Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Bridgewater Town, Massachusetts

Bridgewater Town’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Bridgewater Town city limits: the Town of Bridgewater zoning ordinance, administered by the town Zoning Board of Appeals and building department.

  • Ordinance regulates use, construction, repair, alteration and height of buildings and the use of premises inside the town (ZBA page).
  • Use rules are in the Table of Use Regulations and dimensional rules in the Table of Dimensional Requirements, both in the ordinance appendices.

  “the zoning ordinances of the town of bridgewater promote the health, safety, convenience, and general welfare of residents and regulate the use, construction, repair, alteration, and height of buildings and structures, as well as the use of premises throughout the town.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Bridgewater Town city: residential, business, industrial, CBD and overlay districts per the ordinance.

  • Residential districts are referenced as Res A/B, Res C and Res D in the dimensional-table cross-reference.
  • Zoning map is Section 2.2 of the ordinance; the map itself was not opened.

  “section 2.0 districts 3 2.1 division into districts 3 residential districts 3 business districts 3 industrial districts 3 2.2 zoning map 3”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units (conversion, attached or detached) inside Bridgewater Town city, Zoning Ordinance Section 4.5.

  • ADUs are subject to the general regulations in Section 4.1 and the table of dimensional requirements that apply to the principal building.
  • Also subject to 780 CMR (state building code) and 310 CMR 15 (Title 5) where applicable.
  • Section 4.5 text includes a sentence beginning accessory dwelling units shall be prohibited from short; the full sentence was not read and is not relied on here.

  accessory dwelling units per lot: 1 units

  “adus shall be limited to only single family dwellings and limited to one accessory dwelling unit per lot.”

• Subdividing landRegulated

  Land division and cluster/open-space development in Bridgewater Town city, where the ordinance relies on preliminary subdivision plans.

  • Preliminary plan must follow the town subdivision rules and regulations, which were not opened.
  • Retreat lots require a special permit from the ZBA (Section 8.2).

  “the basis for such determinations shall be a preliminary subdivision plan prepared in accordance with the subdivision rules and regulations.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways serving retreat lots only (Section 8.2.2) in Bridgewater Town city; general driveway rules were not found.

  • Driveway curb cuts for retreat lots must be at least 25 linear feet from another driveway curb cut.
  • Common driveway is allowed under Section 7.2.

  maximum driveway length without turnaround (retreat lot): <= 300 linear feet (retreat lots only)

  “a driveway length shall not exceed 300 linear feet without a hammer head or other method of reversing the direction of a vehicle.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning Board of Appeals petitions and planning and zoning applications in Bridgewater Town city.

  • A petitioner must first receive a denial of a building permit application from the building department or a zoning determination signed by the building inspector before filing a ZBA petition.
  • Petitions and fees are due three weeks before the hearing date.
  • Building permit application steps were not verified.

  “first, a petitioner must receive a denial of a building permit application from the building department or a zoning determination signed by the building inspector.”

Rules another office applies inside Bridgewater Town

Bridgewater Town 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

  Construction inside Bridgewater Town city under the Massachusetts state building code (780 CMR), as recited in the town zoning ordinance.

  • The zoning ordinance recites the state building code for ADUs and accessory structures; the 780 CMR text itself was not opened.
  • Building permits and inspections are handled by the town building department; the scope of those steps was not confirmed.

  “780 cmr massachusetts state building code; & 310 cmr 15, title v, minimum requirements for subsurface disposal of sanitary sewage (dep).”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New home construction inside Bridgewater Town city.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Bridgewater Town city.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Bridgewater Town city.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Bridgewater Town city.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the main single-family residential district of Bridgewater Town city.

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.