Battery storage rules: Northfield (Franklin County), MA
Northfield's May 6, 2024 town meeting adopted a temporary moratorium on battery storage as a principal use. On October 30, 2024 the Attorney General disapproved it under G.L. c. 40A §3, finding no articulated evidence of an important municipal interest, and approved only the bylaw's definition of a battery energy storage facility.
Northfield: the Attorney General disapproved the battery storage moratorium (October 30, 2024)
Article 26 of the May 6, 2024 town meeting adopted a temporary moratorium on battery storage as a principal use. The Attorney General disapproved it on October 30, 2024 (Case #11346) under G.L. c. 40A §3, and approved only its definition of a battery energy storage facility. Attorney General decision, Northfield, Case #11346 (October 30, 2024)
Fire and building codes in force
- 527 CMR 1.00 (NFPA 1, 2021 edition, with Massachusetts amendments), effective December 9, 2022; Chapter 52 references NFPA 855 (2020 edition)
- Permit from the head of the local fire department for energy storage above NFPA 855's threshold quantities (MassDEP gives 20 kWh for lithium-ion)
- 780 CMR, 10th edition of the State Building Code (2021 I-Codes base), effective October 11, 2024; it sends energy storage fire safety to the fire code
- Electrical code: NFPA 70 (2026 edition)
How a project is permitted
Projects of 100 MWh or more: one consolidated permit from the Energy Facilities Siting Board (rules apply to filings from July 1, 2026; the Board must decide within 15 months of finding the application complete). Smaller projects: the town's zoning and permits; the developer may choose a consolidated local permit, which the town must decide within 12 months or issue a constructive approval permit, and every town must accept that application from October 1, 2026 (Chapter 239 of the Acts of 2024; 225 CMR 29.00). Ask your town how its zoning treats battery storage and which tier your project falls in.
Sources
- Attorney General decision on Northfield's bylaws (Case #11346) Office of the Attorney General (copy hosted by the Town of Worthington)
Check a specific system
For a proposal or a system you're evaluating, answer a few questions in BESScheck: you get the rules that apply here, a checklist of what to ask, and the sources behind each line.