Deck building, repair and staining in Middleton, MA, kept 25 feet off wetland edges and dug through the town's stony glacial ground.
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The Conservation Commission's policy bars construction within 25 feet of a bank or bordering vegetated wetland, and decks are named in the list. Work in the wider 100-foot buffer has to keep that 25-foot strip of natural ground and plants, filed with the Commission through an RDA or Notice of Intent.
[1][2]Chapter 204 lists paints, varnishes and solvents as pollutants and bans dumping them into storm drains or a watercourse. Decks, patios and sheds on a lot with a house are exempt from a stormwater permit only while total new impervious surface since the bylaw stays under 600 square feet.
[1][2][3]The town's posted dimensional table (dated 2009) sets 15-foot side and rear yards in R-1a and 30-foot ones in R-1b and RA, with fronts at 25 feet or 50 from the street center line. Detached accessory buildings sit at least 25 feet from the street and 20 feet (or their height, if greater) from side and rear lines. Check the current table with the building office.
[1][2]One statewide building code. Massachusetts uses a single building code for every town: 780 CMR, now in its tenth edition. Your local building department enforces it and issues the permits. source
Dig Safe before digging. State law requires notice to Dig Safe at least 72 hours before digging, not counting weekends and legal holidays. That includes holes for deck footings. Call 811. source
The Conservation Commission's no-disturb policy names decks: none within 25 feet of a bank or bordering vegetated wetland, and work inside 100 feet goes to the Commission. With about a quarter of Middleton in wetland, that line lands on a lot of backyards.
Middleton's stormwater bylaw exempts decks only while new impervious surface on the lot stays under 600 square feet. Footings hit large stones by two feet, per the town's open space plan, and ledge in the rugged north can move a post or two.
No closer than 25 feet to a bank or bordering vegetated wetland, under the Conservation Commission's policy. Inside 100 feet, you file with the Commission before building.
Usually not. Chapter 204 exempts decks on a lot with a house while total new impervious surface stays under 600 square feet. A big deck plus a patio can cross that.
Our work around Boston and the North Shore.
Local rules change. We link the official pages so you can check the current version, and we confirm what your job needs when we come look.
Send a request or give us a ring. We'll come to Middleton, look at the job and give you a written price. Free.
