RG-010: Town of Douglas ByLaws

Creator: Town of Douglas, Massachusetts.

Title: Town of Douglas ByLaws.

Abstract: Collection includes Town of Douglas ByLaws, Zoning ByLaws, SubDivision Laws, and Wetland Laws. Also includes memos regarding votes regarding these laws. 

Dates: Bulk 1937-Present 

Quantity: 13 Folders, 10 Digital Items. 

Repository: Simon Fairfield Public Library, Town of Douglas Municipal Records & Archive.

Finding Aid: Finding Aid in print form is available in the Repository.  Finding Aid in digital form is available at www.mysfpl.org.  

Preferred Citation: [Box #, Item Identification], RG-010, Town of Douglas ByLaws, Simon Fairfield Public Library Town of Douglas Municipal Records & Archive.

Provenance: Found in the Simon Fairfield Public Library Archival Cabinet in 2016. ByLaws were downloaded from the Town of Douglas Website on May 3, 2016, January 25, 2023 and May 19, 2026. No further accession information is available.

Processing Information: This collection was processed by Rebecca Lavallee on May 3, 2016. This collection was updated in January 2023 and in May 2026.

Douglas is an open town meeting form of government, and is governed by ByLaws. ByLaws are:

written rules for conduct of a corporation, association, partnership or any organization. Bylaws generally provide for meetings, elections of a board of directors and officers, filling vacancies, notices, types and duties of officers, committees, assessments and other routine conduct. Bylaws are, in effect a contract among members, and must be formally adopted and/or amended.¹

These ByLaws are voted on at the town meetings. 

The Town of Douglas General ByLaws govern the manner in which the town is run, including Town Meetings, Finance, Public Safety, Property, Animals Control, etc. These bylaws are based on Town Meeting Time: A Handbook of Parliamentary Law.² Copies of this work are currently in circulation at Simon Fairfield Public Library. As of 2026, Douglas is governed under General ByLaws that were adopted in 1974 and last updated in May 2022. 

The Town of Douglas Zoning ByLaws “…encourage the most appropriate uses of land throughout the town, and to increase the amenities of the town…” in accordance with Massachusetts State Laws. The current (2016) Zoning ByLaws were adopted on October 25, 2004, and have gone through numerous amendments. The ByLaws were last amended on May 1, 2023.

The Rules and Regulations Governing the Subdivision of Land is according to MGL Ch 41 §81M: 

The subdivision control law has been enacted for the purpose of protecting the safety, convenience and welfare of the inhabitants of Douglas by regulating the laying out and construction of ways in subdivisions providing access to the several lots therein, but which have not become public ways, and ensuring sanitary conditions in subdivisions and in proper cases parks and open areas.

Currently (2016), the Subdivision Laws were adopted on September 17, 1974 and last revised on May 26, 2009.

The Wetland By-Law is currently (2016) Article 8 of the General Town ByLaws. It was originally adopted at a Special Town Meeting on January 5, 1983 and was most recently amended on May 20, 2002. On March 9, 2005, The Town of Douglas Wetlands Protection Regulations, in accordance with the Douglas Wetlands Protection ByLaw was adopted and revised in 2008.

This collection is comprised of the laws that govern the Town of Douglas. These laws include the General ByLaws, the Zoning ByLaws and the Subdivision Laws. Although the Wetland ByLaws are included in the General ByLaws, a separate Record Group has been created. Also included in this collection are any memos or drafts directly related to Douglas’s laws.

• Record Group RG-010: Town of Douglas ByLaws
  • Sub-Record Group RG-011: General ByLaws
    • Sub-Record Group Description: General ByLaws of the Town of Douglas. Including ByLaws adopted in 1937, with 1939 revisions, the adoption of the ByLaws in 1974, with revisions from 1983, 1991, 2008, 2019 and 2022. 
  • Sub-Record Group RG-012: Zoning ByLaws
    • Sub-Record Group Description: Zoning ByLaws of the Town of Douglas. Including ByLaws adopted in 1970, with revisions from 1979 and 1996. The 1979 zoning map is included. Also included is the 2004 Zoning By-Law, with revisions from 2010, 2020 and 2023. 
  • Sub-Record Group RG-013: Subdivision Laws
    • Sub-Record Group Description : Subdivision Laws of the Town of Douglas. Including ByLaws adopted in 1970, along with 1997 and 2009 revisions.
  • Sub-Record Group RG-014: Wetland ByLaws
    • Sub-Record Group Description : Town memo regarding the Wetland ByLaws, drafts of the ByLaws, Town of Douglas ByLaws, adopted in 1983 and unofficial version of current (2016) Wetland ByLaws. Also included are the Town of Douglas Wetland Protection Regulations, in accordance with the Douglas Wetlands Protection ByLaw that was adopted in 2005 and revised in 2008.