Bylaws of the Town of Shutesbury are adopted/amended at an Annual or Special Town Meeting and approved by the Attorney General's Office. Official/true hardcopy is kept in the Town Clerk's office.
Town Bylaws are listed below. With older Bylaws, the opening page is a cover sheet, citing the bylaw's date of adoption at Town Meeting and date of approval by the Massachusetts Attorney General. Where the bylaw is only one or two sentences long, it is written in its entirety on the cover sheet.
In the notation to each bylaw:
— [year] is the date of the bylaw's adoption or most recent amendment
§ indicates the bylaw of a committee, commission, council, or board
Annual Report Bylaw
The Town's Annual Report shall be produced prior to November 1 each year to provide information from the previous fiscal year — 2002
Annual Town Meeting Date Bylaw
Annual Town Meeting shall be convened on the last Saturday in April — 2019
Annual Town Meeting Quorum Bylaw
The number of voters to constitute a quorum at Annual Town Meeting shall be nine — 1963
Annual Town Meeting Warrants Bylaw
Articles for the Annual Town Meeting warrant shall be submitted to Select Board forty-five days prior to the Town Meeting date — 1986
Atkins Reservoir Bylaw
Regulations applying to Atkins Reservoir and adjacent watershed — 1989
Building Code Bylaw
Adoption of the 1960 BOCA National Codes and References as building code for the Town of Shutesbury — 1966
Bylaw Format Bylaw
Authorizes Town Clerk to set/correct number and sequencing of sections, subsections, paragraphs of the Town General Bylaws and the Zoning Bylaw — 2018
Capital Improvement Planning Committee Bylaw §
Establishment of a Capital Improvement Planning Committee citing membership, responsibilities, and reporting — 2000
Community Preservation Committee Bylaw §
Establishment of Community Preservation Committee pursuant to MGL Chapter 44B §5 with outline of duties and operations — 2020
Council on Aging Bylaw §
Establishment of Council on Aging pursuant to MGL Chapter 40 §8B with designation of members and outline of duties — 1973
Curb Cut Bylaw
Approved 1987, expanded and incorporated in the 2008 Zoning Bylaw as Section 8.6 — 2008
Denial, Suspension, or Revocation of Local Licenses Bylaw
Acceptance of MGL Chapter 40 §57 (as amended) procedure for licensing authority to deny, revoke, or suspend local permits/licenses for nonpayment of taxes — 1999
Disposition of Town Property Bylaw
Regulates disposal of Town-owned personal property — 1974
Dog Licensing and Control Bylaw
Establishment of licensing and control of dogs in the Town of Shutesbury — 2002
Excessive Noise Bylaw
Prohibition of excessive noise stipulating enforcing agents, penalties, and exemptions — 1989
False Alarms Bylaw
Stipulation of the fine for any residence, facility, vehicle, or business equipped with an intrusion/fire alarm system for each second and subsequent falsely-activated alarm in a 12-month period — 1989
Farm & Forest Commission Bylaw §
Establishment of Farm & Forest Commission to represent the Shutesbury farming and forestry community — 2009
Finance Committee Bylaw §
Establishment of the Town's Finance Committee, stipulating membership, matters of interest, authority, and the Committee's charge — 2004
House Numbers Bylaw
Stipulation of requirement for clear display of house numbers to assist in emergency services — 1993
Littering and Dumping Bylaw §
Prohibition of refuse disposal on public roads and rights of way, private property, or in inland waters pursuant to MGL Chapter 270 §16 and MGL Chapter 131 §1 — 2014
Non-Criminal Disposition
Provision for non-criminal disposition of violations of any Town bylaw per MGL Chapter 40 §21D — 1989
Personal Watercraft on Lake Wyola Bylaw
[see also Watercraft and Persons Using Lake Wyola Bylaw & Winter Use of Lake Wyola Bylaw]
Prohibition on operation of jet skis, surf skis, wet bikes, and other so-called 'personal watercraft' on Lake Wyola, with enforcement and fines for violation —1996
Personnel Bylaw §
Establishment of Personnel Board pursuant to 1991 annual Town Meeting with definitions and policy regarding appointment, advancement, compensation, and general working conditions of non-unionized Town employees (with exception) — 2006
Procurement Bylaw
Stipulation of Select Board or designated Chief Procurement Officer as granted authority to enter into Town contract(s) pursuant to MGL Chapter 30B — 2002
Revolving Fund Bylaw
Cancellation of SREC revolving fund from chart of funds established in 2018 – 2020
Sign Bylaw
Stipulation of standards for placement and appropriateness of signs so as to protect public safety and facilitate effective communication without distracting or obstructing visibility of motorists; incorporated in the 2008 Zoning Bylaw as Section 8.4 — 2020
Small Wind Energy Systems Bylaw
Incorporated in the 2008 Zoning Bylaw as Section 8.8 — 2008
Solar Bylaw
Incorporated in the 2016 Zoning Bylaw as Section 8.10 — 2020
Stretch Energy Code Bylaw
Adoption of Appendix 120AA if the Massachusetts Building Code, 780 CMR, the "Stretch Energy Code," in regulating the design and construction of buildings for the effective use of energy — 2010
Stripping Land of Soil and Loam
Prohibition of any person, firm, or corporation stripping or removing any soil, loam, sand, or gravel from Town land not in public use unless/until authorized by a permit issued by the Select Board — 1989
Town Beach Bylaw
Regulations/prohibitions governing activity on the Lake Wyola Town Beach — 1989
Trash Disposal and Recycling Bylaw §
Establishment of mandatory recycling program with curbside separation of trash and recyclable materials — 1999
Unregistered Vehicles Bylaws
Stipulation of unregistered vehicles, assembled or disassembled, to be kept within a closed building — 1989
Watercraft and Persons Using Lake Wyola Bylaw
[see also Personal Watercraft on Lake Wyola Bylaw & Winter Use of Lake Wyola Bylaw]
Stipulation of speed limits and allowed times of operation for speed boats and skiing on Lake Wyola; amended to use "sunset to sunrise" in place of "dusk and dawn" — 2014
Wetlands Protection Bylaw §
Establishment of the Conservation Commission's controlling activities to protect the Town's wetlands and related water resources — 2024
Winter Use of Lake Wyola Bylaw
[see also Personal Watercraft on Lake Wyola & Watercraft and Persons Using Lake Wyola Bylaw]
Regulations concerning off-road vehicular access, use, and speed in winter activities on Lake Wyola — 2010
Wireless Communication Facilities Bylaw
Formerly Telecommunications Bylaw, amended, re-titled, and incorporated in the 2008 Zoning Bylaw as Section 8.7 — 2019
Zoning Bylaw §
Adopted 2008, amended in 2009 & 2010; sections were added in 2012 (Floodplain Overlay District), in 2016 (Ground-Mounted Solar Electric Installations), in 2018 (Common Driveway Regulations), and in 2019 (Adult Use Recreational Marijuana Establishments). In 2020, three sections were amended (Open Space, Sign Regulations, & Ground Mounted Solar). In 2021, two sections were added (Zoning Districts Use Access & Planning Board Associate Members) — 2021