Field Guide / Permits & approvals
Approval Not Required (ANR) Plans
How Massachusetts property owners can divide land without full subdivision review, what the planning board actually decides, and what an ANR endorsement does not mean.
Last updated October 8, 2024
In Massachusetts, dividing land usually requires subdivision approval from the Planning Board under the Subdivision Control Law. But when every lot on a plan already has adequate frontage on a qualifying way, the plan doesn’t show a “subdivision” at all. These plans are endorsed “Approval Not Required,” or ANR, under M.G.L. c. 41, § 81P.
What qualifies
In general, each lot shown on the plan must have the frontage required by the local zoning bylaw on a way that is:
- a public way, or a way the city or town clerk certifies is maintained and used as a public way;
- a way shown on a previously approved subdivision plan; or
- an existing way the Planning Board finds has suitable width, grade, and construction for the needs of vehicular traffic and the installation of utilities.
The frontage must also provide real, practical access to the lot, not just a line on a plan.
The process
The owner submits the plan to the Planning Board. The board must act within 21 days. If it determines approval isn’t required, it endorses the plan. If it fails to act in time, the plan is deemed endorsed. The plan is then recorded at the Registry of Deeds.
What an ANR endorsement doesn’t mean
An ANR endorsement is not a determination that the lots comply with zoning or are buildable. It confirms only that the plan doesn’t require subdivision approval. Area, shape, wetlands, septic, and other requirements still apply when you go to build.
General information, not legal advice.