5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
Verified from official government sources
Under the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act, no one may discharge pollutants, including construction stormwater, into waters of the commonwealth without a valid permit from MassDEP. Coastal Plymouth County towns enforce local stormwater bylaws under the federal MS4 permit.
MGL c.21 §43
No person shall discharge pollutants into waters of the commonwealth nor construct, install, modify, operate or maintain an outlet for such discharge or any treatment works, without a currently valid permit issued by the director.
The Wetlands Protection Act bars removing, filling, dredging, or altering any bank, beach, dune, or wetland, or land within the 100-foot buffer, without an order of conditions from the town conservation commission. Erosion controls are mandatory on coastal work.
MGL c.131 §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
Building a dock, pier, seawall, or placing fill below the high-water mark along Plymouth County's coast requires a Chapter 91 waterways license from MassDEP. Coastal wetlands, beaches, and dunes are also protected under the Wetlands Protection Act.
MGL c.91 §12
The department may license and prescribe the terms for the construction or extension of a dam, road, bridge, or other structure, or the filling of land
Along Plymouth County's coast, land subject to coastal storm flowage and flooding is a protected resource area under the Wetlands Protection Act. Building in these velocity and flood zones requires an order of conditions from the conservation commission, plus NFIP-compliant elevation.
MGL c.131 §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
Grading, filling, or altering drainage within 100 feet of a wetland, bank, or coastal resource area triggers the Wetlands Protection Act and requires an order of conditions from the conservation commission. Runoff cannot be diverted onto neighboring property.
MGL c.131 §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
1 cities in Plymouth County have their own environmental rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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