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

Town of Hardwick’s own rules

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction of a Planning Board-approved common driveway serving two to six lots inside Hardwick town limits.

  • The applicant must arrange four inspections from the Highway Surveyor or designee at completion of each construction stage.
  • Certified as-built plans must be submitted and Building Inspector approval obtained before an occupancy permit issues.

  required inspections: 4 inspections (During common-driveway construction, at completion of each stage.)

  “the applicant shall submit certified as-built plans to the highway surveyor and obtain the approval of the building inspector prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land use and occupancy of buildings or structures erected or structurally altered inside Hardwick town limits.

  • The Building Inspector must issue the certificate.
  • The certificate requires compliance with the bylaw or an Appeals Board or Planning Board decision.
  • The certificate lapses if compliance fails.

  “No land shall be occupied or used, and no building or structure hereinafter erected or structurally altered shall be occupied unless a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued by the Building Inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land and buildings inside Hardwick town limits.

  • Buildings, structures, and land uses must conform to the bylaw and the applicable zoning district; unenumerated uses are prohibited.

  “any use not specifically enumerated herein shall be deemed prohibited.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Hardwick town limits.

  • The zoning map dated May 2012, as amended by Town Meeting, is on file in the Town Clerk's office and forms part of the bylaw.

  “The Town of Hardwick is hereby divided into zoning districts as follows: AR-60 ------ Agricultural Residential R-40 ------ Neighborhood Residential V ------ Village Residential I-40 ------ Industrial C-40 ------ Commercial, Light Manufacturing, Residential G-V ------ Gilbertville Village MCOD ------ Mill Conversion Overlay District FPOD ------ Flood Plain Overlay District”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Lots and buildings subject to Hardwick subdivision regulations inside town limits.

  • A building must front on a public way or a way shown on a plan approved under Hardwick's Subdivision Regulations.
  • The zoning bylaw identifies distinct rules for open-space subdivisions.

  “No building shall be erected except on a lot fronting on a public way or a way shown on a plan approved in accordance with Hardwick’s Subdivision Regulations”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Applicants for new development inside Hardwick town limits.

  • Applicants must obtain a curb-cut permit from the Hardwick Highway Superintendent and comply with the Town Curb Cut/Driveway Bylaw.
  • The cited requirement appears in the zoning bylaw's motor-vehicle-access provisions for new development.

  “Applicants shall obtain a Curb Cut Permit from the Hardwick Highway Superintendent and comply with the Town’s Curb Cut/Driveway Bylaw.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits and municipal Building Department permits inside Hardwick town limits.

  • The Building Department page states that permit fee schedules are available at the office or online.

  “building permits and permit fee schedules are available in the assessor's/building department office of the municipal building during regular business hours, or online or on this page.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building Department permit applications inside Hardwick town limits.

  • The Building Department accepts paper applications only.
  • Applications may be dropped off or mailed to the Municipal Building.
  • A pre-paid self-addressed envelope is required when a coding or zoning document return is required or the applicant requests one.

  “if a document return is required by coding or zoning, or requested by the applicant, a pre-paid self-addressed envelope must be provided.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Hardwick

Town of Hardwick 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

  Agricultural Residential (AR-60) district inside Hardwick town limits.

  • The schedule states separate standards for open-space subdivision, senior residential development, residential compounds, and the Mill Conversion Overlay.

  minimum lot size: 60000 sq ft · minimum lot frontage: 200 ft

  “ar-60 60,000 200 35 40 20 35 r-40 40,000 150 35 40 20 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Neighborhood Residential (R-40) district inside Hardwick town limits.

    “ar-60 60,000 200 35 40 20 35 r-40 40,000 150 35 40 20 35”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Agricultural Residential (AR-60) district inside Hardwick town limits.

  • Front-yard measurement is from the filed right-of-way plan, or if absent from a line 25 feet from and parallel to the traveled-way centerline.
  • Accessory buildings may not be in the required front yard, within 10 feet of a side lot line, or within 10 feet of a rear lot line.

  minimum front yard: 35 ft · minimum rear yard: 40 ft · minimum side yard: 20 ft

  “ar-60 60,000 200 35 40 20 35 r-40 40,000 150 35 40 20 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Neighborhood Residential (R-40) district inside Hardwick town limits.

    “ar-60 60,000 200 35 40 20 35 r-40 40,000 150 35 40 20 35”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural Residential (AR-60) district inside Hardwick town limits.

  • The Planning Board may grant a special permit exceeding the height limitation if it determines the excess height is in the Town's best interest.

  maximum building height: 35 ft (May be exceeded by Planning Board special permit.)

  “c. the limitation on height may be exceeded by grant of a special permit by the planning board if it is det”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Neighborhood Residential (R-40) district inside Hardwick town limits.

    “c. the limitation on height may be exceeded by grant of a special permit by the planning board if it is det”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New residential construction inside Hardwick town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Hardwick town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Hardwick town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Hardwick town limits.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Hardwick 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 Hardwick 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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