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

Town of Chester’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings, structures, and changes in land or building use inside Chester town limits.

  • A plan showing the lot and building or structure location must accompany an application to build or alter.

  “No building or structure shall be built or altered and no use of land or building or structure shall be begun or changed without a permit having been issued by the Building Inspector.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy of buildings or structures inside Chester town limits.

  • New buildings and structures must conform to adopted state and town bylaws, codes, and regulations before a certificate will issue.

  “No building or structure shall be occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued by the Building Inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Chester town limits.

  • The town zoning bylaw establishes zoning districts.

  “For the purposes of this Bylaw, the Town of Chester is hereby divided into the following types of use districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Chester town limits.

  • District boundaries are shown on the Zoning Map of Chester, Massachusetts, dated 1968 and on file with the Town Clerk.

  “Said zoning districts are located and bounded as shown on a map entitled "Zoning Map of Chester, Massachusetts", dated 1968, and on file in the office of the Town Clerk.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  New buildings and structures inside Chester town limits, subject to the applicable zoning district.

  • The Table 2 schedule supplies district/use-specific front, side, and rear yard dimensions; special adjacent-residential side and rear yard rules apply in stated circumstances.

  “Table 2: Table of Intensity Regulations DISTRICT USE MINIMUM LOT DIMENSION YARD DIMENSION MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS (C)”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings inside Chester town limits, subject to applicable zoning district and use.

  • Table 2 includes accessory buildings in maximum coverage; R any-other-permitted-use coverage is 30% and AR any-other-permitted-use coverage is 20%.

  “MAXIMUM % COVERAGE INCLUDING ACCESSORY BUILDING”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings inside Chester town limits, subject to applicable zoning district and use.

  • Table 2 generally states 2½ stories and 35 feet for listed R and AR uses; its height limitation excludes chimneys, ventilators, towers, spires, and ornamental features not used for living purposes.

  “The limitation on height of a building shall not apply in any district to chimneys, ventilators, towers, spires or other ornamental features of buildings which features are in no way used for living purposes.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Travel trailers, recreational vehicles, truck campers, camping trailers, and self-propelled motor homes inside Chester town limits.

  • Trailers may be stored in an enclosed garage, parked or stored at a principal residence, or used as construction-project office/storage, but not as a residence or dwelling.

  “No travel trailer or similar facility, however mounted, shall be occupied as a residence or parked or stored within the Town of Chester except as provided in Sections 3.4.3”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Title V septic reporting and review inside Chester town limits.

  • The source identifies the approving authority as the Board of Health or DEP; systems with design flow of 10,000 gpd or greater also require submission to the appropriate DEP regional office.

  “All Title V inspectors are required to provide a copy of the Title V report to the Board of Health for review per 310 CMR 15.000”

• Septic inspectionLimited

  Title V septic inspections inside Chester town limits.

  • The report must be submitted within 30 days after completion; for a system with design flow of 10,000 gpd or greater, the inspector and owner must also submit it to DEP's appropriate regional office.

  report-submission-deadline: <= 30 days (after completing the inspection)

  “The system inspector shall submit a copy of this inspection report to the Approving Authority (Board of Health or DEP) within 30 days of completing this inspection.”

• Well permitLimited

  Well drilling inside Chester town limits.

  • Work must be performed or overseen by a MassDEP-certified well driller; a Well Completion Report is due to the Board of Health within 30 days after completion.

  well-completion-report-deadline: <= 30 days (after completion)

  “Any well drilling in the Town of Chester must be performed by a MassDEP-certified well driller, or be overseen by an on-site certified well driller. A Well Completion Report must be submitted to the Board of Health within 30 days of completion. Well permit applications are available online through Permit Eyes (see Online Permitting below).”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision, lot improvement or sale, way construction, or municipal-service installation in a subdivision inside Chester town limits.

  • A definitive plan must be submitted and approved by the Planning Board before the listed activity; a plan believed not to require approval may be submitted as Form A.

  “No Person shall make a subdivision within the meaning of the Subdivision Control Law of any land within the Town, or proceed with the improvement or sale of lots in a subdivision, or the construction of ways or the installation of municipal services therein, unless and until a Definite Plan of such subdivision has been submitted and approved by the Planning Board as hereinafter provided.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Proposed subdivisions in the Chester Floodplain District.

  • The proposal must be reviewed for flood safety; it must minimize flood damage, protect utilities and public facilities from flood damage, provide drainage, provide base-flood-elevation data, and satisfy Wetlands Protection Act requirements.

  “Any proposed subdivision shall be reviewed to determine whether such proposals will be reasonably safe from flooding.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Board of Health permits inside Chester town limits.

  • A $75 administrative fee is added to paper permits not using the online portal; double permit fee is charged for work begun without an approved and issued permit; no refund is available; Health Agent litigation/court costs are additional.

  paper-permit-administrative-fee: 75 USD (Paper permits not using online portal)

  “$75.00 Administrative Fee to be added to all Paper Permits not using the online portal.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications inside Chester town limits.

  • Applicants create an online account, choose Chester and the appropriate permit, allow at least 48 hours for review, respond to requests for additional materials, and may pay after an inspector marks the permit Ready for Payment.

  stated-review-allowance: >= 48 hours (Permit applications are addressed quickly)

  “Permit applications are addressed quickly, but please allow at least 48 hours for your application to be reviewed.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Chester

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Any other permitted use in the Agricultural Residential (AR) district inside Chester town limits.

  • The schedule identifies a different rule for agriculture, nursery, farm stand, or riding stable uses exceeding five acres.

  minimum-lot-area: >= 86000 square feet (Agricultural Residential district, any other permitted use)

  “AR Any other permitted use 86,000 200 40 40 40 2 ½ 35 20%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Any other permitted use in the Residential (R) district inside Chester town limits.

    “R Any other permitted use 10,000 100 25 10 30 2 ½ 35 30%”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Chester town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Chester town limits.
• Inspections — Building work inside Chester town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Chester town limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Chester town limits.

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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Chester means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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