A Town Owned Road is a road that has been accepted by Town Meeting after going through the acceptance process established by state statute. The Department of Public Works maintains Town Owned Roads.
A Private Road is a road that has not been accepted by Town Meeting and is owned by the residents, a homeowner’s association or the original developer. Residents on a Private Road or the homeowner’s association are responsible for maintaining their road with the exception of snow removal.
The Department of Public Works is responsible for snow removal from all Town roadways. This includes private roads, provided that they are in good repair (see Town Policy no. 014 adopted by the Board of Selectmen in 1999.) If a private road is not in good repair it will be placed on the "Do Not Plow List." Each year the Department of Public Works performs inspections of private roads to ensure they are in good repair. Residents will be notified by door hangers as well as local newspaper publications and local cable station advertisement of this list. Residents will be notified in advance of the winter season allowing for ample time to make the necessary repairs. Once these repairs are made residents may contact the Department of Public Works at 508-539-1420. Once notified the Department of Public Works will re-inspect the road and remove it from the "Do Not Plow List."
Multiple steps are invovled in the conversion of a Private Road to a Town Owned Road and takes several years as two affirmative Town Meeting votes are needed. In addition, a betterment will be assessed to all property owners on a road if it is approved for acceptance, this betterment being the cost to bring the road up to Town standards, divided equally among the property owners.
The first step requires the submission of a petition signed by 50% of the property owners on a road requesting that the Town accept the road as a public way. This petition is brought to a Town Meeting at which engineering funds are requested for the preparation of acceptance plans. If approved, the plans are prepared. At the same time, the cost estimate described above is developed. Property owners are then notified of their share in the cost of the necessary road improvements; the cost is usually assessed through a 20-year betterment. The Board of Selectmen holds a public hearing after which 50% of the property owners must reaffirm their commitment to having the road accepted. The final step, if reached, is the approval at Town Meeting to accept the road as a public way and to appropriate the funds needed for the required
road improvements (to be reimbursed through the betterments).
For more information contact the Department of Public Works at 508-539-1420
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