Town of Essex Bylaws
This page provides access to the Town of Essex bylaws. If your interest involves zoning, please see the note below first.
Continue on to the Town of Essex Bylaws
Chapter 6 of the bylaws deals with zoning. PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONCERNING ZONING BYLAWS:
When an amendment to the zoning bylaws is proposed, the Planning Board holds a public hearing, notice of which is published twice in the newspaper. Thereafter, Town Meeting considers the amendment(s). If Town Meeting approves the amendment(s) - in whole or in part - whatever is approved is effective immediately. The next step toward full approval involves a review of what Town Meeting approved by the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General (OAG). If the OAG approves the amendment(s), the amendment(s) are retroactively effective as of the date of the first publishing of the public hearing notice by the Planning Board. This means that an applicant instituting a use or building a structure contrary to the amended zoning bylaw after that first date of publication does so at their own risk and may be required to cease a use or remove a building after the fact.