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

Town of Duxbury’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings and structures inside Duxbury town limits.

  • The proposed construction, alteration, or use must comply with the bylaw or an applicable decision or special permit.

  “No building or structure shall be used, constructed, relocated, added to or demolished without a building permit having been issued by the Zoning Enforcement Officer.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Duxbury town limits.

  • District boundaries are delineated on the Town of Duxbury Zoning Districts map dated November 2022, on file with the Town Clerk.

  “For the purpose of this Bylaw, the Town is hereby divided into the following classes of districts to be known as:”

• Permit processPartial

  Building, use, and certificate-of-occupancy applications inside Duxbury town limits.

  • The Zoning Enforcement Officer may require other information.

  plot-plan scale: 1 inch equals 40 feet

  “Any application for a building or use permit or a certificate of occupancy shall be accompanied by a plot plan, in triplicate, accurately drawn to a scale of one (1) inch equaling forty (40) feet”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Duxbury

Town of Duxbury 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

  A dwelling in Duxbury's Residential Compatibility District.

  • The lot must have at least 200 feet of frontage on a way; frontage cannot accrue from a limited-access highway.

  minimum upland lot area: >= 40000 square feet · minimum frontage: >= 200 feet (Frontage cannot accrue from a limited access highway.)

  “such lot has an area of forty thousand (40,000) square feet or more of upland and shall have a frontage measurement on a way equal to or greater than two hundred (200) feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Dwellings and accessory structures in Duxbury's Residential Compatibility District.

  • Swimming pools and tennis courts may be within 10 feet of a side or rear lot line; steps, limited stoops, cornices, window sills, and belt courses may project as stated in the bylaw.

  minimum side or rear setback: >= 15 feet (Does not apply to swimming pools or tennis courts.) · minimum pool or tennis-court side or rear setback: >= 10 feet

  “No swimming pool or tennis court shall be built within ten (10) feet of a side or a rear lot line.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in Duxbury's Residential Compatibility District.

  • For a lot totaling less than 20,000 square feet, the Board of Appeals may by special permit allow additional coverage no greater than 3 percent of the difference between lot area and 20,000 square feet.

  maximum building coverage: <= 15 percent of total lot area (Subject to the stated special-permit exception for lots under 20,000 square feet.)

  “building coverage as defined in Section 302 shall be no more than fifteen percent (15%) of the total area of the lot”

• Building heightSpecified

  Dwellings in Duxbury's Residential Compatibility District.

  • Listed roof and structural features are exempt, provided they are not used for living purposes and do not exceed 65 feet from the ground.

  maximum dwelling height: <= 30 feet (Listed exempt features are subject to a 65-foot limit and may not be used for living purposes.)

  “In a Residential Compatibility District, no dwelling shall be more than thirty (30) feet in height.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles placed in Duxbury Flood Hazard Areas Overlay District zones A1-30, AH, AE, V1-30, VE, and V.

  • A recreational vehicle must be elevated and anchored under the zone's foundation and elevation rules, be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, or be fully licensed and highway ready.

  temporary-site duration: < 180 consecutive days (Alternative compliance is full licensing and highway readiness, or elevation and anchoring.)

  “all recreational vehicles to be placed on a site must be elevated and anchored in accordance with the zone’s regulations for foundation and elevation requirements or be on the site for less than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and highway ready.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Proposed development in Duxbury's Flood Hazard Areas Overlay District.

  • This includes new construction, changes to existing buildings, manufactured homes, agricultural facilities, fences, sheds, storage facilities, drilling, mining, paving, and topographic alteration that could increase flooding or adversely affect flood risk.

  “The Town of Duxbury requires a permit for all proposed construction or other development in the Flood Hazard Overlay District”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Duxbury town limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Duxbury town limits.
• Inspections — Building work inside Duxbury town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of structures inside Duxbury town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Residential Compatibility District inside Duxbury 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 Duxbury 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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