Medford, MA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer rule
- 4 stories or 50 ft within 100 ft of low-density zone
- Governing section
- Medford Revised Ordinances § 94-4.2.6.3
- Rooftop feature exception
- Up to 150% of principal structure height
- Districts protected
- SF-1, SF-2, GR, APT-1
- Maximum fine
- $300 per day, § 94-11.3.2
Summary
Medford zoning caps any structure within 100 feet of an SF-1, SF-2, GR or APT-1 district boundary at four stories or 50 feet under § 94-4.2.6.3. Certain rooftop features such as church spires, water towers and chimneys may instead rise to 150% of the principal structure's height under § 94-4.2.6.2.
94-4.2.6 Application of Height Requirements.1.The height restriction will be determined in accordance with the definition in section 94-4.2.6. ... 3.No structure within 100 feet of the boundary of an SF-1, SF-2, GR or APT-1 district shall exceed four stories, or 50 feet, in height.
Full Breakdown
Section 94-4.2.6 of the Zoning Ordinance governs how the height limits in the Table of Dimensional Requirements apply in practice. The core protective rule is item 3: no structure within 100 feet of the boundary of an SF-1, SF-2, GR or APT-1 district shall exceed four stories, or 50 feet, in height. Those four districts, Single Family 1, Single Family 2, General Residence and Apartment 1, are Medford's lowest-density residential zones, so the rule acts as a buffer that limits taller construction on adjacent parcels in a denser district from overshadowing them, even if the taller district's own height table would otherwise allow more.
Item 2 carves out an exception for specific rooftop features not meant for human occupancy, including church spires, belfries, cupolas, domes, monuments, water towers, observation towers, transmission towers, flag poles, windmills, chimneys, smokestacks, silos, derricks, conveyors, masts, aerials and water tanks, which may be built up to 150 percent of the height of the principal structure they sit on, but only to such heights as are necessary to accomplish the purpose they are normally intended to serve, so the exception is not a blanket allowance for any rooftop addition.
Height itself is otherwise set district by district in Table B, the Table of Dimensional Requirements referenced in § 94-4.1.1, which the building commissioner applies when reviewing a building permit application under § 94-11.1.2.
Violations & Fines
Constructing a building that exceeds the 100-foot buffer rule in § 94-4.2.6.3, or a rooftop feature beyond the 150 percent allowance in § 94-4.2.6.2, is a Chapter 94 violation the building commissioner can investigate under § 94-11.3.1 and refuse to permit under § 94-11.1.2. A conviction carries a fine of up to $300.00 for each day the violation continues under § 94-11.3.2, or the noncriminal fine ladder of $25 to $200 per offense under § 94-11.3.3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a height cap near my Medford single-family neighborhood?
Can a building have a taller spire or water tower in Medford?
Where does Medford set the base height limit for my zoning district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medford
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