Grading work must meet local stormwater bylaws, the MA Wetlands Protection Act, and 780 CMR. Drainage cannot discharge onto neighbors or the public way.
Grading and drainage activity in Middlesex County is regulated through municipal building and stormwater bylaws, the MA State Building Code (780 CMR), and the Wetlands Protection Act (310 CMR 10.00). Common rules include positive drainage away from structures (typically 6 inches fall in the first 10 feet), prohibition on directing roof or surface runoff onto abutting properties or into the public way, and infiltration or detention of new impervious area. Projects near wetlands or within the 100-foot buffer require a ConCom filing. Failed septic systems under Title 5 (310 CMR 15.00) also implicate grading. Cities use engineered drainage review for additions and new construction.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County has no operational county government - it was abolished July 11, 1997 under M.G.L. c. 34B - so there is no countywide noise ordinance. Massa...
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County treats persistent barking as a nuisance. Animal control handles complaints. Dog licensing required statewide (MGL c.140 §155).
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County has no unified leaf blower ordinance. Regulations are set by individual cities and towns such as Cambridge, Newton, Arlington, and Lexington...
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zones. Weight and size limits apply. Overnight storage of heavy trucks prohibited.
Middlesex County, MA
Driveway rules are set by each Middlesex County city or town zoning bylaw. Cambridge, Somerville, Lowell, and Framingham regulate curb cuts, width, paving, a...
Middlesex County, MA
Winter parking bans are the dominant rule across Middlesex County. Most cities prohibit overnight on-street parking from November through April to allow snow...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how other cities in Middlesex County handle grading & drainage.
See how Lexington's grading & drainage rules stack up against other locations.
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