Massachusetts historical commission proposes demolition fine increase

The Attleboro, Massachusetts, Historical Commission has asked city council to establish a new fine for homes demolished without a permit, a report by The Sun Chronicle says. The commission is proposing a fine equal to the assessed value of a building that has been illegally demolished.

Currently, fines range from $90 to $150, depending on the type of building. The proposal comes after a carriage house listed on the National Register of Historic Places was demolished without a permit in December. The house was owned by the Attleboro Housing Authority.

The lack of a permit and the notices a permit triggers stopped the commission from determining the building’s historic value under the city’s demolition delay law, which gives a 90-day period once a demolition permit is filed to assess the structure for historical value before it’s demolished.

A $90 fine was imposed in that case, Bill McDonough, building commissioner, says in the report. The fine was the biggest the city allowed because the carriage house was considered an accessory structure.

The current demolition delay law doesn’t prevent demolition, but allows board members to attempt to save it, move it or take photographs and document it in other ways. Because of the lack of permit, none of these actions could be taken with the 137-year-old carriage house.

If a building has no historical value or is considered a danger, it can be demolished before the 90 days are up if other permit requirements are met, the report says.

A public hearing for the proposal is scheduled for August.