Westbrook health director orders removal of HVAC units at 19 1st Avenue, citing septic and winterization rules

The Westbrook Health Department has ordered the removal of two exterior HVAC units and any other positive heat supply at 19 1st Avenue, directing the owner to comply by Nov. 1, 2025, after concluding the renovations converted a seasonal cottage into a year-round residence without required approvals.

At a Sept. 3 administrative appeal hearing, WestbrookHealth Director Zachary Faiella said a March 2021 site visit identified the exterior HVAC units, a deck expansion and gas equipment. Faiella testified the townissued the public-health order because the changes met the public health codedefinition of a building conversion and because soil tests showed the property could not support the intensified septic demand that year-round occupancy would entail. "The Connecticut public health code authorizes me to issue public health orders to, abate pollution," Faiella said under oath.

Why it matters: The dispute turns on whether the HVAC installation constitutes a new positive heat supply that triggers B100A permitting and soil-testing requirements. If so, town officials say the property's septic…