Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Auburn, Maine

Auburn’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Auburn city limits; Chapter 60 Zoning of the Auburn Code of Ordinances

  • Chapter 60 is under active amendment (LD 1829/2173 workshop, Aug 11, 2026); packet text is a Municode extract dated 2026-04-10 (supp. no. 34)
  • Uses not designated are prohibited except lawfully existing nonconforming ones

  “in the zoning districts specified in this article and in article xii of this chapter, the designated buildings and alterations and extensions thereof and buildings accessory thereto and the designated uses of land, of buildings and of parts of land or buildings and the uses accessory thereto are permitted.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  One-family detached dwellings inside Auburn city (definition, not district-specific)

  • Accessory dwelling units have a separate 190 sq ft minimum
  • Amendments to Sec. 60-2 under workshop in Aug 2026

  minimum one-family detached dwelling size: >= 400 sq ft above grade

  “each one family detached dwelling unit must be at least 400 square feet above grade in size”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Building permit fee exclusion for new agricultural buildings inside Auburn city

  • Excludes only the building permit fee, not clearly the permit itself
  • Exclusion does not apply to marijuana (cannabis)
  • Applies to buildings for storage of crops or housing of livestock

  “*new construction for agricultural building for the storage of crops, housing of livestock are excluded from the building permit fees. this exclusion does not apply to marijuana (cannabis).”

• Permit processPublished

  Permit applications inside Auburn city via SmartGov portal

  • Applications returned to departments at Auburn Hall, 60 Court Street

  “welcome to auburn's online customer permit portal for submitting and managing all your permits in one place, smartgov !”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Auburn or Androscoggin County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Auburn city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Auburn city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Auburn city
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts inside Auburn city
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size by district inside Auburn city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Auburn means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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