Town of Bristol
6740 County Road #32
Canandaigua, New York
14424
Phone: (585) 229-2400
The Town of Bristol
Town Hall hours:
Monday thru Friday
8:00 a.m. - 12:00
1:00 p.m. - 4:30



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Bristol Code Enforcement Office


Welcome to the Bristol Code enforcement page. As this page matures, we will be bringing you information to assist in answering your questions about our town's zoning codes and regulations.



Peter Wojtas
Bristol Code Enforcement Officer


Office hours:
Monday thru Friday
9:30 am to 1:30 pm


Phone: (585) 229-2440

E-mail address: brcodes@rochester.rr.com




BUILDING PERMIT PROCEDURES

To view an explanation of the procedures for building permit applications, Click HERE. You will find a fairly detailed description of the process. For any questions not answered on that page, contact the Bristol CEO at (585) 229-2400.

Also, there is a pretty good guide to what activities require building permits on the CEO messages page that was exerpted from the 2005 town newsletter. Click HERE to access that page.


ZONING FORMS

The following is a listing of some of the forms required by the zoning regulations of the Town of Bristol. Any assistance or questions regarding these forms should be directed to the Bristol CEO, (See above for contact information):

  • Area Variance Request Form - Click HERE.
  • Use Variance Request Form - Click HERE.
  • Administrative Appeal Form - Click HERE.
  • Application For a Building Permit - click HERE.




Bristol Zoning: So, How do you get that variance?

Patti Giordano, ZBA Chair
(From the 2007 newsletter)


There are many Zoning Codes that are set up by the Town that regulate how our town will look. Zoning codes plan where farming, industry and residential areas will occur in the town. They protect Bristol residents from having their neighborhood character adversely affected from an undesireable use of nearby properties.

It is a common misconception that the Zoning Board is the creator of regulations. The Zoning Board does not create any of the laws or regulations for building and property use. These laws are created by other Town Boards.

So, what exactly does the Zoning Board do? When a Bristol resident wants to do something with their property that is outside the existing regulations, they must take their case to the Zoning Board; they must request a use or area variance. A variance is official permission to "vary" from the existing law. The most common variance requests that the Zoning Board gets deal with setbacks, or how far back from the property line houses or outbuildings should be, and the uses allowed in various zones.

It is another misconception that the Zoning Board uses a combination of a rather elusive skill set to decide whether to grant the variance. Some think that the basis for decisions include good judgement, terrible judgement, personal opinion, family influence, fancy design tastes, and examples from other towns ...... just to cover the short list. nothing could be further from the truth.

The Zoning Board is given a 4-5 point criteria from the State of New York that outlines what qualifications must exist for a zoning variance to be granted. Then potential impact on the environment must be measured. It is the job of the Zoning Board to evaluate the information supplied by the applicant and determine if the 4-5 points in the criteria are satisfied. Only if the applicant meets the criteria, and passes the environmental assessment will a variance be granted. Easy and clear decisions? No, definitely not! We work hard to make sure that all are served in the best way possible. It is a challenging process for the Zoning Board to consider all facts and make the best decision for the towm.

If you ever find yourself preparing to request a zoning variance, the decision criteria that we use appears on your application. Environmental assessment forms are included where required. So often applications are partially filled out, or vague and unclear. Fill them out thoroughly and completely. Put thought into consistant and clear information. You are giving us the tools to determine whether you meet the criteria for a variance. We can't do our best work for you without quality information.

The Zoning Board of Appeals meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Bristol Town Hall at 7 pm. Come just to listen, or bring feedback on current applications. All are welcomed to join us.




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