600 sf shed on ag lot

[nanasohana]

Thinking about building 600 sf shed on ag lot. Understand no permit needed, but will Helco hook up service to shed?

[lquade]

helco will hook up temporary service if a permit is on file with the county...one of those catch 22's...

[Rob Tucker]

You might require at least an electrical permit. I am not aware of any code saying an AG building cannot have power. You may need to inform the tax division of the improvement on the property for valuation. Then there is the conundrum of AG zoning.... is it being used (and taxed) as AG land? They had to come onto my farm and observe the farming operation to approve the AG designation for tax purposes.

Very weird the way this county tries to deal with the mess it created fifty years ago.

[nanasohana]

I was thinking perhaps I would need an electric permit pulled.

[Rob Tucker]

Usually the building department relates an electrical permit to and existing structure or a permit for a structure. Since no permit is required for the AG building you propose you probably need to make sure that they recognize your 600 sf structure as AG w/o permit requirement. I will guess that they will only waive the permit for an Ag structure if agricultural efforts are demonstrably underway. I don't think AG zoning is enough for them. That is why I suggest you kinda backdoor building and safety through the tax department. If the tax records show a 600 sf AG shed on the property (there is a plot map in the records) then I believe in the eyes of the building department it would become an "existing structure"....

Make sure set back requirements are followed. It may be that a "no permit required" AG shed might still require at least a floor plan, an application and a plot plan which is approved by, at least, the planning department.

The whole "no permit required" is a sketchy thing with the county.

[Seeb]

Having it on the tax roll so you can prove its prexisting if they change the rules is a good idea.
as for whats allowed, you have to turn it around and figure what could they write a ticket that would stick for. If you ask permision the anwser will be no unless your paying a fee

[kalakoa]

State grants outright permission for certain Ag structures in Ag zoning and use; see HR2646.

Supposedly there is a Helco rate for Ag power which they will install to "any suitable fixed object" (like a shipping container). Rate is "high commercial", which is approximately equal to "temporary".

I'm not a lawyer, but my read of the relevant Code suggests that no electrical permits are required unless some "wiring" takes place; no license/permit is required to "plug things in", nor to work on anything which is "connected by cord and plug" -- extension cords are just fine, because you don't make them yourself, and they're (theoretically) protected by the proper grounding/circuit breakers/etc that were installed by the licensed electrician.

[YurtGirl]

I was told by the county building department that for the accessory structure, no plumbing nor electric is allowed to be installed in the structure. So for storage only as far as they are concerned. You can do what you like with extension cords, but no permanent wiring nor plumbing should be in the accessory structure if you want to get away with no permits. And a permitted residential structure must be on the property in order to comply.

Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973