Somerville caps building and impervious lot coverage by district. NR districts typically allow 50 percent building coverage with minimum usable open space.
The Somerville Zoning Ordinance regulates both building coverage (footprint as a percent of lot) and impervious coverage (all roofs, driveways, patios) to control density and stormwater runoff. Neighborhood Residence districts typically cap building coverage around 50 percent and require a minimum percentage of usable open space, often 20 to 30 percent, which must be pervious landscaping rather than driveway. Mid-rise and commercial districts allow higher building coverage but apply floor-area-ratio (FAR) and landscape-area minimums instead. All new impervious surfaces over 500 square feet trigger stormwater review per the City's MS4 permit. Replacing grass with pavers or synthetic turf counts toward impervious coverage. Roof decks and balconies do not count toward ground coverage but do count toward FAR.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Somerville, MA
Somerville restricts amplified music through its noise ordinance and entertainment licensing, with plainly-audible standards at property lines and stricter c...
Somerville, MA
Somerville limits construction noise to daytime and early-evening weekday hours with shorter Saturday windows and a full Sunday and holiday prohibition, refl...
Somerville, MA
Overnight street parking in Somerville requires a resident permit citywide. Snow emergencies trigger odd-even or posted-side bans.
Somerville, MA
Commercial vehicles over 2.5 tons cannot park overnight on Somerville residential streets. Loading zones are time-limited and signed by block.
Somerville, MA
Most Somerville streets are resident-permit zones. Non-residents are limited to 2 hours on posted blocks from 8 AM to 8 PM daily including weekends.
Somerville, MA
Somerville requires a building permit for most fence installations, with historic districts adding a Historic Preservation Commission review step for visible...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how other cities in Middlesex County handle lot coverage limits.
See how Somerville's lot coverage limits rules stack up against other locations.
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