Zoning Information
The guidelines below are not meant to be conclusive, as they may change before this site is updated. The Building Inspector is the enforcer of Zoning By-Laws. He will make the final judgment as to whether or not an application for a building permit adheres to Zoning By-Laws.
Most frequently asked question:
How much land and frontage do I need to build a house and how far from property lines does the house have to be?
The acreage, frontage and setback requirements are different for each town. A setback is the required measurement from the property line to the structure. Frontage is the linear foot measurement of the land abutting a street or highway. Click the town below to find its requirements:
Ashfield | Bernardston | Buckland | Charlemont | Conway | Erving | Gill | Hawley | Heath Leverett | Leyden | Shelburne | Shutesbury | Whately
I own a building lot that does not meet the present zoning requirements for frontage and area, is my lot grandfathered?
In order to determine whether a lot may be grandfathered, several questions must be answered and deed research must be done: Grandfathered Lot Application.
Ashfield
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Rural/Agricultural |
2 acre/200' |
25' |
25' |
25' |
Bernardston
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Central Village Res. |
20,000/125' |
20' |
15' |
15' |
| Residential 1 |
40,000/150' |
20' |
20' |
20' |
| Residential Agric. |
60,000/200' |
35' |
35' |
35' |
| Business |
20,000/150' |
20' |
20' |
20' |
| Industrial |
80,000/200' |
50' |
20' |
20' |
Buckland
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Village Residential*** |
20,000/100' |
20' |
10' |
10' |
| Rural Residential |
80,000/200' |
20'' |
15' |
30' |
| Village Commercial |
20,000/100' |
20** |
10' |
10' |
| Commercial |
80,000/200 |
30' |
30' |
30' |
| Historic Industrial |
20,000/100 |
20** |
10' |
10' |
| Industrial |
80,000/200 |
50' |
30' |
30' |
**Call inspector for exception
*** Increase the lot size to 40,000 sq. ft and lot frontage to 150 ft. if water or sewer is not available
Charlemont
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Residential/Agricultural |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Conway
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| All |
1 acre/ 200' |
50' |
25' |
25' |
Erving
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Central Village |
21,780/125 |
20' |
10' |
20' |
| Village Residential |
21,780/125 |
20' |
10' |
20' |
| Rural Residential |
87,120/225 |
50' |
50' |
50' |
| French King Commercial |
87,120/225 |
100' |
50' |
50' |
Gill
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Village/Residential |
1/4 acre/100' |
call inspector |
10' |
10' |
| Residential |
2acre/200' |
50 |
30 |
30 |
| Residential/Agricultural |
2acres/200' |
50' |
30' |
30' |
| Village/Commercial |
1acre/150' |
20' |
25'' |
25' |
Hawley
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Rural |
2 acres/ 250' |
60' |
30' |
30' |
Heath
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| All |
call inspector |
|
|
|
Leverett
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Residential/Village |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
| Residential/Rural |
60,000/200' |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
| General Business |
40,000/150' |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
| Commercial |
40,000/150' |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
| Aqua Prot |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Leyden
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Residential/Agricultural |
2 acres/ 200' |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
| Within 1/4 mile of Town Hall |
1 acre/ 100' |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Call Inspector |
Shelburne
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Village |
20,000/ 100' |
20' |
10' |
20' |
| Rural |
86,000/ 250' |
25' |
20' |
20' |
Shutesbury
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Rural/Residential |
90,000/ 250' |
75' |
25' |
25' |
Whately
| District |
Lot Size/Frontage Single-Family |
Front Set back |
Side Set back |
Rear Set back |
| Agricultural/Residential with water |
40,000/ 175' |
50' |
20' |
20' |
| Agricultural/Residential without water |
60,000/ 200' |
50' |
20' |
20' |
| Commercial |
60,000/ 200' |
50' |
20' |
20' |
| Industrial |
60,000/ 200' |
50' |
20' |
20' |
This page was last updated on
05/28/2008
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