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

Town of Cohasset’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Cohasset town limits; Cohasset town's own zoning bylaw (Chapter 300)

  • Zoning bylaw is the town's own adopted code on eCode360, not a county rule.

  “ch 300 the town of cohasset zoning bylaw chevron_right art 5 dimensional regulations article 5 dimensional regulations”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Cohasset town limits

  • Zoning map is a separate PDF linked from eCode360 (co3662-300c zoning map); not opened in this run.

  “the basic dimensional requirements pertaining to development and use of land and structures in each zoning district are set forth in the § 300-5.3, table of dimensional regulations.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-A residence district in Cohasset town (smallest-lot residence district in the Article 5 table; treated as the main single-family district)

  • Lot area excludes any land within an abutting street or private way and any land below mean high water (§ 300-5.2a).
  • Note 2: plus 6,000 square feet for each additional dwelling unit created in a two-family conversion or a multifamily conversion.
  • Note 5: for a lawfully preexisting nonconforming lot under 18,000 square feet, the lesser of 25% of the lot area or 3,600 square feet applies to the coverage exception.

  minimum lot area: >= 18000 square feet (two-family or multifamily conversion adds 6,000 sq ft per additional dwelling unit (note 2))

  “r-a 18,000 2 50 100 20 15 3 15 4 35 25 30 20 5”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-B residence district in Cohasset town

    “r-b 35,000 6 50 125 30 20 7 20 8 35 25 30 20r-”

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-C residence district in Cohasset town (largest-lot residence district; treated as the rural-residential district)

    “r-c 60,000 9 50 150 30 20 10 30 11 35 25 30 20”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lot coverage calculation for all Cohasset town zoning districts

  • Per-district maximum % lot coverage is a column in the § 300-5.3 table but could not be mapped reliably from the flattened text; not stated here.
  • HAR, VIL and 3A districts have separate dimensional provisions.

  share of wetlands, water bodies and slopes over 45% that may count toward lot area for coverage: <= 50 percent

  “the lot area measurement used to calculate lot coverage by buildings and other impervious surfaces may not include more than 50% of any wetlands, water bodies, and land with slopes greater than 45% within the lot boundaries.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Cohasset town under the town's subdivision regulations

  • Subdivision is administered by the Planning Board under Chapter 325; state subdivision control law not verified in this run.

  “division 3 planning board chapter 325 subdivision of land (§ 325-1 &ndash; § 325-46)”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Cohasset town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside Cohasset town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for construction inside Cohasset town
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Cohasset town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Cohasset 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Cohasset 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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