Hardscape & Paving Contractor in Plymouth, MA

Plymouth’s wetlands bylaw is stricter than the state’s. Under the Conservation Commission’s current rules, the first 35 feet from a pond, wetland or other protected area is a no-touch zone, and from 35 to 50 feet is a no-build zone where patios, pool decks and walls are not allowed. Work between 50 and 100 feet needs the Commission’s approval.

Read the wetlands regulations before you picture a patio at the water’s edge. On a pond lot, the usable area is often further back than owners expect.

The town’s plan puts public sewer at roughly ten percent of homes, in the dense core. Everywhere else is septic. When a building permit involves a house on septic, the Public Health office will not sign off if the system is more than 30 years old without a passing Title 5 inspection.

That can add a step to a pool or addition project, so look at the town’s septic information and the age of your system first.

Sandy soil is good news for drainage. Water leaves a paver base quickly, and frost has less to grab. The trade-off is that sand moves, so the compacted base and the edge restraint do more work here than they would in clay or till.

Slopes need care too. Plymouth’s zoning does not allow a slope or terrace steeper than two to one within 25 feet of a lower neighbor’s lot line without a special permit.

Inspectional Services publishes its pool fencing requirements: a barrier at least 48 inches high, measured on the outside, with gates that swing outward, close themselves and latch. The same sheet applies to in-ground and above-ground pools, hot tubs and spas.

Building permits are filed through the town’s online system, linked from the Properties and Permits page. In the Aquifer Protection District, a lot that goes past 15 percent impervious or 2,500 square feet, whichever is greater, has to recharge the extra runoff.