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

Town of Warwick’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of a new dwelling or dwelling unit inside Warwick town limits

  • The building inspector issues the permit only after determining that the access roads reach the beginning of the driveway at the lot boundary.
  • Frontage and access rules in section 4(c) apply.

  “the building inspector shall issue no building permit for the construction of a new dwelling or dwelling unit unless and until the building inspector determines that the roads necessary for access to the beginning of the driveway at the boundary of the lot on which construction”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Warwick town limits (Franklin County, MA): the Town of Warwick's own zoning by-laws

  • Text opened is the by-laws as amended through September 22, 2014; any later amendment was not checked.

  “zoning by-laws of the town of warwick massachusetts adopted may 15, 1978 amended july 11, 1988”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Pre-existing single-dwelling lots inside Warwick town limits that were lawfully recorded before the current lot standards

  • Exemption applies to a lot used for no more than one dwelling unit and not held in common ownership with adjoining land, or a lot qualifying under section 4(a)(6).
  • The lot must have conformed to then-existing requirements at recording or endorsement.

  minimum lot area for building permit: >= 5000 square feet (pre-existing lots exempt under section 4 exemption item 2) · minimum lot frontage for building permit: >= 50 feet (pre-existing lots exempt under section 4 exemption item 2)

  “a lot used for no more than one dwelling unit and not held in common ownership with any adjoining land, or a lot qualifying under the provisions of section 4(a)(6), is exempt from the requirements of sections 4(b)(1) and 4(c)(1)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots created or altered inside Warwick town limits (the by-laws state one lot standard; no named district schedule was opened)

    “no lot shall be created or altered to contain less than 87,120 square feet (two acres) of area, except by special permit as provided in this section or as provided in section 6.e.1.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal buildings on lots inside Warwick town limits (the by-laws state one yard standard; no named district schedule was opened)

  • Does not apply to conservation development lots under sections 6.d.8. and 6.e.2.

  front yard: >= 35 feet (between any building and the front lot line) · side yard: >= 30 feet (between any building and the side lot line) · rear yard: >= 35 feet (between any principal building and the rear lot line)

  “no lot shall have less than the following front, side and rear yard distances, except for conservation development lots as provided in sections 6.d.8. and 6.e.2.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Uses that render land impervious on lots inside Warwick town limits; the by-laws set an impervious threshold that requires a special permit, not a building-coverage ratio

  • Exceeding the threshold requires a special permit under section 2(c)(5).

  impervious area threshold: > 20 percent of lot area (or 10,000 square feet (excluding roads in a subdivision), whichever is less)

  “uses rendering impervious by any means more than 20% of the area of any lot, or 10,000 square feet (excluding roads in a subdivision), whichever is less.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings on lots inside Warwick town limits (single standard in the opened text)

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet · maximum stories above mean ground level: <= 2.5 stories

  “no building shall rise more than two and one-half stories above the mean level of the ground surrounding it and no building shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in building height.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Use of a temporary living facility as a dwelling or residence on land inside Warwick town limits, outside a licensed campground

  • Requires a special permit from the zoning board of appeals to exceed fourteen days; special permit may not allow more than six months in a calendar year except as provided in section 5(a)(3).
  • Definition of temporary living facility (section 11) was not opened.

  days per calendar year as dwelling or residence without special permit: <= 14 days (except in a lawfully licensed campground; longer use requires special permit)

  “b. temporary living facilities: no temporary living facility shall be used as a dwelling or residence for more than fourteen days in a calendar year in any location other than a lawfully licensed campground without a special permit which shall be subject to any conditions that the zoning board of appeals considers appropriate.”

• Manufactured homesProhibited

  Mobile homes (the by-laws' term; manufactured-home use is not separately addressed) on any land inside Warwick town limits

  • Section 5(a)(1) allows replacement of existing mobile homes that were permitted under section 3 (nonconforming uses), provided skirting is installed within thirty days after placement.
  • Preexisting nonconforming dwellings, mobile homes and temporary living facilities may continue under section 3 with ZBA limits.

  “a. mobile homes: no mobile homes shall be permitted on any land for any purpose, including but not limited to use as a dwelling or accessory thereto, use as an occasional or temporary residence, use as an office or place of business or use as a storage facility.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments inside Warwick town limits

  • Allowed only by special permit from the zoning board of appeals (or the planning board where indicated).
  • Accessory apartment is defined in section 11 of the by-laws, which was not opened.

  “c. uses allowed by special permit: the following uses are allowed only by a special permit issued by the zoning board of appeals (or, where indicated, by the planning board) in accordance with these by-laws and chapter 40a of the massachusetts general laws”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creating or altering lots inside Warwick town limits

  • The by-laws refer to the Warwick subdivision control by-laws, which were not opened.
  • Lot frontage can be met through private ways approved by the planning board.

  “private ways approved by the planning board under the provisions of the warwick subdivision control by-laws that provide year-round access to the lot for fire, police and emergency motor vehicles”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Warwick town limits
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Warwick town limits
• Inspections — Construction inside Warwick town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new construction inside Warwick town limits
• Zoning districts — Zoning district map and schedule for Warwick 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.