Conservation Commission - Framingham Massachussetts

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What Laws and Regulations Protect Wetlands?
Laws and Regulations
Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act
Includes the Riverfront Protection Act added in 1996.

Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act Regulations

Framingham Wetlands Protection Bylaw

Framingham Wetlands Protection Regulations
The new Bylaw Regulations clarify the bylaw, protect our local wetlands more effectively, and establish a new local filing fee structure. See The Wetlands Protection Act Regulations: 310 CMR 10.00 and prefaces.


Wetland Resource Areas Protected
Laws and regulations protect:
  • Wetlands, marshes, wet meadows, bogs or swamps
  • Vernal pools
  • Any bank or beach
  • Any lake or pond
  • Any stream or river
  • Any land subject to flooding in a 100 year storm
  • Any land within 200 feet of the bank of any perennial river or stream, such as the Sudbury River, Baiting Brook, Beaverdam Brook or Hop Brook

Buffer Zones Around Wetlands
  • A 125-foot Buffer Zone, for regulatory review, is established by the Framingham Wetlands Protection Bylaw.
  • A 100-foot Buffer Zone, for regulatory review, is established by the State's Wetlands Protection Act.
  • A 30-foot No-Disturb Zone, to remain natural, is established by the Framingham Wetlands Protection Bylaw.
  • Each buffer zone is measured out from the edge of the Wetland Resource Area. Most activities in these zones, such as building, digging, filling, etc., are regulated and require a permit.


Town of Framingham
150 Concord St.
Framingham, MA 01702
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