Mining Information

The Town has created this page as an informational resource for residents. Here, we hope you will find the answers to your questions about the mines in Plattsburgh and the authority of the Town to regulate mining activity.

The Plattsburgh Quarry has been operating in the Town of Plattsburgh since the 1950’s and received their first NYS Mining Permit in 1975 after the State of New York passed Title 27: New York State Mined Land Reclamation Law. This law required oversight of mining practice by the State, and required mines to have reclamation plans. The Plattsburgh Quarry primarily extracts limestone. The current owner of the quarry, Upstone Materials, owns several other mining and materials operations in the North Country.

Town of Plattsburgh Zoning District	Site Plan Review of Mining	Special Use Permit Review of Mining
R-2/Residential		X
R-5/Residential		X
A-2/Airport 2		X
2023 ZONING MAP

NYS Mined Land Reclamation Law preempts local jurisdiction over mining methods and practices. However, the Town of Plattsburgh Planning Board has the authority to administer site plan and special use permit review of mines in the Town through the local zoning ordinance. TOP Zoning Map – 2021

“A municipality retains general authority to regulate land use and to regulate or prohibit the use of land within its boundaries for mining operations, although it may not directly regulate the specifics of the mining activities or reclamation process. Once a municipality decides to issue a special use permit for a mine, the MLRL restricts the conditions that can be placed on such permit to the following:

1. Ingress and egress to public thoroughfares controlled by the local government;
2. Routing of mineral transport vehicles on roads controlled by the local government;
3. Requirements and conditions as specified in the permit issued by [DEC] under [the MLRL] concerning setback from property boundaries and public thoroughfare rights-of-way natural or man-made barriers to restrict access, if required, dust control and hours of operation, when such requirements and conditions are established pursuant to [the MLRL]; and
4. Enforcement of reclamation requirements contained in mined land reclamation permits issued by the state.” [Caffry and Fricke, 2001]

Definition of MINING – The extraction or removal of sand, gravel, clay, topsoil, mulch, stone or other natural material deposits for use and/or sale, except that the extraction of oil and natural gas shall not be allowed. This term shall be interpreted to exclude mining on-site for agricultural purposes and to exclude the removal of soil, loam, sand, gravel or quarried stone when incidental to, or connected with a proposed subdivision or site plan (which subdivision has been given a conditional approval from the Town) or the removal of excess excavated material for any building, complex of structures or project that is authorized and in accordance with this Ordinance.

Section 5.9 Mining – In all but the Industrial District, the removal of soil, loam, sand, gravel or quarried stone for sale, except when incidental to, or connected with the construction of a building on the same premises, shall be permitted only on receipt of special use permit.

In any district, the following provisions shall apply:

1. 1. No excavation, blasting or stock piling of materials shall be located within two hundred (200) feet of any public road or other property line.
   2. No power-activated sorting machinery or equipment shall be located within six hundred (600) feet of any public road or other property line and all such machinery shall be equipped with satisfactory dust-elimination devices.
   3. All excavation slopes in excess of one (1) to one (1) shall be fenced. Said fence shall be a minimum of six (6) feet high and be galvanized chain link, solid wood, or other industrial grade fencing material acceptable to the Planning Board.
   4. Expansion of an existing non-conforming quarrying operation beyond the existing designated mining area for the parent parcel shall not be permitted.

DEC Mining Information Page: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5020.html

NYS Mine Database: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5374.html

Town of Plattsburgh Zoning Ordinance: https://www.townofplattsburgh.com/departments/codes-and-zoning/

Municipal Control Over Mining in NY

Mine Name	Commodity	Initial Permit Date	Most Recent Permit Date	Next Expiration	Inspection Records
Beekmantown Sand Pit	Sand and Gravel	8/31/2000	8/16/2020	8/15/2025	Beekmantown Sand Pit
Morrisonville Construction Pit	Sand and Gravel	4/7/1989	7/17/2018	7/16/2023	Morrisonville Construction Pit
Town of Plattsburgh Sand Pit	Sand and Gravel	5/22/1984	4/19/2023	8/31/2028	Town of Plattsburgh Sand Pit
Plattsburgh Quarry	Limestone	4/15/1975	5/13/2023	8/8/2028	Plattsburgh Quarry
Gratto Pit	Sand and Gravel	4/8/1987	8/8/2023	8/7/2028	Gratto Pit
Norm Baker Pit	Sand and Gravel	6/6/1988	6/7/2019	6/6/2024	Norm Baker