Does Maine have zoning laws?
Over 450 Maine cities and towns have enacted shoreland zoning ordinances, 288 have additional separate zoning or other land use ordinances. More than 300 municipalities have adopted comprehensive plans that support their ordinances.
What are the zoning guidelines?
Zoning guidelines are statutorily enforceable guidelines used in the preparation of spatial plans such as Structure Plans and Local Plans as well as permitting of development. The second part of the document contains spatial planning standards.
What is RR zoning in Maine?
The RR Districts primarily allow agriculture, low-density residential and other low-density uses with the intent of maintaining significant amounts of open space and a generally rural character. Rural Residential District 1 (RR1).
Can you build on wetlands in Maine?
Answer: Yes. In recognition of the importance of the shorelands of Maine’s lakes, rivers, wetlands and the ocean to the state’s environment and economy, a Shoreland Zoning Act was first enacted in 1971.
What is considered shoreland zone in Maine?
The Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act permits a municipality to enact ordinances that regulate structures that extend or are located over the water or are placed on land lying between high and low waterlines or within wetlands.
What is zoning and land use permit?
The zoning ordinance establishes permitted land uses and distinguishes between different land use types. Further, it ensures that incompatible land uses are not located adjacent to one another.
What is shoreland zoning in Maine?
What is considered wetland in Maine?
Over five million acres of Maine’s wetlands are freshwater wetlands (wooded swamps, shrub swamps, bogs, freshwater meadows, freshwater marshes and floodplains). Only 157,500 acres are tidal or coastal wetlands (tidal flats, salt marsh, freshwater/brackish marsh, aquatic beds, beaches and reefs).
What is mandatory Shoreland zoning?
The Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act (MSZA) requires municipalities to adopt, administer, and enforce local ordinances that regulate land use activities in the shoreland zone. The shoreland zone is comprised of all land areas within 250 feet, horizontal distance, of the
What are the provisions of a municipal zoning ordinance?
A municipal zoning ordinance may provide for any form of zoning consistent with this chapter, subject to the following provisions. [PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. A, §45 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §10 (NEW).] 1. Public participation required. The public shall be given an adequate opportunity to be heard in the preparation of a zoning ordinance.
What is the purpose of the Maine Land Code?
The law protects water quality, limits erosion, conserves wildlife and vegetation, and preserves the natural beauty of Maine’s shoreland areas. A Handbook for Landowners
How close to a river can you build in Maine?
THE PURPOSE OF THIS HANDBOOK INTRODUCTION Most land uses within 250 feet of Maine’s rivers, wetlands, lakes, the ocean, and within 75 feet of certain streams are subject to the regulation of Maine’s Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act.