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

Town of Somerset’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction that requires a sewer connection inside Somerset town limits (building permits issued by the town's building inspector)

  • Building permit may not issue until a required MassDEP sewer connection permit is obtained.
  • General building permit requirements for all construction were not confirmed in the text opened.

  “for sewer connections requiring a dep permit, no building permit shall be issued until such dep permit is obtained.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Buildings connecting to the town sewer system inside Somerset town limits

  • Occupancy permit is held until the sewer system is inspected and approved, and record plan drawings are approved and forwarded to the building inspector.
  • This applies to sewer connections; general certificate-of-occupancy rules for all buildings were not confirmed.

  “no occupancy permit shall be issued until such time as the sewerage system has been properly inspected and approved, and record plan drawings approved, and notice of such approval is forwarded to the building inspector”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Somerset town limits: the Town of Somerset administers its own zoning by-law (Zoning By-Law, 2019 edition opened).

  • Use permissions vary by district; see the use table in Section 4.2.
  • Opened text is the 2019 edition (amendments through May 20, 2019). The town site also links a newer edition (amendments through May 15, 2023) whose PDF URL returned HTTP 404 and was not retrieved.

  “for the purposes of this bylaw, the town of somerset is hereby divided into six classes of use districts, as follows:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Somerset town limits

  • Six use-district classes (residence, business, limited business, open recreation, industrial, light industrial) plus special districts (watershed protection, water resources protection, flood plain) per Section 3.1.
  • The zoning map itself was referenced but not opened.

  “the boundaries of the said districts are hereby established as shown on the map entitled official zoning map, town of somerset”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lots in the residence district built as an open space community (Section 8); not the conventional residence-district lot size in Section 5.2.

  • Applies only under the open space community option.
  • Overall site density for an open space community is not less than 20,000 square feet of net buildable site area per single-family dwelling (Section 8).

  minimum individual lot area: >= 8000 square feet (open space community option only)

  “single family dwelling (per dwelling unit) in residence district and open residential district minimum individual lot area minimum street frontage minimum front yard depth minimum side yard depth minimum rear yard depth minimum distance between building maximum percentage lot coverage maximum dwelling units per buildings maximum building height 8,000 square feet 75 feet 25 feet 15 feet 15 feet 30 feet 30 percent 1 35 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lots in the residence district built as an open space community (Section 8); conventional Section 5.2 yards not confirmed.

  • Applies only under the open space community option.

  minimum front yard depth: >= 25 feet (open space community option only) · minimum side yard depth: >= 15 feet (open space community option only) · minimum rear yard depth: >= 15 feet (open space community option only)

  “single family dwelling (per dwelling unit) in residence district and open residential district minimum individual lot area minimum street frontage minimum front yard depth minimum side yard depth minimum rear yard depth minimum distance between building maximum percentage lot coverage maximum dwelling units per buildings maximum building height 8,000 square feet 75 feet 25 feet 15 feet 15 feet 30 feet 30 percent 1 35 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings not exceeding 120 square feet gross floor area (note to the Section 5.2 dimensional table; the district the note applies to is not stated in the text extraction).

    “a minimum side and rear yard requirement of 5 feet for buildings not exceeding 120 square feet in gross floor area and 12 feet in height.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lots in the residence district built as an open space community (Section 8).

  • Applies only under the open space community option; conventional maximum lot coverage in Section 5.2 not confirmed.

  maximum percentage lot coverage: <= 30 percent (open space community option only)

  “single family dwelling (per dwelling unit) in residence district and open residential district minimum individual lot area minimum street frontage minimum front yard depth minimum side yard depth minimum rear yard depth minimum distance between building maximum percentage lot coverage maximum dwelling units per buildings maximum building height 8,000 square feet 75 feet 25 feet 15 feet 15 feet 30 feet 30 percent 1 35 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lots in the residence district built as an open space community (Section 8).

  • Applies only under the open space community option; conventional Section 5.2 height limit not confirmed (table text shows 35 for several districts but the column mapping could not be verified).

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (open space community option only)

  “single family dwelling (per dwelling unit) in residence district and open residential district minimum individual lot area minimum street frontage minimum front yard depth minimum side yard depth minimum rear yard depth minimum distance between building maximum percentage lot coverage maximum dwelling units per buildings maximum building height 8,000 square feet 75 feet 25 feet 15 feet 15 feet 30 feet 30 percent 1 35 feet”

• Manufactured homesProhibited

  Mobile homes used as a principal or accessory dwelling/use inside Somerset town limits, in any zoning district

  • Exception: a mobile home may be used for up to twelve months to replace a single family dwelling destroyed by fire or other natural causes, as provided by chapter 860 of the acts of 1977 (Section 6.4.1).
  • The bylaw uses the term 'mobile home'; it defines a mobile home as a unit designed for transportation on its own wheels or a flatbed or other trailer, arriving complete at the site.

  mobile home occupancy period: <= 12 months (only to replace a single family dwelling destroyed by fire or other natural causes)

  “a mobile home may be used for a period not to exceed twelve (12) months to replace a single family dwelling destroyed by fire or other natural causes as provided by chapter 860 of the acts of 1977.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory units in single-family dwellings inside Somerset town limits (Planning Board special permit)

  • Requires a special permit from the Planning Board (SPGA) in residential districts.
  • The unit must be located within or attached to a single-family dwelling.
  • The record owner of the lot must reside in either the principal dwelling or the accessory unit.
  • Full special conditions in Section 7.6 (size, duration, and other limits) were not read in full; see followups.

  “accessory units for single family dwellings spga: planning board district: residential; business; limited business; open recreational”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into lots inside Somerset town limits, under the town's subdivision rules and regulations

  • The document is a 2004 subdivision rules and regulations PDF listed on the town site; its text was not opened, so the approval steps are not confirmed.

  “subdivision rules & regulations (2004) (pdf)”

• Permit processPartial

  Sewer connection permit process inside Somerset town limits; general building permit process not confirmed

  • Single-family residential connections are not subject to the engineer plan-review step; industrial, business and subdivision applicants submit plans to the superintendent for engineer review.
  • A MassDEP sewer extension/connection permit is filed when required.

  “a connection permit can be obtained at the office of the superintendent”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Somerset town limits
• Building code adopted — Building code in force inside Somerset town limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Somerset town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Somerset town limits
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Somerset town limits

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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Somerset means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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