Zoning Process Step Four: Make a Decision Once Zoning is Approved
Congratulations! Now that your petition has been approved, a staff person will give you a handout advising you to go to the Board of Appeal office in Room 204 in City Hall to obtain instructions, specific to your case, on how to prepare a written deci-sion. This is your final legal document and remains a part of the permanent record.
Once you have prepared the written decision and submitted it to the Law Department for review, the Law Department will forward it to the Board for additional review and preparation for Board signature. The Board will sign the written decision at its next meeting date. Currently, the meeting is scheduled twice a month. The actual dates can be confirmed by calling the Boston Inspectional Services Department. Once the signature process is complete, this department initiates the formal notification process, which takes approximately 15 working days. All those who were notified of the public hearing are now notified of the Board’s decision in this matter.
The written decision, along with the permit application and plans, is then forwarded to the Boston Inspectional Services Department, Planning and Zoning Division. The forwarding date is commonly referred to as the “date of recording,” which triggers a 20-day appeal period, during which time an appeal to the Board’s decision may be taken. It generally takes two weeks from the date your decision is signed to get to the Boston Inspectional Services Department.
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