Permits in MA

[Farmboy]

Hi guys I am wondering if you need a building permit for a sugar shack in MA. My land is under chapter 61a if that makes a differance. Thanks farmboy

[3rdgen.maple]

Farmboy you need to contact your town hall to find out. I believe it varies from town to town. Either give a call or pay them a visit. Where I am you cannot even build a doghouse without a trip to town for a permit and I am in the middle of nowhere.

[KenWP]

I have problems building here also. I am what they call a green zone or farmland only and I had to tear my front step off and can't build another one with out permission of the plans first. They refused my one business plan because they said it would create too much traffic and the high way here has some of the heavyist traffic in Quebec already and they are worried about 3 more cars on it.

[Clan Delaney]

I went to the Office of the Building Inspector in my town before building. We looked at the plot plan, and he quoted me setbacks, which would have put the shack right out my front door. Not exactly where I wanted it. In the end, he gave me enough info to satisfy the letter of the law - I was advised to build no bigger than 10X12 to avoid needing a permit, which would have led to submitting plans, followups, visits, etc. Oh, and I had to maintain a minimum 10 foot setback from my property lines. If I'd have built bigger, one of those setbacks would have had to be 30 feet, which would have made the location impossible.