Hardscape & Paving Contractor in Westwood, MA

Westwood’s zoning table caps building coverage at 25 percent and total impervious surface at 50 percent in every residential district. The house, garage, driveway, walks, patio and pool deck are all added together.

In the Water Resource Protection district, at least 20 percent of the lot area inside it stays vegetated, and runoff has to be recharged on site once hard surface passes 15 percent. Permeable pavers can help a design stay inside these numbers.

Under Westwood’s wetlands bylaw, any activity within 35 feet of a wetland, bank, pond, vernal pool or stream is presumed to alter it. For lots and structures that existed on March 1, 1998, the distance is 10 feet.

The Commission regulates the full 100-foot buffer and asks for more proof when a project adds over 400 square feet of hard or semi-hard surface in it. The town’s conservation rules are posted online.

Westwood’s earth movement bylaw calls for a special permit when a project brings in or removes more than 200 cubic yards of earth, ends with slopes of 15 percent or steeper, or raises the finished grade five feet or more. A terraced yard or a pool cut into a slope can reach one of those.

Retaining walls up to four feet, measured from the bottom of the footing, need no building permit unless they carry a load. Taller ones do.

Paving and driveways do not need a building permit in Westwood. Work in the public right-of-way needs a Highway Department permit, and a new driveway needs a curb cut permit. On the town’s 13 scenic roads, work in the road layout is reviewed to protect trees and stone walls.

A pool needs a building permit and a barrier that meets the state building code, and its setback is measured to the water line. All applications are filed online; the Building Division’s FAQ covers the details.