Taunton, MA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- District
- Transit-Oriented Development District, East Taunton MBTA stop
- Max height
- 65 feet
- Max stories
- Five stories
- Max lot coverage
- 85%
- Base density
- Up to 20 residential units per acre
- Enforcement
- Fines up to $300 per day (§ 440-301)
Summary
Taunton caps buildings in its Transit-Oriented Development District at 65 feet and five stories, with maximum lot coverage of 85%. Section 440-1705 sets these limits alongside the district's 10-foot setbacks, allowing dense, walkable construction around the East Taunton MBTA commuter rail station while the general residential height table for the rest of the City sits in a separate Chapter 440 attachment.
§ 440-1705. Density and dimensional requirements. ... Within the Transit-Oriented Development District the following density and dimensional requirements shall apply: ... (6) Maximum height: 65 feet. (7) Maximum number of stories: five. (8) Maximum lot coverage: 85%.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4508986; v12 updated 2025-09-22; through 09-22-2025).
Full Breakdown
Section 440-1705, most recently amended 5-21-2024, caps buildings in the Transit-Oriented Development District (TOD) at 65 feet and five stories, with lot coverage capped at 85%. The TOD sits around the East Taunton MBTA commuter rail station on County Street and was designed, per § 440-1701, to comply with the multifamily zoning mandate of MGL c. C) are part of how Taunton meets that state requirement. Elsewhere in Chapter 440, the code repeatedly measures other structures' height against 'the maximum height requirement for the zoning district as specified in § 440-603,' for example capping wind energy systems at their underlying district's maximum height unless the Zoning Board of Appeals grants a special permit for more.
Because that citywide dimensional table, the Intensity of Use Table referenced in § 440-603, is filed as a separate attachment to Chapter 440 rather than printed in the chapter's own text, the TOD's 65-foot cap is the one district height figure that appears directly in the code itself; owners outside the mapped TOD boundary should confirm their own district's limit with the Department of Planning and Conservation before design.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 440 makes any violation of its provisions, including the TOD's 65-foot height and five-story caps, punishable by a fine of up to $300 per offense, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately (§ 440-301.B(1)). The Building Inspector may instead issue noncriminal citations under MGL c. 40, § 21D, with escalating fines of $50, $100 and $300 for a first, second and third-or-later offense (§ 440-301.B(2)). No building permit may issue for plans exceeding these height limits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a building be in Taunton's Transit-Oriented Development District?
Does the 65-foot cap apply to the rest of Taunton?
What is the penalty for exceeding the TOD height limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Taunton
Compare Taunton to another location·View the Massachusetts building setbacks & zoning overview
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Structure Height Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle structure height limits.