Norfolk County does not enforce erosion control. Each municipality requires erosion and sediment controls on construction sites under local bylaws, the Wetlands Protection Act, and EPA construction general permit.
Erosion and sediment control in Norfolk County operates at multiple levels. Local: each town's building/engineering code requires an erosion control plan for grading permits; Brookline, Dedham, Weymouth have detailed stormwater bylaws covering construction. State: MA Wetlands Protection Act (MGL c. 131 §40) requires Conservation Commission review for work within 100 ft of wetlands. Federal: EPA Construction General Permit required for disturbance of 1+ acre. Standard BMPs include silt fencing, straw wattles, erosion control blankets, stabilized construction entrances, and sediment basins. Disturbed areas must be temporarily stabilized within 14 days of activity cessation per EPA CGP. Permanent stabilization required at completion. Conservation Commission site inspections are common.
No county enforcement. Municipal missing controls: stop-work order, $250-$2,500. Sediment discharge to wetlands under MGL c. 131 §40: $25,000/day. Federal CGP violations: up to $56,460/day.
Norfolk County, MA
Norfolk County does not regulate amplified music. Each municipality requires entertainment licenses or one-day amplified sound permits under MGL c. 140 §183A...
Norfolk County, MA
Norfolk County does not handle abandoned vehicles. MGL c. 90B §2 allows police to remove abandoned vehicles after 72 hours. Quincy, Brookline, and Weymouth t...
Norfolk County, MA
Norfolk County does not regulate chickens or livestock. Each town sets its own rules via zoning and board of health regulations. Suburban towns often restric...
Bellingham, MA
Bellingham follows the Massachusetts state framework for residential fire pits: cooking-only fire pits and grills are exempt from open-burning rules, but any...
Bellingham, MA
Bellingham allows residential open burning only during the Massachusetts state burn season — January 15 through May 1 — with a daily permit from the Bellingh...
Norfolk County, MA
Brookline enacted the first MA town-wide ban on new artificial turf on town property (2023 Town Meeting Art. 14). Other Norfolk County towns allow turf resid...
See how Bellingham's erosion control rules stack up against other locations.
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