Green Harbor, MA

Short-term rental operators register with the Massachusetts DOR statewide, and under MGL c.64G §14 each Plymouth County town can require its own licensing. Plymouth, Marshfield, and Scituate run local STR registration programs.

Every short-term rental operator in Plymouth County must carry liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 under MGL c.175 §4F, unless the hosting platform provides equal coverage. The mandate is statewide, in Plymouth as in Brockton.

No Massachusetts statute sets short-term rental parking. Rules come from each town's STR bylaw and zoning. Plymouth and Scituate require off-street guest parking as a registration condition; South Shore winter parking bans limit street storage.

No Massachusetts statute caps short-term rental occupancy. Limits come from each town's STR bylaw and the property's septic system. Plymouth, Marshfield, and Scituate tie guest counts to bedrooms and Title 5 septic capacity.

Short-term rental guests follow the same town noise bylaw as residents, authorized by MGL c.40 §21(22). Towns running STR programs, like Plymouth and Scituate, attach noise conditions and can pull a host's local registration for repeat complaints.

Short-term rentals owe the 5.7% Massachusetts state excise plus a local excise of up to 6% adopted under MGL c.64G §3A. Plymouth, Marshfield, and Wareham levy the full local rate; Airbnb and Vrbo collect it.

Amplified music is governed by town noise bylaws under MGL c.40 §21(22) and disturbing-the-peace law, MGL c.272 §53. Brockton, Plymouth, and Wareham require permits for outdoor amplified events; residential parties must meet bylaw limits.

No single Plymouth County quiet-hours rule exists. Each town sets its own noise bylaw under MGL c.40 §21(22), the statute authorizing bylaws for controlling and abating noise from any source. Brockton and Plymouth enforce nighttime limits.

A dog is a 'nuisance dog' under MGL c.140 §136A when excessive barking disrupts a reasonable person's quiet enjoyment. Any Plymouth County resident can petition the town selectboard or Brockton's hearing authority for an order under MGL c.140 §157.

Construction hours are fixed by each town's bylaw under MGL c.40 §21(22), the statute authorizing noise bylaws. Plymouth, Marshfield, and Scituate limit powered work to daytime; Hingham and Duxbury bar Sunday construction. No county-wide schedule exists.

Leaf-blower limits come from town bylaws under MGL c.40 §21(22), not the county. South Shore towns including Duxbury, Hingham, and Scituate restrict gas blowers by season and hour. Massachusetts sets no statewide ban.

Open burning across Plymouth County is legal only January 15–May 1, and only with a permit from the local fire department under MGL c.48 §13. Each permit covers a maximum of two days.

Massachusetts designates no regulatory wildfire hazard zones. Plymouth County's elevated-risk areas — Myles Standish State Forest and the Wareham pine barrens — are managed by the state DCR, not by zoning overlays.

All consumer fireworks are illegal everywhere in Plymouth County under MGL c.148 §39 — including sparklers. Possession, use, and sale are banned statewide. Only licensed professional displays are permitted.

Burning brush to clear vegetation across Plymouth County requires a fire department permit under MGL c.48 §13, allowed only during the January 15–May 1 open-burn season, with a 75-foot setback from dwellings.

Recreational fire pits are legal across Plymouth County communities, but any open-air fire needs a permit from the local fire department under MGL c.48 §13. Cooking fires on sand or beach are exempt.

Driveway parking across Plymouth County is governed by local bylaws. Vehicles may not block public sidewalks, must sit on approved surfaces, and inoperable or unregistered vehicles cannot be stored in the open.

RV, boat, and trailer storage on residential lots across Plymouth County is set by each town's zoning bylaw. Front-yard storage is generally restricted; coastal towns like Marshfield and Scituate commonly permit boats seasonally.

Overnight on-street parking across Plymouth County is controlled by local bylaw. Most towns impose winter overnight bans from November through April for snow removal; some restrict overnight parking year-round.

