Zoning Board of Appeals | City of Worcester
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The City of Worcester's Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is a five-member volunteer regulatory board appointed by the City Manager that holds public hearings on special permit applications, variance requests to deviate from zoning requirements, applications for privileged non-conforming structures, and appeals of Building Commissioner zoning decisions. The ZBA evaluates applications against criteria in the Zoning Ordinance and may impose conditions on approvals to protect public health, safety, or welfare. As of July 2025, all current and upcoming agendas, archived meeting minutes dating back to 2021, and meeting videos are available through the OneMeeting portal; public comments must be submitted at least 48 hours before meetings using the Board & Commissions Public Comment Form. The City of Worcester warns of ongoing scams impersonating city officials requesting wire transfers for permits, and clarifies that legitimate permit fees are requested by check or through the OpenGov portal only.
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ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Important Notice: Please be advised of an ongoing scam where City officials are being impersonated asking for payment related to planning and zoning permits. The City of Worcester will never request wire transfers. All email correspondence regarding pending board/commission applications will come from an @worcesterma.gov email address (e.g., planning@worcesterma.gov) and any fees due in connection with an application will be requested by check, to be delivered in person or by mail to 455 Main Street, 4th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 or will be requested within the OpenGov Permitting and licensing portal for any on-line applications. The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is a volunteer regulatory board consisting of five regular and two associate members appointed by the City Manager. The ZBA holds public hearings concerning the following items: Applications for special permits to allow certain uses that require discretionary approval of the ZBA. The ZBA considers these cases by evaluating criteria established in the Zoning Ordinance, and may impose conditions on an approval that they deem as necessary to protect the health, safety or general welfare of the public; Applications for a special permit or variance to deviate from specific zoning requirements, such as minimum lot size, dimensional limits on density of development and height of buildings, and required setbacks from adjacent properties, etc.; Applications for extension, change or alteration of structures or uses that do not meet current zoning requirements, but did meet regulations in place at the time of their establishment. These "privileged non-conforming" structures or uses may be extended, changed or altered by grant of a special permit. Appeals of zoning decisions by the Building Commissioner. Board Profile How to Join UPCOMING MEETINGS Please review the Meeting Schedule for meeting dates and application deadlines. If you wish to submit comments to the Planning & Regulatory Services Division on a project, please submit our Board & Commissions Public Comment Form no less than 48 hours before the public meeting. As of July 2025, all current/upcoming agendas and archived meeting minutes are now available through our partner OneMeeting. Archived agendas and minutes are currently available going back to 2021, with older archived files added on an ongoing basis. For meeting materials prior to this time period, please submit a Public Records Request. Additionally, all meeting videos will be available on the OneMeeting Portal from July 2025 moving forward. Videos prior to this time will still be available in our Video On Demand, but will be migrated to the OneMeeting portal on an ongoing basis. View Meetings Applications & Meeting Materials PERMITS & APPLICATIONS The Zoning Board of Appeals' policy regarding receipt of complete applications and procedures for receipt of revisions as well as postponements and continuations has recently changed. Please refer to our Application Review Policy or contact Planning Division staff for more information. Please note that a digital copy of all applications, plans and materials must be submitted as a PDF file to planning@worcesterma.gov. Please refer to applicable instructions for additional details. Applications: Administrative Appeals Combined Special Permit & Variance Combined Special Permit & Variance - Amendment Combined Special Permit & Variance - Extension of Time Sign Ordinance Special Permit and/or Variance Special Permit Special Permit - Amendment Special Permit - Extension of Time Special Permit - Personal Wireless Service Facility Variance Variance - Amendment Variance - Extension of Time Please note the following: If needed, certified abutters lists should be obtained from the City's Assessing Office, Room 209, City Hall for a small fee. Please contact Assessing at least one week in advance to ensure timely receipt. ZONING ORDINANCE & MAP The City's Zoning Ordinance and Map are tools for land use planning. Each zone classification guides the physical development of the city through a set of requirements set forth in the City of Worcester's Zoning Ordinance as amended. Learn More GUIDELINES Angled Parking Guidelines Guidelines for Traffic Studies WFD Truck Details and Dimensions RESOURCES Application Fee Schedule View Massachusetts Zoning Act Visit Site ZBA Rules & Regulations View Zoning Determination Form View CONTACT INFORMATION Address Planning & Regulatory Services City Hall Room 404 455 Main Street Worcester, MA 01608 Contact Phone: 508-799-1400 Fax: 508-799-1406 Email Us Hours Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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The City of Worcester provides public access to governmental meeting materials in compliance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, which requires open meetings with public notice and accessible records. As of July 2025, all current and upcoming agendas, archived meeting minutes dating back to 2021, and meeting videos are available through the OneMeeting public portal, with older archived files being added on an ongoing basis. Residents can search City Council and Standing Committee agenda attachments through the Laserfiche WebLink document imaging portal. The city permits both in-person and remote participation at all City Council and Standing Committee meetings under Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021.
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