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ADU Town Regulations

South Berwick, ME

Dec 12, 2023

Last Updated

About

South Berwick, Maine, is a historic town located near the New Hampshire border, offering a charming blend of small-town life and rich New England heritage. Known for its picturesque landscapes, the town is home to several preserved historical sites, including the Hamilton House and the Sarah Orne Jewett House, which provide a glimpse into its colonial past. South Berwick is also home to Berwick Academy, a private, co-educational university-preparatory day school founded in 1791. South Berwick’s friendly community, scenic parks, and proximity to both the coast and the Maine / New Hampshire Seacoast region make it an ideal location for outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs alike. The town population was 7,467 at the 2020 census.

ADU Rules

  • The Code Enforcement Officer shall approve the addition of one dwelling unit to an existing single-family dwelling. The additional unit, if proposed to be attached or stand alone on the property, shall comply must comply the following standards below.

  • The accessory dwelling unit shall not exceed 750 square feet of the total living area of the building and can be located within the existing building, attached to the existing building or stand-alone, provided all dimensional standards of the zone in which it is located can be met.

  • Either the principal or accessory unit shall be owner-occupied. Under this section, "owner-occupied" means that either the principal dwelling unit or the accessory apartment is occupied by a person who has a possessor interest in the real estate, who bears all or part of the economic risk of decline in the value of the real estate and who receives all or part of the remuneration, if any, derived from the lease or rental of the other dwelling unit.

  • Any request for an accessory dwelling unit shall conform to all provisions of the Maine State Plumbing Code and show proof of adequate water supply to serve the proposed unit, and no dwelling that is served by an on-site wastewater disposal system shall be modified to create an accessory dwelling unit until a site evaluation has been conducted by a licensed site evaluator which demonstrates that a new system can be installed to meet the disposal needs of the dwelling units or the existing system has adequate capacity for the proposed use.

  • The proposed accessory dwelling unit is not required to provide additional parking spaces for the unit.

  • An accessory dwelling unit is allowed on a lot that does not conform to the zoning ordinance, provided it does not further increase the nonconformity.

  • If the unit was built without approval from the Town, it must still be allowed, provided it meets the requirements for an accessory dwelling unit under the code.

  • When doing an ADU in the Shoreland Zone areas, Shoreland zoning standards shall apply.

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