etc.
    • If the work you are planning will affect drainage from your property or otherwise affect adjacent private or public land, roadways etc.
    • If you plan to make any alterations to your existing septic system.

If you have any questions, or are not sure if you are required to apply for a land use permit, please call the Zoning Administrator for more information

  1. How to obtain a Land Use Permit application form

You can obtain an application form from the Zoning Administrator.

  1. Filling out the Land Use Permit application form

Please complete all requested information handwritten legibly in ink, or typed. Take the time to do this properly; it will save time in processing your application. Fill out all information called for in the Description section, and add any notes that will help to describe the work you are planning to do. Be sure to provide dimensions in the Plot Diagram, as shown in the attached example. The application cannot be processed without this information

  1. After you have completed the application form

Send or deliver the form to the Zoning Administrator, together with the required fee.

If he has any questions or needs more information, he will get back to you – usually within a few days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. If the work you are proposing to do is permitted under the Town of Russia Land Use Regulation Law, you will be informed, usually within two weeks from the time the properly completed application is received by the Zoning Administrator. You will receive a copy of the application with the approval signature of the Zoning Administrator, and a permit that you are required to post at the work site, as long as the work is underway.

If the work is not permitted under the law, you will be informed of the decision, and the reasons for it. You can then make changes in your work plan to comply with the law, and resubmit the application. If this is not feasible, you can appeal the decision of the Zoning Administrator and apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance.

 

 

  • Important-Attach a copy of your Deed.
  • The Zoning Administrator reserves the right to request additional information from the applicant as he/she deems necessary.
  • The following page is a sample of how you must draw your plot plan and the information it must contain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT PERMIT INSTRUCTIONS

PLOT DIAGRAM (SAMPLE)

Existing structures:                                 New structures or installations:

Road centerline:                                  Property line:

Show all existing, and all proposed new or modified structures or installations. For each new structure or installation, show distance from nearest existing structures on the property, and setbacks ( shortest distance) from adjacent property lines and road centerlines. Show any other important site features on the diagram (for example, ditches, driveway, existing septic system, etc.) Attach a separate sheet if you need more space.

Number each new or modified structure or installation on the diagram and describe below.

No.

Use/Description

Length

Width

Height

Modifications

1

Existing House

50 ft

35 ft

 

 

2

Existing Garage

25 ft

25 ft

 

 

3

Proposed Addition

25 ft

25 ft

 

 

4

Existing Driveway