EV charging rules across Plymouth County are set locally and are largely enabling. New commercial and multifamily construction must include EV-ready parking under the state energy code, which most towns have adopted.

Plymouth County towns restrict commercial-vehicle parking in residential zones by bylaw, but MGL c.40 §22 protects registered commercial passenger vehicles and station wagons under 5,000 pounds from being barred.

Street parking across Plymouth County is regulated by each town under MGL c.40 §22, which authorizes local parking rules and penalties. Winter overnight parking bans for snow removal are widespread November through April.

A vehicle apparently abandoned and left more than 72 hours on any way or property in Plymouth County may be taken and disposed of under MGL c.90 §22C. Towns and state police both hold this authority.

No Plymouth County permit exists for a fence; counties issue no building permits. Under the state building code, 780 CMR, fences up to seven feet are exempt from a building permit, though towns still apply zoning setbacks.

Plymouth County has no fence-height ordinance; Massachusetts counties cannot zone. Height limits sit in each town's zoning bylaw, and MGL c.49 §21 makes any fence over six feet built maliciously to annoy a neighbor a private nuisance.

No Plymouth County or Massachusetts statute restricts residential fence materials. Wood, vinyl, chain-link, and iron are all allowed. Material limits come only from each town's zoning bylaw or historic-district rules, not the county.

No county permits retaining walls. Under the state building code, 780 CMR, a retaining wall up to four feet high, measured from the footing, needs no building permit unless it supports a surcharge. Taller or loaded walls require a town permit.

Massachusetts imposes no general duty to split a boundary fence's cost; each owner fences their own land. The one statewide neighbor rule is MGL c.49 §21: a malicious fence over six feet is a private nuisance the neighbor can sue over.

Every residential pool in Plymouth County must be enclosed by a barrier. The state building code, 780 CMR, requires a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates. Towns enforce it through the building inspector.

Rainwater harvesting is unrestricted across Plymouth County. No Massachusetts statute limits collecting rain, and the county holds no ordinance power. Rain barrels and cisterns for landscape irrigation are legal in every town.

No Massachusetts statute caps lawn grass height, and Plymouth County holds no ordinance power. Any height limit across Carver, Wareham, Middleborough, Duxbury, and the South Shore comes from a town's own property-maintenance or nuisance bylaw.

Trimming trees on your own land needs no permit anywhere in Plymouth County. But public shade trees along a road or town way cannot be cut or trimmed without the tree warden's written permit, under MGL c.87 §3.

No Massachusetts statute or Plymouth County ordinance restricts native or drought-tolerant planting. Residents may replace lawn with native meadow, pollinator beds, or coastal grasses freely, and the state encourages it.

No Massachusetts statute defines weeds or forces owners to clear them, and Plymouth County cannot legislate. Weed and overgrowth rules exist only as town nuisance bylaws in places like Middleborough, Wareham, and Marshfield.

No Plymouth County ordinance governs artificial turf, and towns rarely restrict it on ordinary lots. But installing turf near a marsh, bog, pond, or coastal bank triggers Wetlands Protection Act review under MGL c.131 §40.

Plymouth County runs no water system. Outdoor watering limits come from each town or district's Water Management Act permit under MGL c.21G, which conditions large withdrawals and triggers nonessential-use bans during declared drought.

You may remove trees on your own land in Plymouth County without a county permit. But no public shade tree in or beside a road may be removed without a tree warden's public hearing and written consent, under MGL c.87 §3.

Breed-specific bans are illegal in Massachusetts. MGL c.140 §157 bars every Plymouth County town from regulating dogs by breed. No town may ban pit bulls; a dog is regulated only for its own dangerous behavior.

Backyard chickens are allowed subject to each town's zoning bylaw. MGL c.40A §3 bars towns from zoning out commercial agriculture on parcels of five acres, or two acres earning $1,000 per acre, protecting larger farms across Plymouth County.

