Ordinances, Laws, and Regulations

Town Of Amherst

March 2007

Table Of Contents

The links in the index below all point to sections of the Amherst zoning ordinances. The sections of the ordinance are all fairly large Adobe pfd files, ranging in size from 100K to 400K bytes. You can also download your own copy of the entire 244 pages of the Ordinances, Laws, and Regulations for the Town of Amherst (1.85MB).

PagesSection
1-6Title and Index
7-8SECTION A - ZONING ORDINANCE
ARTICLE I - Preamble
Section 1-1: Purpose and Authority
ARTICLE II - Establishment of Districts
Section 2-1: Division of Town into Districts
Section 2-2: Zoning Map
Section 2-3: Interpretation of Zoning District Boundary Lines
8-9ARTICLE III - General Zoning Provisions
Section 3-1: Nuisance Provision
Section 3-2: Non-conforming Uses and Non complying Setbacks
Section 3-3: Water Pollution Control Regulations
9-24Section 3-4: Signs
Section 3-5: Off-Street Parking Requirement (Deleted and moved)
24-29Section 3-6: Mobile Homes and Trailers
Section 3-7: Building Regulations
Section 3-8: Earth Removal
Section 3-9: Reduced Frontage Lots
Section 3-10: Use Group Classifications
Section 3-11: Scenic Setbacks
30-32Section 3-12: Farming
Section 3-13: Dish Antennae
Section 3-14: Transfer of Development Rights (deleted 3-11-93)
Section 3-15: Home Occupations (3-14-95)
33-44Section 3-16: Personal Wireless Service Facilities (adopted 3-9-99)
44-49Section 3-17: Equestrian Facililities and Events (adopted 3-10-98)
Section 3-18: Conditional Use Permits
Section 3-19: Phasing (adopted 3-13-07)
50-64ARTICLE IV - Zoning Regulations
Section 4-1: Application of Regulations
Section 4-2: Lots of Record
Section 4-3: Residential/Rural Zone (RR) 3-12-63 (3-11-93)
Section 4-4: Northern Transitional Zone (NTZ) 3-8-88
Section 4-5: Northern Rural Zone (NR) 3-2-76
Section 4-6: General Office Zone (GO) 3-12-85
Section 4-7: Commercial Zone (C)
Section 4-8: Limited Commercial Zone (LC) 3-2-76
Section 4-9: Industrial Zone
64-74Section 4-10: Flood Plain Conservation District 3-10-70 ( 3-11-97 )
74-80Section 4-11: Wetland Conservation District
80-82Section 4-12: Watershed Protection District
82-85Section 4-13: Aquifer Conservation District 3-13-84
Section 4-14: (Deleted)
85-93Section 4-15: Historic District (HD)
Section 4-16: (Deleted)
Section 4-17: (Deleted)
93-102ARTICLE V - Special Exceptions
Section 5-1: General
Section 5-2: Standards Applicable to All Special Exceptions
Section 5-3: Permits for Special Exceptions
Section 5-4: Uses permitted by Special Exception Residential/Rural
Section 5-5: (eliminated 3-11-93)
Section 5-6: Uses permitted by Special Exception Commercial Zone
Section 5-7: Uses Permitted by Special Exception Northern Rural Zone
Section 5-8: Uses Permitted by Special Exception Industrial Zone
Section 5-9: Uses Permitted by Special Exception Limited Commercial Zone
Section 5-10: Uses Permitted by Special Exception Northern Transitional Zone
103-110ARTICLE VI - Administration
Section 6-1: Enforcement
Section 6-2: Building Permits, Certificates of Occupancy, Earth Removal Permits
Section 6-3; Board of Adjustment
Section 6-4: Costs
Section 6-5: Existing Ordinances
Section 6-6: Severability Clause
Section 6-7: Governmental Services
Section 6-8: Penalty
111ARTICLE VII - Amendments To The Zoning Ordinance
Section 7-1: General
Section 7-2: Referral of Amendments to Planning Board
112-118ARTICLE VIII - Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 8-1: Interpretation
Section 8-2: Short Title
Section 8-3: Effective Date
Section 8-4: Administration
Section 8-5: Affordable Housing 3-14-89
119-129ARTICLE IX - Definitions
Section 9-1: Meaning of Certain Words
130-157SECTION B - SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS
Section 1: Authority
Section 2: Definitions
Section 3: Application Procedure Effective 5-1-87
Section 3-1: Application
Section 3-2: General
Section 3-3: Agreement to Approvals
Section 3-4: Action of the Board
Section 4: Plat Requirement
Section 4-1: Compliance with Regulations
Section 4-2: Character of Land for Subdivision
Section 4-3: Lot Layout
Section 4-4: Preservation of existing features
Section 4-5a: Submission Documents - Design Review Phase
Section 4-5b: Submission Documents - Final Review Phase
Section 4-5c: Submission Documents for Lot Line Change - Consolidation and Recording
Section 4-5d: Lot Consolidation
Section 4-6: Legal Data Required
Section 4-7: New Roads and Improvements and Building Permits
Section 4-7a: Bonding
Section 4-7b: Permit
Section 4-8: Design for Open Space
Section 4-8a: Open Space shown on Town Plan
Section 4-8b: Other Open Space
Section 4-8c: Trees and Planting
Section 4-8d: Development of Open Space
Section 4-8e: Transfer of Development Rights, Implementation Deleted 1-10-90
Section 4-9 Phasing
Section 5: Roads and Utilities Standard
Section 5-1: Street Design
Section 5-2: Subdivisions Containing Reduced Frontage Lots
Section 5-2a: General
Section 5-2b: Conditions and Restrictions
Section 5-2c: Construction Requirements
Section 5-2d: Driveway Regulations 3-12-88, 6-18-03
Section 5-3: Classification of Streets
Section 5-4: Pedestrian Walks
Section 5-5: Drainage
Section 5-6: Underground Utilities
Section 6: Administration and Enforcement
Section 6-1: Modifications
Section 6-2: Acceptance of Streets
Section 6-3: Other Regulations
Section 6-4: Enforcement
Section 6-5: Penaltie
Section 6-6: Appeals
Section 6-7: Validity
Section 6-8: Effective Date
Section 6-9: Pre-construction Meeting
Section 7: Groundwater and/or Surface water monitoring
Section 8: Landscaping Standards (adopted May 17, 2000)
Section 8.1: Street Tree Landscape Strip
Section 8.2: Use plants that are characteristic of the region in natural masses
Section 8.3: Use a variety of species to assemble new landscaping masses
Section 8.4: Integrate existing mature trees and vegetation into the landscape plan
Section 8.5: Use plantings to enhance the relationship of buildings to their surroundings
Section 8.6: Parking Areas
Section 8.7: Adjacent Buildings
Section 8.8: Signage Landscape Strip
Section 8.9: Screening of unsightly features
Section 10: Parking Space Requirements
158-184SECTION C: NON-RESIDENTIAL SITE PLAN REV. REGS
SECTION II
Underground Storage Tanks
Affordable Housing
Personal Wireless Service Facilities
184-202SECTION D: Historic District Commission Regulations (1-17-1991)
203-205SECTION E: Scenic Roads
206-207SECTION F: Road Specifications 1971
208-217SECTION G: Water Pollution Control Regulations
218-221SECTION H: Building Code
221-242SECTION I: Storm Water Regulations
243-244SECTION J: Applicable State Statutes


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