Environmental Rules in Cambridge, MA (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for Cambridge, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Cambridge requires stormwater management plans for construction disturbing one acre or more and implements strict post-construction standards to reduce flooding and protect the Charles River and Alewife watershed.
Cambridge Stormwater Management Ordinance
Heavy RestrictionsErosion Control
Cambridge construction sites must install erosion and sediment controls under the Stormwater Ordinance and state Wetlands Protection Act, with silt fencing, inlet protection, and stabilized entrances required.
Cambridge Erosion and Sediment Control
Heavy RestrictionsFlood Zones
Cambridge participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and enforces a Flood Plain Overlay District covering FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas along the Charles River and Alewife Brook.
Cambridge FEMA Flood Zone and Floodplain Overlay
Heavy RestrictionsMass. Gen. Laws ch. 131, § 40 (Wetlands Protection Act — Flood Plain and Wetlands Activities)
Section 40. No person shall remove, fill, dredge or alter any bank, riverfront area, fresh water wetland, coastal wetland, beach, dune, flat, marsh, meadow or swamp bordering on the ocean or on any estuary, creek, river, stream, pond, or lake, or any land under said waters or any land subject to tidal action, coastal storm flowage, or flooding, other than in the course of maintaining, repairing...
Grading & Drainage
Cambridge requires grading and drainage plans with building permits to ensure runoff is managed on-site and does not adversely affect neighbors or the municipal storm drain system.
Cambridge Grading and Site Drainage Rules
Heavy RestrictionsLooking for Middlesex County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Cambridge city rules.
Environmental Rules in Middlesex County →