Permits

Because of the location of the house and the nature of the project, 5 different permit were necessary before demolition or construction could begin.  Unfortunately, most could not be done in parallel, so the process took about 6 month to complete.

  1. Building Permit: This was actually the last permit to be obtained because the Town of Riverhead required the other four permits to be submitted along with the Building Permit application.
  2. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC): Because the house is on the Long Island Sound, a “Letter of No Jurisdiction” was required from the DEC.
  3. Chapter 12: Because the house was situated <50 ft from the bluff, a Chapter 12 permit application was submitted to the Planning Department in the Town of Riverhead.
  4. Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA): The house is on a 1/2 acre lot but located in 2-acre zoning. So none of the setbacks conformed to this zoning.  Therefore, a variance was required from the ZBA for construction. We maintained the north, south, and east setbacks, while decreasing the west setback to 30 ft.  The presentation to the ZBA included both defense of the Ch 12 application and the ZBA application.
  5. Suffolk County Health Department: Because the house is new construction, a permit is required from the Health Department for the septic system.

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