Leash rules are set by each Plymouth County town under authority of MGL c.140 §173. Statewide, MGL c.140 §155 makes a dog's owner strictly liable for any damage the dog does, regardless of whether it ever bit before.

Beekeeping is allowed across Plymouth County. Massachusetts registers hives through the state, and MGL c.128 §32 caps the registration fee at five dollars. Towns may add setback rules, but no county permit exists.

No county rule governs feeding wildlife, but state regulation bars feeding that draws problem animals, and MassWildlife prohibits feeding black bears. Some Plymouth County towns add local anti-feeding bylaws for deer and waterfowl.

Massachusetts bans keeping most wild and exotic animals without a state license. Under MGL c.131 §23, propagating or maintaining wild mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians requires a state permit. No Plymouth County town can license these on its own.

State law protects home child care across Plymouth County. A family child care home is an allowable use no town may prohibit or zone out, but the provider must hold an Early Education and Care license covering up to 10 children.

The county sets no traffic limit. Town zoning bylaws keep a home occupation incidental to the home, and many Plymouth County towns cap client visits, bar nonresident employees, or require off-street parking so the business does not alter the neighborhood.

Plymouth County has no zoning power. A home business in Brockton, Plymouth, or any South Shore town answers to that town's zoning bylaw, adopted under state law MGL c.40A. Most towns allow home occupations by right within limits on floor area, employees, and outward appearance.

Selling home-baked goods across Plymouth County runs through the local Board of Health under state food code 105 CMR 590. A Residential Kitchen registration and inspection are required; potentially hazardous foods stay off the approved list.

No Plymouth County sign rule exists. Each town's zoning bylaw caps home-business signs, and the common limit for a home occupation is a single non-illuminated sign of about one to two square feet mounted flat on the house.

An above-ground pool gets no special break in Plymouth County. Its wall can serve as the required barrier only when it stands 48 inches high, and the access ladder must be removable or lockable so it cannot be climbed.

Every Plymouth County community builds pools under one rulebook, the state building code, 780 CMR. A swimming pool is a regulated structure, so the town building department, not the county, issues the permit before excavation or assembly begins.

Pool safety in Plymouth County runs on 780 CMR Appendix G. The gate is the heart of it: every pedestrian gate must swing outward, close itself, and latch itself, so a barrier is never left open.

Across Plymouth County the pool fence rule is the state building code, not a town invention. Every outdoor pool must sit behind a barrier at least 48 inches high, identical in Brockton, Plymouth, and every South Shore town.

Hot tubs get the one real exemption in the pool code. A spa or hot tub fitted with a safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 is excused from the barrier rules, so no 48-inch fence is required around it anywhere in Plymouth County.

A carport is a roofed structure, so it takes a building permit in every Plymouth County town under 780 CMR. The town, never the county, reviews it, and local zoning setbacks control how close it can sit to the lot line.

Since February 2025 an accessory dwelling unit up to 900 square feet is allowed by right in every single-family zone across Plymouth County. State law, not town discretion, made it: no special permit can be required to build one.

Turning a garage into living space is permitted work under 780 CMR in every Plymouth County town. It is a change of use, so the building department reviews egress, ceiling height, insulation, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms before signing off.

A small shed skips the building permit everywhere in Plymouth County. The state code exempts a one-story detached storage shed of 200 square feet or less, so a backyard shed in Plymouth or Brockton needs no building permit.

A tiny home's rules in Plymouth County turn on its foundation. Built on a permanent foundation at 900 square feet or less, it now qualifies as a by-right accessory dwelling unit; on wheels, it is an RV that zoning does not treat as a permanent home.

Plymouth County designates no heritage trees. The strongest state protection is the Scenic Roads Act, MGL c.40 §15C: on a town-designated scenic road, no tree may be cut and no stone wall torn down without planning board consent.

No county rule forces tree replacement in Plymouth County. For public shade trees removed without consent, MGL c.87 §6 imposes a forfeiture of up to five hundred dollars per violation to the town, on top of tree-warden replanting conditions.

