Plain-English answers to common homeowner questions, taken from Wells's published ordinances, with every rule linked to the section it comes from.
Last reviewed
Burn Permits & Backyard Fires According to the Wells Fire Department's Outdoor Burning web page (town guidance, not an ordinance), you need a permit for all outdoor burning, applied for online. Attended burning is allowed only on Class 1 and 2 days, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Beach fires are allowed only on Moody Beach, with a permit, from 5 to 11:30 p.m.Allowed with a permit
Home-Based Businesses Yes, with a building permit and use permit from the Code Enforcement Officer. According to the Code Enforcement Office's Home Occupation packet, a town handout that reprints Land Use Ordinance §145-51 (we couldn't review the current ordinance itself), there are three classes of home business. The smallest, Class 1, stays inside the house, uses no more than 20% of the living space (500 sq ft max), and can have one non-resident employee.Allowed with a permit
Swimming Pools According to the Code Enforcement Office's pool brochure (town guidance, not ordinance text), you need a permit from the Wells Code Enforcement Office. The brochure lists the single-family fee as $140 plus $5 per $1,000 of pool cost; confirm the current fee with the town. The pool must meet the 2021 International Residential Code and pass a final inspection before anyone uses it.Allowed with a permit
We couldn't download Wells's ordinance text for the other 7 topics yet, so we don't cover them rather than guess.