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

Town of Colrain’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Colrain town limits: the Town of Colrain's own zoning bylaw (Town Meeting approved revisions 6/14/2022) governs use and dimensional rules there.

  • Revision stamp 6/14/2022 is not recorded as an effective date.
  • A search result referenced a 2025 Planning Board agenda item on accessory dwelling units and later zoning amendments; that agenda was not opened, so later amendments are unverified.
  • The bylaw names the official zoning map adopted 9 May 2012; the map itself was not opened.

  “town of colrain zoning bylaw: town meeting approved revisions 6/14/2022”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Colrain town limits: the Village, Rural, and Commercial-Industrial districts of the Town's zoning bylaw.

  • Village districts listed as 3.1.1 Center Village (CV), 3.1.2 Griswoldville East Village (GEV), and 3.1.3 Shattuckville Village (SV).
  • Rural district is the remainder of town outside village and commercial-industrial districts.
  • The official zoning map is the controlling district map; it was not opened.

  “3.2-rural district (r): the remainder of the town which is not in the village districts or commercial- industrial districts as shown on the official zoning map of the town of colrain shall be in the rural district.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Village districts (CV, GEV, SV) inside Colrain town

  • Note (a): any lot in a village district having a two-family dwelling structure shall provide not less than 30,000 square feet of land.
  • Note (b): lots smaller than required may be considered conforming only if recorded or registered when the bylaw was adopted and not then adjoining other land of the same owner; the rest of note (b) was not read.
  • Section 7.1: one residential structure per lot.

  minimum lot area: >= 20000 sq ft (two-family dwelling requires 30,000 sq ft (note a)) · minimum frontage: >= 100 ft

  “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Rural district (agricultural/rural-residential) inside Colrain town

    “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Rural district inside Colrain town

  • Section 7.2 setback columns are minimum front, side and rear setbacks; notes (c) and (d) were not read.

  minimum front setback: >= 50 ft · minimum side setback: >= 40 ft · minimum rear setback: >= 40 ft

  “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village districts (CV, GEV, SV) inside Colrain town

    “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Rural district inside Colrain town

  • Maximum coverage column of Section 7.2.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 25 %

  “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village districts (CV, GEV, SV) inside Colrain town

    “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

• Building heightSpecified

  Rural district inside Colrain town

  • Maximum height column of Section 7.2; measurement method not read.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft

  “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village districts (CV, GEV, SV) inside Colrain town

    “7.2-dimensional schedule minimum minimum front side rear maximum maximum area (a) frontage setback setbacks setbacks height lot (b) (c)(d) (d) (d) coverage village 20,000 100 ft 30 ft 15 ft 30 ft 35 ft 70% districts sq. ft. rural 1-1/2 300 ft 50 ft 40 ft 40 ft 35 ft 25% districts acre”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed

  Accessory apartments inside Colrain town in the Village, Rural and Commercial-Industrial districts, per the use regulations schedule

  • Use table shows accessory apartment as 'y' (permitted by right) in the village, rural and commercial-industrial columns.
  • Section 4.2 states no more than one principal structure or dwelling may be erected on a lot, except marijuana microbusinesses by special permit.
  • The accessory apartment definition and any standards were not opened; this claim relies on the use table only.

  “residential uses single-family dwelling y y y two-family dwelling spr spr spr accessory apartment y y y mobile home parks n n n”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Septic systems on land inside Colrain town

  • The Town Board of Health lists Title 5 septic oversight among its duties; Title 5 is the state standard (Massachusetts septic system and Title 5 regulations), applied locally.
  • The Board of Health page names FRCOG's Cooperative Public Health Service as the health department; that service-area statement was not opened.
  • The Board of Health page lists septic regulations as a town document; its text was not opened.

  “duties and responsibilities public health wells septic title 5 massachusetts septic system & title 5 regulations”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions of land inside Colrain town that use the town's cluster development provisions in the zoning bylaw (Section 7.6) and back-lot provisions (Sections 7.4 and 7.5).

  • Cluster subdivision requires a condition that the recorded definitive plan carry an endorsed statement and that no further subdivision increase building lots.
  • Back-lot development requires the parcel to meet frontage and area rules in Section 7.4; Section 7.5 back lots with open space need a Planning Board special permit.
  • Conventional subdivision approval under the state Subdivision Control Law (M.G.L. c. 41) and the Planning Board subdivision rules were not opened.

  “the approved and recorded definitive subdivision plan of said cluster development shall have endorsed upon it a statement that the subdivision is an approved cluster development”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Common driveways serving lots inside Colrain town

  • Allowed only by Planning Board special permit.
  • Serves no more than two building lots.
  • Easement of not less than twenty feet wide must be recorded and shown to the building inspector before a building permit for any served lot.
  • Each served lot must meet all dimensional requirements, including frontage; common driveways are not public ways and do not give lot frontage.

  maximum building lots served: <= 2 lots · minimum easement width: >= 20 ft

  “common driveways serving up to no more than two (2) building lots may be allowed by special permit by the planning board provided that all of the following provisions shall be met.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building construction inside Colrain town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Colrain town
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Colrain town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Colrain town
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates for new buildings inside Colrain 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.