2023 Maine Revised Statutes › TITLE 30-A: MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES › Part 2: MUNICIPALITIES › Subpart 6: REGULATION, LICENSES AND PERMITS › Chapter 185: REGULATION OF CONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENTS › Subchapter 1: REGULATION OF BUILDINGS › 30-A §4103. Permits

§4103. Permits
The provisions of this section apply to any ordinance described in section 4101.   [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
1.  Applicability.
The provisions of the ordinance which pertain to buildings apply equally to all structures, including wharves, piers and pilings and parts of them.
[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
2.  Licensing authority.
The building official is the licensing authority unless otherwise provided by the municipality.
[RR 2007, c. 2, §13 (COR).]
3.  Application; issuance of permit.
An application for a permit must be in writing and shall be signed by the applicant and directed to the licensing authority. The failure of the licensing authority to issue a written notice of its decision, directed to the applicant, within 30 days from the date when the application is filed, constitutes a refusal of the permit.
A. The licensing authority may not issue any permit for a building or use for which the applicant is required to obtain a license under Title 38, section 413, until the applicant has obtained that license.   [PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. A, §39 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
B. The licensing authority may not issue any permit for a building or use within a subdivision, as defined in section 4401, subsection 4, unless that subdivision has been approved in accordance with chapter 187, subchapter IV.   [PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. A, §39 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
C. The licensing authority may not issue a permit for installation of a mobile home previously installed in another municipality until the mobile home owner provides proof of payment of all property taxes on that mobile home in the municipality where the home was formerly located.   [PL 1993, c. 143, §1 (NEW).]
D. The licensing authority may not issue a permit for a building or use for which the applicant is required to obtain a driveway or entrance or traffic movement permit under Title 23, section 704 or 704‑A until the applicant has obtained that permit from the Department of Transportation.   [PL 2003, c. 363, §6 (NEW).]
[PL 2003, c. 363, §6 (AMD).]
4.  Powers and duties of enforcement officers.
Ordinances defining the duties of the building official and other enforcement officers, not contrary to Title 25, chapter 313, may be enacted under a municipality's home rule authority. All enforcement officers designated by ordinance must be given free access at reasonable hours to all parts of buildings regulated by ordinance.
[RR 2007, c. 2, §14 (COR).]
5.  Appeal to municipal officers or board of appeals.
An appeal may be taken from any order issued by the building official, or from the licensing authority's refusal to grant a permit, to the municipal officers or to a board of appeals established under section 2691. If a municipality has by ordinance required that all such appeals be taken to a board of appeals, the procedure must be the same as in appeals directed to the municipal officers, unless the municipality has provided otherwise.
A. On an appeal in writing to the municipal officers, they shall at their next meeting affirm, modify or set aside the decision of the building official or licensing authority according to the terms of the pertinent ordinance.
(1) The municipal officers may permit a variance from the terms of an ordinance when necessary to avoid undue hardship, provided there is no substantial departure from the intent of the ordinance.
(2) The municipal officers may permit an exception to an ordinance only when the terms of the exception have been specifically set forth by the municipality.   [RR 2007, c. 2, §15 (COR).]
B. The failure of the municipal officers to issue a written notice of their decision, directed to the appellant, within 30 days after the appeal is filed, constitutes a denial of the appeal.   [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
[RR 2007, c. 2, §15 (COR).]
6.  Appeal to Superior Court.
An appeal may be taken from the decision of the municipal officers or the board of appeals as provided in section 2691, subsection 3, paragraph G.
[PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. A, §40 (RPR); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1987, c. 737, §§A2,C106 (NEW). PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 104, §§A39,A40,C8 C10 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 143, §1 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 363, §6 (AMD). RR 2007, c. 2, §§13-15 (COR).