Middlesex County follows Massachusetts 310 CMR 7.10 which caps sound at 10 dBA over ambient at property lines. Many cities add hard numeric limits of 65 dBA day / 55 dBA night in residential zones.
MassDEP 310 CMR 7.10 is the floor for all Middlesex County communities: no source may exceed ambient background by more than 10 dBA at the property line, measured as L90. On top of that, individual municipalities set hard caps. Cambridge uses 60 dBA daytime (7am-8pm) and 50 dBA nighttime (8pm-7am) in residential districts, with 70/60 in commercial zones. Somerville sets 65/55 residential. Lowell, Waltham, Newton, and Arlington generally adopt 65 dBA day / 55 dBA night in residential areas. Industrial and commercial zones allow 70 to 75 dBA. Measurements must be taken at the property line with an ANSI Type 2 or better sound level meter, A-weighted, slow response. Impulsive sounds (hammering, jackhammers) and pure tones receive a 5 dBA penalty. Enforcement is by local boards of health, police, or building inspectors depending on the town.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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...
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County limits fence heights: typically 6 feet rear/side, 3.5 to 4 feet front. MA spite fence law (MGL c.49 §21) limits malicious fences over 6 feet.
Middlesex County, MA
Most Middlesex County municipalities prohibit barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing in residential zones under local zoning bylaws. Historic distr...
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County has no unified code. Each of the 54 municipalities (Cambridge, Lowell, Newton, Somerville, Framingham, etc.) sets its own fence permit rules...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how other cities in Middlesex County handle decibel limits.
See how Pepperell's decibel limits rules stack up against other locations.
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