Norfolk County has no designated wildfire hazard zones — not a high-risk WUI region. MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Bureau of Forest Fire Control runs the state wildfire program. Blue Hills Reservation carries moderate risk.
Massachusetts is not a high-wildfire state and Norfolk County has no formal Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) hazard zones like those in the West. The MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Bureau of Forest Fire Control monitors fire danger statewide and coordinates with local fire departments. Within Norfolk County, the Blue Hills Reservation (6,000+ acres of DCR-managed forest spanning Milton, Quincy, Canton, Randolph, Braintree) and wooded areas of Medfield, Dover, and Sherborn see periodic brush fires, generally in April-May and October. MA Fire Code (527 CMR 1.00, based on NFPA 1) requires 30 ft defensible clearance for open burning. Outdoor burning regulated under MGL c. 48 §13 — brush burning only January 15-May 1 with fire permit. Red-flag fire weather warnings issued by NWS trigger temporary burn bans by State Fire Marshal and local chiefs. No MA statewide building-material requirements analogous to CA Chapter 7A.
Open burning out of season: up to $1,000 under MGL c. 48 §13. Creating fire hazard: MGL c. 48 §9. Non-compliance with red-flag warning: citations, potential criminal charge if fire results.
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...
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...
Norfolk County, MA
Norfolk County does not restrict rainwater harvesting. MA has no statewide restrictions on residential rain barrel or cistern use. Many Norfolk County towns ...
Norfolk County, MA
Norfolk County has no native plant rule. MA Pollinator Plan and Stretch Code encourage natives. Brookline and Quincy offer climate-resilient landscape guidan...
See how Bellingham's wildfire zones rules stack up against other locations.
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