Lincoln's Agriculture Zoning Bylaws

5.1 The use of land or the expansion, reconstruction or construction of structures for
the primary purpose of commercial and non-commercial agriculture, horticulture,
floriculture, aquaculture, silviculture, or viticulture on parcels of five acres or more
shall not be prohibited in any district. Land divided by a public or private way or a
waterway is construed as one parcel.

6.1 Uses Permitted:

a) one building containing one dwelling unit used as a single family residence;

b) rooming or boarding house for not over three lodgers;

c) museums and libraries owned and operated by the Town or by a public
charitable organization with respect to which the Town elects or appoints members
of the governing board, and parks, playgrounds, conservation area, water supply
areas and land owned and operated for the public enjoyment or service by a public
or semi-public agency;

d) preservation of a lot in its natural conditions; fields, pastures and wood lots;
orchards, nurseries, truck gardens and farms, but not including farms operated in
substantial part for disposal of garbage, sewage, offal or renderings; greenhouses
for private uses; keeping of pets and farm animals for residents' use; sale or the
offering for sale of farm produce by an owner, resident tenant, lessee or licensee of
the land in the Town provided that, for parcels under five acres, a majority of the
proceeds results from the sales of products raised within the Town;

e) the commercial keeping, raising, breeding or training of farm animals, except
pigs, for food, fiber or other agricultural purposes on lots between 2 acres and 5
acres, generating sales less than $5,000.00 per acre annually which shall be
calculated as the average of the previous three consecutive years. Proper
enclosures and generally accepted agricultural practices shall be used.
Commercial animal farmers will contact the Animal Inspector to set up annual
inspections.

The annual sales limit shall be adjusted in January using the CPI-U Index from
December and compounded annually.

f) commercial greenhouses on parcels between 2 acres and 5 acres, generating
annual sales less than $5,000.00 per acre.

For purposes of 6.1(e) and 6.1(f) above, a lot that contains 80,000 square feet shall
be considered to be 2 acres.

g) accessory uses on the same lot, if entirely auxiliary to uses as permitted in

6.1(a) through 6.1(f);

h) professional office, studio, laboratory, and workshop accommodating
occupations customarily conducted in Lincoln in a residence or building accessory
thereto by a person residing on the premises, provided that:
i.such use is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the premises
for residential purposes;

ii. not more than one person other than residents of the premises is
engaged in the conduct of the home occupation, whether as an employee or
otherwise;

iii. no offensive noise, vibration, smoke, dust, odors, heat, glare or unsightliness is produced;

iv. there is no public display of goods or wares and there are no signs
except as permitted in Section 16;

v. there is no exterior storage of material or equipment (including the
parking of more than one commercial vehicle) and no other exterior
indication of such use or variation from the residential character of the
premises;

vi. there are adequate off-street parking spaces for employees and for
visitors in connection with the home occupation which does not substantially
alter the appearance of the premises as a single family residence.

vii. such use does not require the parking of more than four vehicles used by
persons engaged in the occupation, clients, customers or patients on a
regular basis;

viii. traffic generated by such use is not inconsistent with traffic usually
associated with a single family residence.

i) religious or educational uses governed by M.G.L. c. 40A, s. 3 (see Section
19.1.e)

j) other uses that cannot be prohibited under M.G.L. c.40A, s.3.

6.1.1 No Certificate of Occupancy shall be granted by the Building Inspector for a
building or structure, subject to the requirements of Sections 6.0.1 and 6.0.2, until
the Planning Board has issued a written determination that said building or
structure and the lot upon which they occur complies with the applicable site plan
approved in accordance with said Section.

6.2 The following uses require a Special Permit from the Board of Appeals, as provided
in Section 20 below, with the written advice of the Planning Board in each case,
and when pertaining to agriculture, the additional written advice from the
Agricultural Commission. See M.G.L. c.40A, s.3 for specifically described uses
that may be exempt from this special permit requirement.

a) hospital, sanitarium, nursing home or charitable institution other than those
defined in Section 5.3;

b) use of land or structure by a public utility or by the Town;

c) community club or country club and golf course not conducted for profit;

d) commercial greenhouses on parcels under 5 acres generating annual sales
greater than $5,000.00 per acre;

e) the commercial raising, keeping, breeding or training of farm animals for food,
fiber, or other agricultural purposes, on parcels under 5 acres, generating sales
greater than $5,000.00 per acre annually which shall be calculated as the average
of the previous three consecutive years.

f) the commercial raising, keeping, and breeding of pigs.

g) the boarding, training, raising, or breeding of dogs other than farm dogs or any
dogs for the residents’ own use as pets, or the offering for hire of riding horses
other than for residents’ own use.

h) private, non-commercial radio and television towers; provided that a permit to
erect and maintain such a tower in connection with the operation of an amateur
radio station shall not be denied unless the safety of the public will be endangered
by such erection or maintenance;

i) any museum or library not referred to in Section 6.1(c) or 6.1(i) above;

j) any occupation which otherwise meets the requirements of Section 6.1(h) but
which requires the parking of more than four motor vehicles on a regular basis or
with respect to which more than one person other than the residents of the
premises is engaged in the conduct of such occupation;

k) an occupation not currently customarily conducted in a residence in Lincoln
which is customarily conducted in residences in other communities, and which is as
consistent with the residential character of the premises as those occupations
permitted under Section 6.1(f), provided that the requirements of Section 6.1(h),
(i-viii) are met.