Plymouth County issues no tree-removal permits and has no authority to. Permits are required only for public shade trees, granted by each town's tree warden after a public hearing, under MGL c.87 §3.

Plymouth County towns run their own no-knock protections through local bylaw. Residents post a no-solicitation notice or join a town Do Not Knock registry, and a licensed solicitor who ignores it commits a bylaw violation enforced by police.

A door-to-door seller in Plymouth County is a hawker and pedler under MGL c.101 §13 and needs the state license, plus most towns require a separate local solicitor permit and a police background check before canvassing.

A food truck working Plymouth County needs two clearances: a state hawker and pedler license issued by the Division of Standards under MGL c.101 §22, and a mobile food permit from the Board of Health in each town where it sells.

Where a food truck may park and sell is set by each town, not the county. A state-licensed hawker and pedler is subject to local rules under MGL c.101 §22, so Plymouth County towns designate vending locations and hours through local regulation.

Plymouth County runs no trash collection. Each community handles its own: Brockton offers municipal curbside, while Plymouth, Marshfield, Scituate, Duxbury, and Wareham rely on private haulers a town board of health licenses under MGL c.111 §31.

Set-out times come from each town, not the county. Plymouth requires trash and recycling curbside by 7:00 AM on the collection day, and carts must be pulled back promptly afterward. Brockton and the towns set their own hours by hauler route.

Recyclables are banned from the trash across Plymouth County by the MassDEP waste ban at 310 CMR 19.017. Glass, metal, and plastic containers, paper, cardboard, and leaf and yard waste must be separated and diverted, not landfilled or burned.

Mattresses, box springs, and textiles cannot go in the trash anywhere in Plymouth County under the MassDEP waste ban at 310 CMR 19.017, effective November 1, 2022. Whole tires, white goods, and TVs are banned too. Plymouth limits bulk curbside pickup to 2 items by appointment.

Garage sale rules come from each community, not the county. Brockton requires a residential Yard Sale Permit from the City Clerk, limits sales to 2 days per calendar year at $5 per day, and bars signs on city poles, street signs, and sidewalks.

Where you store and screen trash carts is set by each town's board of health, not the county, under MGL c.111 §31, which lets local boards make reasonable health regulations. Carts left visible or overflowing can be cited as a health nuisance.

Blighted and dangerous buildings are handled under MGL c.139 §1, which lets a community, after written notice and a hearing, declare a burnt, dilapidated, or dangerous structure a nuisance and order it repaired or removed. Counties have no role.

Snow and ice clearing is set by each community under MGL c.85 §5, which lets cities by ordinance and towns by bylaw require abutting owners to clear sidewalks. State law caps the penalty at $50 in a city and $10 in a town per violation.

Vacant parcels are reached directly by MGL c.139 §1, which names the owner of a vacant parcel of land alongside dangerous buildings. After written notice and a hearing, a community can adjudge the lot a nuisance and order it abated.

Permits are a local matter, not a county one. Brockton requires a residential Yard Sale Permit from the City Clerk's Office at $5.00 per day, obtainable any time before the sale. Plymouth and the surrounding towns generally require no permit for a home sale.

No county rule sets yard sale hours, and the Plymouth County communities impose few limits beyond daylight and general noise bylaws. Sales are expected to run during reasonable daytime hours, with amplified noise and early setup controlled by local nuisance rules.

How often you can hold a sale is capped locally, not by the county. Brockton limits residential yard sales to 2 days per calendar year under its permit. Plymouth and the surrounding towns set no fixed numeric cap for occasional home sales.

Massachusetts has no statewide dark-sky lighting law for private property, and Plymouth County cannot make one. Any shielded-lighting or dark-sky requirement comes from a town zoning bylaw or site-plan condition, which vary widely across Brockton, Plymouth, and the South Shore.

