Lakeside Laws for You and Your Landscaper to Remember

Stockbridge Bowl is one of five lakes located within the Town of Stockbridge’s Lake and Pond Overlay District, a zoning district established to help protect the Town’s lakes, ponds, and surrounding natural resources.

If you own property along the Bowl, it is important that both you and anyone working on your property — including landscapers, gardeners, and contractors — are familiar with the regulations that apply to lakeside land.

Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act

The Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act regulates activities that involve filling, excavating, or otherwise altering wetland resource areas.

The Act also applies to activities that may affect the important functions of wetlands, including certain work conducted within the applicable buffer zones. In general, work within 100 feet of a bank or bordering wetland resource area may be subject to review and regulation.

Before beginning landscaping, construction, clearing, or other work near the shoreline, property owners should determine whether approval from the Stockbridge Conservation Commission is required.

Stockbridge Lake and Pond Overlay District

In addition to the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, the Town of Stockbridge has local zoning regulations designed specifically to protect the areas surrounding its lakes and ponds.

Under the Town’s zoning bylaws, vegetation within 35 feet of the high-water mark is generally required to remain as an undisturbed natural buffer strip.

This natural vegetation helps protect the Bowl by filtering runoff, reducing erosion, limiting nutrients and pollutants entering the water, and preserving shoreline habitat.

Access to the Water

A clearing may be maintained within the 35-foot buffer to provide access to the water. However, the width of the clearing may not exceed 20% of the property's frontage along the water or 35 feet on an individual lot.

Where possible, the access opening should be angled across the property rather than extending directly toward the lake. This allows property owners to maintain access and views while helping reduce the direct flow of stormwater and runoff into Stockbridge Bowl.

Exceptions may be considered through a special application to the Stockbridge Planning Board, in consultation with the Stockbridge Conservation Commission.

Before You or Your Landscaper Begin Work

If you are planning to clear vegetation, remove trees or shrubs, alter the shoreline, install landscaping, or undertake other work near Stockbridge Bowl, please familiarize yourself with both state and local requirements before beginning.

Protecting the natural shoreline is one of the most important ways lakeside property owners can help preserve the health and beauty of Stockbridge Bowl for generations to come.