Resources

Zoning has profound legal and land transaction consequences. Prior to starting a project, a thorough examination of the zoning laws pertaining to a particular property must be undertaken. These summary sheets are intended as a simple, quick-reference guide for realtors, potential home buyers or owners who wish a deeper understanding of a property’s constraints and opportunities. They also provide a matrix for comparing zoning codes town to town.

Zoning codes play a major role in shaping the building envelope. Each town has its own set of rules and subtle variations which must be understood before the project begins. The simplest misunderstanding of the code can lead to major construction complications. For instance, some codes include porches in their allowable building coverage while others do not. Still others count only a percentage of porches.

The following are outlines of the basic residential zoning parameters for towns in which we frequently work. The codes of other towns may be added in the future or are just too diverse to fit in to this simplified framework.