No Massachusetts statute limits light spilling onto a neighbor's property, and Plymouth County cannot regulate it. Remedies come from a town lighting or nuisance bylaw and from a common-law private-nuisance claim, not county code enforcement.

State parks in Plymouth County close overnight. Under 302 CMR 12.03, DCR properties like Myles Standish State Forest and Wompatuck State Park are open only from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. Towns set their own park hours separately.

No Plymouth County town can criminally enforce a juvenile curfew. In Commonwealth v. Weston W., 455 Mass. 24 (2009), the Supreme Judicial Court struck the criminal penalties of a minors' curfew; only civil enforcement such as a fine and parental notice survives.

Commercial drone operators across Plymouth County follow FAA 14 CFR Part 107: hold a Remote Pilot Certificate, register the aircraft, fly below 400 feet, and keep visual line of sight. Neither the county nor towns can license or ground a lawful flight.

Recreational drone flights across Plymouth County follow federal FAA rules under 49 USC 44809: register drones over 250 grams, pass the TRUST test, fly below 400 feet, and keep visual line of sight. Neither the county nor towns can regulate the airspace.

No Plymouth County rule governs garage-sale signs; towns handle them through local sign bylaws. On your own lawn a yard-sale sign is generally fine, but a sign staked in a public way or a state right-of-way can be removed by the town or MassDOT.

Towns, not Plymouth County, regulate signs, through zoning bylaws authorized by MGL c.40A. Those bylaws must stay content-neutral: after Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), a town cannot give political signs a shorter display window or special size limit based on their message.

No Plymouth County or state law limits holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays. Towns rarely regulate seasonal decorations at all, and where a bylaw touches signs or nuisances it must stay content-neutral. A homeowner can put up lights and displays without a county permit.

Rent control is illegal across every Plymouth County community. Massachusetts voters banned it in 1994 through Question 9, now codified as MGL c.40P §4: no city or town may enact, maintain, or enforce rent control of any kind. Landlords set rent freely.

Rental registration and inspection are local powers, not county ones. The State Sanitary Code under MGL c.111 §127A lets each town's board of health enforce housing standards, and cities like Brockton run rental registration and inspection programs. A landlord registers with the municipality, not the county.

Massachusetts has no statewide just-cause eviction law, and no Plymouth County town can add one. A landlord ends a tenancy at will with 30 days' written notice, or 14 days for nonpayment of rent, then files summary process under MGL c.239 §1.

Massachusetts has no state law overriding homeowners' association solar restrictions. In Plymouth County's condominium and HOA communities, recorded covenants can lawfully limit or prohibit rooftop solar, and the zoning protection for solar does not reach private deed restrictions.

Massachusetts law bars any town zoning bylaw from prohibiting or unreasonably regulating solar energy systems, except to protect health, safety, or welfare. Plymouth County homeowners need only a building and electrical permit and a utility interconnection agreement.

Plymouth County sets no height limit. Building height is capped by each town's zoning bylaw under the Zoning Act, MGL c.40A. Most residential districts across Brockton, Plymouth, and the South Shore limit homes to about 35 feet or 2.5 stories.

Plymouth County has no ordinance power over setbacks. Front, side, and rear yards are set by each town's zoning bylaw under the Massachusetts Zoning Act, MGL c.40A. Brockton, Plymouth, and South Shore towns each fix their own minimum yards.

Plymouth County has no lot-coverage rule. Building coverage and impervious limits are set by each town's zoning bylaw under the Zoning Act, MGL c.40A. Coastal towns add wetlands and stormwater limits under the state Wetlands Protection Act.

Home cultivation is legal across Plymouth County. An adult 21 or older may grow up to 6 marijuana plants for personal use under MGL c.94G §7, capped at 12 plants per household regardless of how many adults live there.

Marijuana dispensary siting is a town decision, not a county one. Under MGL c.94G §3 each Plymouth County community adopts bylaws governing the time, place, and manner of marijuana establishments and may cap or, by ballot vote, prohibit them.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.