Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Egremont, Massachusetts

Town of Egremont’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Installing an accessory dwelling unit inside Egremont town.

  • Application goes to the inspector of buildings.
  • Applies only to accessory dwelling units; general building-permit rules for other construction were not found.

  “the applicant shall submit a plot plan, prepared by a registered land surveyor, of the existing dwelling unit and proposed accessory dwelling unit to the inspector of buildings with the application for a building permit.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Egremont town limits: the town adopts and administers its own zoning bylaw.

  • Bylaw states it was established January 30, 1967 and amended February 4, 2025 by town meeting; effective date is the town-meeting vote date under section 1.4.1, and Attorney General approval status was not verified.
  • The opened bylaw text does not itself name Berkshire County, Massachusetts; identity rests on the official egremont-ma.gov town domain and should be confirmed.

  “zoning bylaw established january 30, 1967 town of egremont commonwealth of massachusetts as amended february 4, 2025”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family and other non-multi-unit uses in the rural/residential district inside Egremont town.

  • Figure comes from the section 4.3.1.1 intensity table; the PDF table is garbled in text extraction, so the frontage and yard values were not used.
  • Multi-unit dwellings have separate, larger minimum lot areas under section 4.3.1.2.

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acre (multi-unit dwellings are governed by section 4.3.1.2)

  “rural/residential district: all uses except multi-unit dwellings 1 acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family and other non-multi-unit uses in the village district inside Egremont town.

    “village district: all uses except multi-unit dwellings 0.5 acres”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Occupying a travel trailer or RV as living quarters on private land inside Egremont town.

  • Only by special permit from the select board.
  • Temporary: one year, for the owner while building a dwelling for their own occupancy.
  • Must conform to the state sanitary code.
  • Extensions are allowed; the extension wording was not read in full.

  permit term: 1 year (may be extended, per section 5.2.8.2)

  “a travel trailer or mobile home may be permitted by special permit from the select board only for temporary living quarters for the owner of the premises on which it is located for one (1) year”

• Camping on your landProhibited

  New trailer parks and trailer camps in Egremont town. General tent camping is not addressed in the opened text.

  • Applies only to camps not already in operation when the bylaw was adopted.
  • Tent camping and other temporary camping were not located in the opened text.

  “there shall be no other trailer parks or trailer camps established in the town of egremont other than those in actual operation and existence at the time of adopting the bylaw.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes used as living quarters inside Egremont town.

  • Temporary living quarters by special permit from the select board for the owner while building a dwelling.
  • Permanent manufactured or mobile home occupancy was not addressed in the opened text.

  “a travel trailer or mobile home may be permitted by special permit from the select board only for temporary living quarters for the owner of the premises on which it is located for one (1) year”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units on lots inside Egremont town.

  • Allowed as of right, subject to the section 5.2.3 requirements.
  • Only the building-permit and plot-plan requirements were read; other section 5.2.3 conditions (size, owner occupancy, parking) were not captured.
  • Plot plan must show the septic system and required parking.

  “accessory dwelling units are allowed as-of-right in accordance with the following requirements:”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction and uses inside the flood plain overlay district in Egremont town.

  • Underlying uses are allowed only if they meet section 6.1.2 development regulations and the state building code floodplain requirements.
  • Zone A and floodway rules apply in section 6.1.2; only the opening rule was read.

  “the underlying permitted uses are allowed provided that they meet development regulations of 6.1.2 as well as those of the massachusetts state building code dealing with construction in floodplains.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Planning Board site plan review filing fees for projects inside Egremont town. Building permit fees were not found.

  • Fee category is set by the Planning Board when the application is filed.
  • A separate consultant or peer-review deposit may be required.
  • An abutter mailing/notice surcharge of $75 applies when required.

  minor site plan review fee: 250 USD · standard site plan review fee: 500 USD · major site plan review fee: 750 USD

  “minor site plan review — $250 standard site plan review — $500 major site plan review — $750”

• Permit processPartial

  Site plan review by the Planning Board for development inside Egremont town. Other permit processes were not documented.

  • Optional pre-submission conference with the Planning Board.
  • Major projects may need professional plans and studies.

  “site plan review is the planning board’s process for evaluating how a proposed development will be designed and arranged on a property.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Egremont or Berkshire County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permit or inspection requirements inside Egremont town.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Egremont town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new dwellings inside Egremont town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling inside Egremont town.
• Setbacks — Front, side and rear setbacks in the rural/residential and village districts inside Egremont town.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.