Historic District Commission

Massachusetts General Laws establishes Historic Districts to promote the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public through the preservation and protection of the distinctive characteristics of buildings and places significant in the history of the commonwealth and its cities and towns or their architecture, and through the maintenance and improvement of settings for such buildings and places and the encouragement of compatible design.

Under the by-laws for the Great Barrington Historic District Commission, no building or structure within an historic district shall be constructed or altered in any way that affects exterior architectural features unless the commission first issues a certificate of appropriateness, a certificate of non-applicability or a certificate of hardship with respect to such construction or alteration.