Fence or deck costs in Worcester

Worcester's zoning ordinance has a definition for the city's signature house: a three-family detached dwelling, "typically called a three-decker." It also says a porch includes a deck. That second line matters if you're rebuilding the back decks on a three-decker, because the porch rules are the ones that apply.

An open porch no longer than half the length of its wall may project up to 4 feet into a required yard. It still can't come closer than 5 feet to a side lot line or 10 feet to a rear lot line, or whatever the state building code requires if that's more. For a wood-frame building in the city's fire district, a projection has to stay 10 feet from the side lot line. On a tight lot, those few feet decide how big a deck can be.

If your house is in one of Worcester's local historic districts, the Historical Commission reviews proposed alterations there, so ask early whether your porch or fence work is covered.

Fences stay simple until they get tall. The ordinance counts a fence or wall over 6 feet high as a structure, which puts it under the same rules as other structures on the lot. Fences on homes allowed by right in residential districts are exempt from the city's site plan review.