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Nantucket, Massachusetts: what can you build or do?

Plain-English answers to common homeowner questions, taken from Nantucket's published bylaws, with every rule linked to the section it comes from.

Last reviewed 2026-10-04

• Backyard Chickens
  Yes, with a permit. Nantucket's Board of Health requires a permit to keep hens (or ducks, goats, cows or swine) anywhere in town; the permit costs $5 a year and expires every April 30.Allowed with a permit
• Short-Term Rentals (Airbnb / VRBO)
  Yes, if you register. Since January 1, 2023, every short-term rental on Nantucket needs a Board of Health certificate of registration, which costs $250 per unit per year and must be renewed by November 1. You also need a local contact who can be on site within two hours, $1 million of liability insurance (unless your platform covers it), and occupancy of no more than two people per bedroom plus two.Allowed with a permit
• Burn Permits & Backyard Fires
  Brush burning is allowed only from January 15 to May 1 with a Fire Department permit, under MassDEP rules. Fire pits and small cooking fires are allowed without a permit if they're used for cooking, kept small, contained and tended by an adult; bonfires need a permit the Fire Department almost never issues.Allowed with a permit
• Building Near the Water (Wetlands Rules)
  Any work within 100 feet of a wetland, beach, dune, coastal bank, pond or marsh needs a filing with the Nantucket Conservation Commission. The local regulations keep a 25-foot undisturbed buffer and a 50-foot structure-free zone, and new non-water-dependent structures must generally be at least 75 feet from coastal beaches, dunes, banks and salt marshes (50 feet with buffer enhancement).Allowed with board review
• Docks, Piers & Floats
  Any pier or dock on Nantucket needs Conservation Commission approval through a Notice of Intent, and the local regulations limit residential piers: they can't be solid-fill, can't obstruct public fishing, shellfishing or navigation, and one provision states that no new residential piers shall be permitted on land under the ocean. Expect a difficult review and check with the Conservation Commission before planning a dock.Restricted

We couldn't download Nantucket's bylaw text for the other 5 topics yet, so we don't cover them rather than guess.