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

Town of Rowe’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Rowe town limits (Town of Rowe Zoning Bylaws, Article VIII, revision dated May 12, 2025). The bylaw is adopted and administered by the town, not the county.

  • The bylaw divides the town into Residential-Agricultural (R-A) and Industrial (I) districts only.
  • Accessory dwelling units are allowed as-of-right under the bylaw's use table, subject to the ADU provisions in Section 6.
  • Dwelling lots must meet Section 7 minimums and setbacks apply under Sections 4, 5 and 8.

  “the town of rowe is hereby divided into the following types of districts: residential-agricultural r-a industrial i”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Rowe town: Residential-Agricultural (R-A) and Industrial (I)

  • The district boundaries are set by the official zoning map dated September 13, 2011, which the bylaw says is filed with the town clerk; that map was not opened, so district boundaries are not confirmed.

  “the boundaries of each district are hereby established as shown, defined and bounded on the official zoning map dated september 13, 2011”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Dwelling lots in Rowe town for a principal dwelling (Section 7 applies to any district; the only residential district is R-A)

  • A class A dwelling lot must have soils, depth to bedrock and groundwater, and seasonal water meeting the Section 7 class A qualities.
  • A class B lot, defined as any lot with one or more class A disqualifying qualities in the area of proposed usage, may not have an in-ground sewage system.
  • A lot may be changed to class A by the planning board upon a Board of Health certificate that the area of proposed usage is suitable for an approved in-ground sewage system.

  minimum lot area (class A dwelling lot): >= 4 acres · minimum frontage on public road (class A dwelling lot): >= 400 feet (at the junction of two public roads, the minimum frontage on each road is 400 contiguous feet)

  “a class a dwelling lot shall not be less than four (4) acres and shall have a minimum frontage on a public road of four hundred (400) contiguous feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Dwellings and other structures on lots in Rowe town (applies to the Residential-Agricultural (R-A) district; no separate setback is given for the Industrial (I) district in the text opened)

  • Sections 4, 5 and 8 do not name a district, so they were read as applying to all districts in the bylaw.
  • Accessory dwelling unit setbacks must match Section 5 and Section 8.

  dwelling setback from any street or highway line: >= 60 feet · non-dwelling building setback from any street or highway line: >= 20 feet (applies to buildings or structures other than a dwelling, including roadside stands, gasoline pumps and accessory buildings) · side and rear setback from any lot line: >= 30 feet

  “no dwelling or other structure shall be constructed closer than thirty (30) feet from the side or rear lines of any lot”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupancy of a camping trailer or mobile home on private land in the Residential-Agricultural (R-A) district of Rowe town

  • Camping trailers owned by the occupants of the premises and their immediate family may be stored in the rear or side of the yard when not in use.
  • Mobile home is defined in the bylaw as a dwelling unit built on a chassis, whether on wheels or on a temporary or permanent foundation.
  • Other districts were not addressed in the text opened.

  maximum occupancy time per calendar year: <= 30 days (camping trailers owned by the occupants of the premises and their immediate family may be stored in the rear or side of the yard when not in use)

  “in the residential-agricultural district, no area shall be occupied or used by a camping trailer or mobile home for a total time in excess of thirty (30) days during any one calendar year except that camping trailers owned by the occupants of the premises and their immediate family may be stored in the rear or side of the yard when not in use.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping with a camping trailer or mobile home on private land in the Residential-Agricultural (R-A) district of Rowe town

  • Camping trailers owned by the occupants of the premises and their immediate family may be stored in the rear or side of the yard when not in use.
  • Tent camping and camping on public land were not addressed in the text opened.

  maximum camping time per calendar year: <= 30 days (camping trailers owned by the occupants of the premises and their immediate family may be stored in the rear or side of the yard when not in use)

  “in the residential-agricultural district, no area shall be occupied or used by a camping trailer or mobile home for a total time in excess of thirty (30) days during any one calendar year”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes (dwelling units built on a chassis) on private land in the Residential-Agricultural (R-A) district of Rowe town

  • Mobile home occupancy in R-A is limited to 30 days in any calendar year under Section 9.
  • The Section 9 limit does not state a permitted use for a mobile home on a permanent foundation; that was not found in the text opened.

  maximum occupancy time per calendar year: <= 30 days

  “for the purposes of these by-laws, a mobile home shall mean a dwelling unit built on a chassis, whether on wheels or on a temporary or permanent foundation.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on lots in Rowe town where the bylaw allows them as-of-right

  • ADUs are allowed as-of-right under the use table, section 2(b)(i), subject to the Section 6 provisions.
  • Siting: setbacks must match Section 5 and Section 8; setbacks from waste disposal systems and private wells must conform with Board of Health regulations; site plan review under Section 22 applies.
  • Gross floor area may exceed 50% of the principal dwelling only with a special permit from the Planning Board, and never above 900 square feet.
  • Short-term rental use of ADUs is prohibited.
  • An ADU is not allowed on a lot with a condemned principal dwelling unless construction is part of an active permit for the principal dwelling.
  • Use-table row cells for ADUs were garbled in extraction; the as-of-right status rests on the Section 6 cross-reference.

  maximum accessory dwelling gross floor area: <= 900 square feet (may exceed 50% of principal dwelling gross floor area with Planning Board special permit, still capped at 900 sf)

  “adu gross floor area may exceed 50% of the principal dwelling gross floor area upon approval of a special permit by the planning board, however, under no circumstances will the gross floor area of an adu exceed 900sf.”

• Short-term rentalsProhibited

  Short-term rental of accessory dwelling units in Rowe town only

  • Applies only to accessory dwelling units; short-term rental of a principal dwelling was not addressed in the text opened.

  “short term rental use of adu(s) is prohibited”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new dwellings in Rowe town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home in Rowe town
• Building code adopted — State building code adoption for construction in Rowe town
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction in Rowe town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new dwellings in Rowe 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.