Hardscape & Paving Contractor in Canton, MA

Canton’s wetlands bylaw adds a 30-foot no-build, no-disturbance zone inside the state’s 100-foot buffer. Plans have to show the line, and any work inside it has to be justified.

The town’s regulations go one step further than most. When a structure is proposed close to that line, they call for a permanent stone, concrete or brick barrier at least 24 inches high marking its edge, and that barrier may double as part of a retaining wall. A wall that defines the patio can do both jobs.

A single-family driveway opening in a public way may not exceed 16 feet unless the town specifically approves more. The driveway has to meet the edge of the road without overlapping it, and be graded so water does not pond in the street.

Any work in a public way needs a Public Works permit, and grading permits have to be prepared by a professional engineer. The permits page lists them.

Where a retaining wall faces one of Canton’s scenic ways, zoning limits it to six feet, asks for terracing and planting on taller grade changes, and requires fieldstone or a similar finish. Poured concrete and plain block are not allowed there.

That suits the north end of town, where a natural stone face looks right against the ledge anyway.

Zoning keeps a pool no closer to the street than the house’s own setback and at least 10 feet from neighboring lot lines. Lot coverage is 25 percent in the single-residence districts. The Board of Health issues pool and spa permits, and the Building Department posts its pool requirements.

In the Groundwater Protection Overlay District, making more than 15 percent of a lot or 2,500 square feet impervious, whichever is greater, takes a special permit and a recharge system.