Frequently Asked Questions

No, the Commission does not have a local ordinance. However, the Commission does have a 30-foot wetland setback policy which prohibits any work within 30 feet of the wetland. Since wetlands are important to a healthy environment, the 30-foot buffer zone provides added protection to this sensitive resource area. 

The city maintains ten parcels of conservation land with trail systems. These are located throughout the city. There are two State parks: Callahan State Park and Marlborough State Forest that also exist within the City's boundaries. The Assabet River Rail Trail, is a trail constructed on an old railroad line used for walking, inline skating, biking and jogging which is located in parts of Marlborough and nearby towns of Hudson and Maynard. In fall of 2019, there will be two new trails: the Panther trail, which will be a marathon-length loop throughout the city, and the Boroughs trail, which is a 33-mile loop connecting Marlborough with Southborough, Westborough and Northborough. See the Trail Maps page.. Maps are also available in paper form in the Conservation Office at City Hall 3rd floor, Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm.

The city has an open space and recreation plan (PDF). See the maps associated with this plan (PDF).

The plan is updated every 5 years and provides the vision to guide the elected officials in what lands are important for recreation and conservation.

When work is being proposed within 100 feet of a wetland (pond, lake, stream or wetland) or 200 feet from a river, a permit from the Conservation Commission is required.  The Commission is enforcing the state Wetlands Protection Act.  Please call the Conservation Department office or e-mail us if you are not sure if there are wetlands on or near your property or proposed project.

Wetlands are important for the protection of surface and groundwater supplies, they help prevent storm damage, provide flood control, and they provide habitat to fisheries, shell fish, and wildlife.  Wetlands act as natures “water purification system” and are extremely vital to a healthy environment.  

Work is any activity that will change the grade of the land or move dirt, create mud or silt, or alter the land by building a structure on a site within 100 feet of a wetland or 200 feet of a river.  

The Commission meets twice a month on the first and third Thursdays of the month. All applications for a permit must be submitted to the Commission two weeks before the hearing so that a legal notice can be placed in the newspaper, to advertise this public hearing. The permit application forms are found online at the DEP website.

• For simple projects use WPA Form 1: Request for Determination of Applicability, involving installation of sheds, removal of a few trees or minor landscaping within 100 feet of a wetland
• For small projects use WPA Form 4: Abbreviated Notice of Intent such as single-family house construction, major landscaping, or wall installation.
• For more major projects use WPA Form 3: Notice of Intent. Please call for our local abutters notice form as well as to receive an abutters list, which we will provide. If you are required to file a stormwater report you must also submit the Stormwater Report Check List
• For Wetland Delineation, use WPA Form 4A: Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation
• And don't forget to use WPA Form 8A: Request for a Certificate of Compliance when a project has been completed.

If you have any questions on what forms to use, please call the office and ask for assistance. Unfortunately, these are state forms and can be complicated, so please do not hesitate to ask for help, that's what we are here for!

For new projects, the landowner should hire a wetland consultant to delineate the wetland boundaries. Wetlands in Massachusetts are defined by the wetland vegetation, wetland soils and hydrology. Wetlands may only have water in them in the spring or during times of high groundwater. It is the plants, the soils and the hydrology, which provide the evidence of the wetland boundary. If you are uncertain whether you have wetlands on your property please call the Conservation Department and we can help you make this determination.

If it is a project constructed on or before 1980 the Commission may have files on the lot so call the Conservation Department office and we can look up whether there is a file on your property and if there are wetlands on or near your property.

Call the Conservation Office at 508-460-3768 (8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday) or email Priscilla Ryder.

Call the Conservation Office at 508-460-3768 (8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday) or email Priscilla Ryder.