Frequently Asked Questions

The Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act was adopted by the Massachusetts legislature in the 1972 as M.G.L. Ch.131§ 40. Permitting authority was assigned to local Conservation Commissions, which were already established by the Conservation Commission Act in 1957 as  M.G.L. Ch. 40 § 8C. The WPA combined the 1963 Jones Act, which protected coastal wetlands, and the 1965 Hatch Act, which protected inland wetlands. The WPA was the first statewide wetlands protection law and was adopted due to concern of the rapid destruction and loss of wetlands. In 1996 the WPA was expanded to include the Rivers Protection Act. The Current Wetland Protection Regulations became effective in 2014 as 310 CMR 10.00. The Wetland Protection Act established jurisdiction over wetland resource areas and their buffer zones in order to protect eight interests. 

• Public and Private Drinking Water Supply
• Prevention of Pollution
• Groundwater Supply
• Flood Control
• Storm Damage Prevention
• Protection of Fisheries
• Protection of Land Containing Shellfish
• Protection of Wildlife Habitat

Wetlands: Our "Common Wealth"

Yes, the Mendon Conservation Commission has a local By-law which was adopted by the voters in 2012. The By-law was revised in 2025 at the Annual Town Meeting. Mendon Wetlands Protection By-Law. The Mendon Wetlands Protection Rules and Regulations established the permit fees. The local By-law protects additional resources areas that are not protected in the Act, such as intermittent streams, isolated wetlands, and vernal pools, as well as established the 25ft no-disturb and 50ft no-build buffer zones. The By-law also protects five more interests in addition to the eight protected interests under the WPA. 

• • Protection of public or private water supply
  • Protection of groundwater
  • Flood control
  • Erosion and sediment control
  • Storm damage prevention
  • Prevention of water pollution
  • Fisheries
  • Wildlife habitat
  • Rare species habitat including rare plant and animal species
  • Recreational value
  • Protection of surrounding land and other homes or buildings
  • Protection of surrounding land from predicted increases in flood frequency & intensity
  • Protection of surrounding land to provide improved water filtration capacity, under predicted future increases in precipitation intensity, water temperatures and eutrophication impacts

If the proposed project is located within 100 feet of a wetland resource area or within 200 feet of a stream or river, a permit application must be submitted to the Conservation Commission. The Wetland Resource Areas Graphic may help you visualize types of resource areas and their buffer zones. Mass Mapper is a great resource to help identify wetlands that may be on your property, but it does not capture everything. Past files on record with the office are also available to identify resource areas. Please contact staff at concom@mendonma.gov with any questions. 

The Conservation Commission meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month. Applications that require a public hearing must be submitted two weeks prior to the desired public hearing date, to allow sufficient time for the necessary legal advertisements to be posted. The Conservation Commission meeting schedule includes the filing deadlines. 

The Commission requires two hard copies of all documents in an application, which can be dropped off in person or by mail to the Conservation Office at 18 Main St Mendon MA 01756. An electronic copy should be submitted to concom@mendonma.gov.

Mendon publishes legal advertisements in the Milford Daily News. Public hearing notices are also posted on the town website by the Town Clerk, you can find this on the calendar page, pressing 'Select a Calendar' and checking the Public Hearing box. The 'Notify Me' option will allow you to subscribe to public hearing notices with your email.

The Mendon Wetlands Protection Regulations include the local fees associated with an application. Legal ads are typically around $150. The local fees can be paid as one check.

The town's portion of the state fees are calculated using the NOI Wetlands Transmittal From. The town's portion of the fee should be paid for with a separate check.

Checks can be mailed ot or dropped off at:

Conservation Office 

18 Main St

Mendon, MA 01756

Staff at the office can provide you with copies of records that are available by emailing concom@mendonma.gov or by visiting the office at 18 Main St. Additionally you can search for the record in the Worcester Registry of Deeds by searching the property address, deed recording page, or your name. 

A permit is not required to cut trees or brush outside of wetland resource areas including the 100ft buffer zone to wetlands, the 200ft Riverfront Area, and flood zones. 

A permit is required to cut trees and brush within resource areas and buffer zones. Please call the Conservation Commission office for assistance at 508-634-6898. 

The 25ft no disturb zone was adopted because trees, shrubs, and native plants next to the wetland provide valuable benefits such as soaking up runoff from lawns, and roads, which may contaminate the wetland with chemicals, fertilizers, oils, heavy metals, or salts. Protecting our natural resources is especially important in Mendon when our drinking water mostly comes from private wells. 

The ConCom Chair or its Agent is able to issue an Emergency Certificate for tree removal in emergency situations. Please contact 508-634-6898 immediately, so staff can assess the situation. 

The Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife has designated local Boards of Health the responsible authority for nuisance beaver or muskrats, with the ability to issue emergency removal permits. The Division of Fisheries & Wildlife's page Beavers and the law: A Citizen's Guide to Addressing Beaver Conflicts outlines MGL C. 131. S 80a. The 10 day Emergency Beaver/Muskrat Permit Application should be used for a removal permit. The BOH cannot grant permission to breach (break up) or remove a beaver dam, as the beaver dam is located in wetland resource areas and regulated by the Conservation Commission. Please contact the office at concom@mendonma.gov or 508-634-6898 for permission to breach a beaver dam.