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

Town of Montague’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New building, addition or renovation work inside Montague town, issued by the Inspector of Buildings.

  • Homeowner-applicant and contractor-applicant routes both use this form.
  • Electrical, plumbing, gas and other permits are separate; the form lists them.

  “this form must be submitted with applications for residential work”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Owner-occupant doing their own work on a building permit in Montague town.

  • Applies only to owner-occupied one- and two-family dwellings and farm structures.
  • The owner acts as supervisor and takes responsibility for state building code compliance.

  “the license exemption for a home owner applies only for permitted work on owner-occupied one and two family dwellings and farm structures”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Montague town limits (Town of Montague, Franklin County, MA). Town-adopted zoning bylaw; not applicable to the county's unincorporated area.

  • The text used is the Montague Zoning Bylaws effective 2/19/2019. The town site lists a later consolidated bylaw effective 03/13/2026, which I could not open (the PDF returned HTTP 404), so later amendments may apply.
  • Use, dimensional and special-permit rules in the bylaw control the answers in the zoning-only topics below.

  “passed at special town meeting feb 19 2019 new bylaws are in effect”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  All zoning districts inside Montague town (re, af, af-2, af-4, rs-1, rs-2, rb, nb, cb, gb, id, hi).

  • District list is in the 2019 bylaw section 4.1; district boundaries are in section 4.2.

  “4.1 types of districts for the purposes of this zoning bylaw, the town of montague is hereby divided into the following districts:”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal-use buildings in each Montague zoning district, including the Residential 1 (rs-1) and Residential 2 (rs-2) districts. Numbers per district could not be read reliably from the extracted table.

  • Minimum lot size is set per district in the section 5.5.1 schedule; the single-family residential row values for rs-1 and rs-2 were not stated reliably here.
  • Open space residential development (section 8.11) uses different lot sizes.

  “5.5.1 dimensional requirements schedule, principal use buildings minimum lot size (square feet) minimum lot frontage (linear feet)”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal-use buildings in each Montague zoning district (front, street line, side and rear yard setbacks), including Residential 1 and Residential 2.

  • Front and side/rear yard setbacks are set per district in section 5.5.1; district-level values were not reliably extracted.
  • Accessory structures have their own setbacks (see the separate accessory-structure claim).

  “minimum rear yard setback (linear feet) maximum building height (linear feet) 30 28 15 30 28 25 15 30 28”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Accessory structures (sheds, garages, stables, greenhouses, pools) on lots inside Montague town, all districts.

    “(b) the minimum side yard and rear yard setback from the property line shall be 10 feet.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in each Montague zoning district, including Residential 1 and Residential 2. Planned unit developments must follow the underlying district height.

  • Maximum building height is set per district in the section 5.5.1 schedule (listed in linear feet); per-district values were not reliably extracted.

  “minimum rear yard setback (linear feet) maximum building height (linear feet) 30 28 15 30 28 25 15 30 28”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Living or business occupancy of a camper (travel trailer or motor home) on private land inside Montague town.

  • Parking, storing or occupying a camper for living or business is banned except in the listed instances.
  • Listed exception: a landowner may host a guest in a camper for up to 90 days a year; a Board of Health permit is needed beyond 30 days.
  • Listed exception: a temporary mobile home for up to 24 months after a residence is destroyed.
  • Campers and mobile homes must meet local and state sanitation rules when occupied.

  guest occupancy limit: <= 90 days per calendar year (Board of Health permit required if occupancy exceeds 30 days) · temporary mobile home after destruction: <= 24 months (while the residence is being rebuilt)

  “no person shall park, store or occupy a trailer, mobile home, camper or similar vehicle for living or business in the town of montague except in the following instances:”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary living in a camper or mobile home on private land inside Montague town.

  • Guest occupancy in a camper or mobile home is limited to 90 days per calendar year.
  • Board of Health permit needed if occupancy exceeds 30 days.
  • A camper may be occupied only in the listed instances; no general camping right is stated in this bylaw section.

  guest occupancy limit: <= 90 days per calendar year (Board of Health permit if over 30 days)

  “the owner of land may permit occupancy by a guest, using a mobile home or camper, for living purposes, for a period not to exceed 90 days in a calendar year, provided that a permit shall first be obtained from the board of health if such occupancy exceeds 30 days.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Occupancy of a mobile home (manufactured dwelling on a chassis) on private land inside Montague town.

  • Mobile home living occupancy is banned except the listed instances (guest use up to 90 days a year, temporary home up to 24 months after a fire or natural disaster destroys a residence, and a construction-office use).
  • Replacement of a pre-existing mobile home by a larger unit requires administrative approval by the Inspector of Buildings.
  • Mobile homes built before 6/16/1973 are exempt from the section's application.

  temporary mobile home after destruction: <= 24 months (while the residence is being rebuilt)

  “when a residence has been destroyed by a fire or other natural disaster, the owner or occupier of the residence may reside in a temporary mobile home for up to 24 months while the residence is being rebuilt.”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Sewage disposal works inside Montague town, handled by the Town of Montague Board of Health.

  • The Board of Health appears on the town permit form as the issuer of the disposal works construction permit and perc test requirements.
  • The bylaw also requires a Board of Health permit for a guest occupancy over 30 days in a camper or mobile home.

  “board of health water well permit disposal works construction permit w/ perk test title v evaluation; new bedrooms or change of use.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into building lots inside Montague town, administered by the Planning Board.

  • The Planning Board subdivision regulations apply; the bylaw requires lots to meet those standards before more than one principal building is allowed on a lot.
  • The Planning Board's subdivision regulations were not opened.

  “functionally equivalent to those required for separate lots by the planning board in its subdivision regulation.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit application to the Inspector of Buildings, Town of Montague.

  • The form lists required submittals (plot plan, plans, Board of Health and other approvals) that must accompany the application.
  • Process steps beyond the form itself were not read.

  “application for permit to build to the inspector of buildings”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Montague

Town of Montague does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Residential construction inside Montague town limits; the Massachusetts state building code is the code the town's permit form applies.

  • Adopted at state level; the town form requires compliance with the state building code. I did not open the current 780 CMR text.

  “the home owner, acting as supervisor, is then fully responsible for the project and compliance with the state building code.”

Still unanswered

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

• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Montague town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate or occupancy permit for new homes inside Montague town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area of a dwelling inside Montague town.
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage in Montague town districts.
• Tiny homes — Tiny home (small single-unit dwelling) used as a residence inside Montague 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.