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

Town of Bernardston’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Bernardston town limits, under the town's own Zoning Bylaws

  • The town publishes its own Zoning Bylaws separate from its general bylaws; the specific use and dimensional sections were not read in this research pass.

  “bernardston has two distinct sets of bylaws that are the basis for governance of our town. they are: general bylaws zoning bylaws supporting documents”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning map for land inside Bernardston town limits

  • The town site lists a zoning map as a separate document; the map's district boundaries were not opened in this research pass, so district names and limits are not recorded here.

  “zoning map effective may 5, 2021 7.59 mb view pdf of page”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  On-site septic (Title 5) systems on land inside Bernardston town limits

  • The state Title 5 code sets the standards; the town Board of Health enforces Title 5 and oversees new systems, failures and repairs.

  “the board of health enforces title v; state sanitary code (septic system regulations) and is involved in overseeing all new septic systems, failures and repairs.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic systems and repairs on land inside Bernardston town limits, through the town Board of Health

  • Four phases must be completed in order: soil evaluation / percolation test, system design and approval, disposal works construction permit and installation, final inspection and certificate of compliance.
  • Permit is issued by the Board of Health to the installer after approval, per the Board of Health process page.

  “phase 3: disposal works construction permit (dscp) and installation”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Existing septic systems on property being transferred inside Bernardston town limits

  • Required in order to transfer a property: a Title V inspection by a licensed Title V inspector.
  • Title V inspections and perc tests must be witnessed by the Board of Health.

  “in order to transfer a property, a title v inspection must be performed by a licensed title v inspector.”

• Permit processPartial

  Septic (Title 5) permitting only inside Bernardston town; the town building-permit process was not verified

  • Septic process is published as four ordered phases on the Board of Health page.

  “there are four phases involved in the septic system design and installation process. each of these phases must be completed, in the following order, before the next phase can begin”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside Bernardston town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for building work inside Bernardston town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for construction inside Bernardston town
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Bernardston town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new homes inside Bernardston 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.