20 Day Appeal Period Letters & Recording Information
Did the Zoning Board of Appeals approve your Special Permit or Variance application? Did the Planning Board approve a Special Permit, Site Plan Approval, etc?
Wondering what your next steps are? Keep reading...
Before you can file for a building permit or start any work associated with your approved decision there is a 20 day Appeal Period.
The 20 days start the day the decision is filed in the Town Clerk's Office. This is very inportant to understand - it does not start the night of the ZBA/PB meeting or when you receive your ZBA/PB approval letter/decision. 20 full days must pass once the decision has been filed with the Town Clerk. This allows abutters to view the decision and file an Appeal in Court & bring a copy of the Appeal to the Town Clerk's office. Therefore letters are not available until the 21st day after the decision is filed.
Please call the Town Clerk before BEFORE making a trip to the office to pick up your Letter of No Appeal. 978-897-5034 The Town Clerk will confirm when your letter will be available for pick-up or call you when it becomes available. Letters are prepared after the appeal period has ended and only when requested by the applicant.
Calling ahead of time is helpful for many reasons: 978-897-5034
- You won't make an unnecessary trip to the office.
- Our staff can check on the release date & prepare the letter (letters are not created until requested)
- The Town Clerk's office is often quite busy - you will not stand in line just to be told you can't have the letter immediately.
If you get the Town Clerk's VOICEMAIL please leave a message with the following information:
*speak slowly and clearly & if calling from a cell phone make sure your reception is clear - we often get static filled messages that we can not understand.
- Your First and Last Name
- Address of the Property
- The number of decisions you need letters for (often people have applied for a special permit & a variance - each has their own information)
- Volume and Page Number for each decision
- The Best Phone Number to reach you
So... you have called the Town Clerk, requested you letter, and picked up your letter & original copy of decision....
Wondering what your next steps are? Keep reading...
Before you file for a building permit or start any work you must file an original copy of the decision & Letter of No Appeal (provided by the Town Clerk) at the South Middlesex Registry of Deeds. You will need to provide the Book and Page # for your property deed - the registry requests this information be written on the certified Letter of No Appeal (supplied by the Town Clerk). See below for links to the registry & filing tips
After the file the decision you should make a minimum of 4 copies & distribute to the following:
1. Town Clerk
2. Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board
3. Building Department
4. Keep a Copy for Your Records
SOUTH MIDDLESEX REGISTRY OF DEEDS INFORMATION
Contact Info, Hours, Directions: http://www.middlesexsouthregistry.com/contact.html
Fees: http://www.middlesexsouthregistry.com/feeschedule.html
Database to Search Deeds & Recorded Filings: http://www.masslandrecords.com/MiddlesexSouth/