REGULATIONS

 

 

 

SHA PROPERTY

The Association owns the beach reservation, the beach parking lot, the guard house lot, the bridge over the railroad tracks, and all roads and ways except a portion of Tupelo Road as shown on plans filed with Land Court Cases 12009-1201 0 and Association-published maps. All roads are laid out to a width of forty (40) feet except for the lower portion of Indian Ridge road leading to the north end of the beach reservation, which narrows to ten (10) feet.

 

USE OF PROPERTY

Owners of land in Saconesset Hills have rights to use the Beach Reservation and access thereto via Association property subject in all cases to such regulations as the Board of Directors shall make and promulgate. As defined in Association Bylaws, owner(s) of each separate lot of land or of multiple lots under common ownership constitute a membership unit.

 

VISITORS

Membership units are responsible for assuring that visitors and renters abide by beach and access regulations. When the guard is on duty, please notify him of the names of expected visitors and renters; if you expect more visiting vehicles than your property can accommodate, please notify the guard early so that safe parking can be arranged. Visitor passes, normally one per membership unit, is available from the Clerk to membership units in good standing and must be signed to be valid.

 

VEHICLE STICKERS

Association stickers, to be affixed only to vehicles owned (or leased) by membership units, are issued as required by the Clerk to membership units in good standing. Stickers should be affixed to the left side window toward the rear of the vehicle. Stickers should be removed when the vehicle is no longer yours.  

 

New 2017: Limited two per property.

 

PARKING

No vehicles may be parked in the beach parking lot without displaying a valid SHA sticker or visitor's pass. Parking is prohibited on Saconesset Road except for the roadside adjacent to beach parking lot for authorized vehicles. Overnight parking anywhere on Association property is also prohibited. Unauthorized vehicles will be issued violation notices and may be towed. Vehicles which restrict entrance to membership property, or impede road passage may also be towed.

 

SAND DUNES

Our dunes are extremely fragile and prone to erosion. Travel over any area of dunes is prohibited as per Town of Falmouth regulations. Wooden walkways should be used for all passage over the dunes to the Beach Reservation.

 

BOATS

For everyone's safety, power boats are strictly prohibited from the Beach Reservation. Non-power boats belonging to members may only be beached on a temporary basis to unload passengers and goods. Boat racks are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis for members whose boats are clearly identified with member's name. Racks are designed for canoes, kayaks, sailfish types, no longer than 12 feet nor wider than 4 feet.  Boats must be placed on racks. Any unlabeled boats or any placed directly on dune grass may be removed. All boats must be removed from Association property by November 1.

 

BEACH ACTIVITIES

Ball games, Frisbee throwing, kite flying and other such activities must be confined to areas that do not endanger or inconvenience others. Any group gathering on the beach reservation after dark must obtain permission in advance from the President. Open fires are prohibited on the beach reservation, but barbecue grills may be used with prior approval from the SHA President. If members observe vandalism, fires, or unauthorized gatherings on the beach reservation, or other association property, they should notify the Falmouth Police (508-548-1212) so that illegal or unauthorized activities can be dealt with quickly.

 

ANIMALS

Animals are prohibited from the beach reservation from May 1 to September 30. When using the beach area during non-restricted times, please abide by town ordinances that require dog owners to control and leash their pets at all times when not on their own property. If members experience problems with stray animals, they should contact the owner or Town of Falmouth Animal Control

(508-457-2552).

 

TRASH DISPOSAL

All beach reservation users are requested to bring their beach trash home with them. As for household trash, collection is on Friday (or Saturday when a holiday has been observed earlier in the week). The town requires that garbage be placed roadside in rigid, animal-resistant, covered containers; only "dry" items may be placed in plastic bags outside a covered container, and no more than five (5) containers and/or bags in total will be collected each week. Recyclables (newspapers placed in paper bags, glass bottles (clear, brown, green) and stripped of metal or plastic labels, cans and blow-molded plastic bottles, like milk bottles) contained in blue bins are collected every other Friday ("A" schedule, see The Enterprise). Please defeat the raids of predators like crows, seagulls, raccoons, foxes and dogs that quickly learn to invade unsecured containers of garbage; failing that, clean up trash spills immediately to avoid citations. Trash for collection should be placed at the roadside in front of your property no sooner than the night before trash collection, and empty barrels and blue bins should be removed from the roadside by nightfall of the day of collection.

 

SPEED LIMIT

The speed limit on all roads is 20 miles per hour. At any hour of the day or evening, joggers, walkers and small children may be using the roads without the care they might on a public highway. Motorists must obey the speed limit and be very careful.

 

GOLF CARTS

Golf cart usage on roads within Saconesset Hills is regulated by the Board of Directors. Prior to purchase of such a vehicle, a written request for golf cart usage should be submitted to the SHA President. You will then be supplied with the specific rules and regulations. Please note that all carts must be identified with member's name and that only licensed drivers may operate.

 

SIGNS, GARAGE SALES, AND REAL ESTATE SALES

The posting of commercial and political signs is prohibited within Association boundaries, except on construction sites where one sign for the General Contractor is permitted (see Construction Regulations-Construction Site).  In addition, Open Houses for Commercial purposes are not allowed, and real estate viewing is to be done only by appointment and in the company of a licensed real estate agent.  The security guards have been instructed to refuse entry to anyone without an appointment.

 

CONSTRUCTION HOURS

According to Falmouth Code, contractors may work on the site from 7 AM to 7PM Monday through Saturday. Sunday and public holiday work by a paid contractor is prohibited by the Town of Falmouth and State Codes. The Falmouth Police Department enforces these restrictions.

 

New 2017:  Memorial Day to Labor Day in our neighborhood, we request that you do not permit contractors to work on your property on Saturdays. 

 

BUILDING PLANS

Proposed plans for any new building construction, addition, or renovation affecting the exterior must be submitted to the Board of Directors before construction begins. The Board must approve the plans prior to the start of construction. When reviewing building plans for approval, the Board will take into consideration the specifications that are part of the Town of Falmouth application for a driveway permit.

 

LANDSCAPE PLANS

All excavations, alterations or additions (shrubs, grass, walls, fences, etc.) which are on Saconesset Hills property (i.e., 10 feet from the pavement edge on either side of the road) must be submitted to the Board of Directors. The Board must approve the plans prior to the start of the project. Any easements on the owner's property for drainage, utilities, etc., must be retained in the owner's own landscape design.  Landscape designs should provide for proper drainage. Careful consideration should be taken to avoid adverse effects (i.e., accumulation of water) in any alteration of the grade of the land. The landscaper's drainage should avoid run-off accumulation on adjacent roads and run-off onto neighboring property. If alteration on property causes a drainage problem on Association property or a neighbor's property, the problem must be remedied by the owner of the altered property, at the owner's expense. To assist members who are in the process of selling their homes, a one day only estate sale is permitted by appointment only.

 

BRUSH/TREE TRIMMING

Property owners are expected to maintain the area between their property line and the paved portion of the road, just as in any other section of Falmouth. In general, this responsibility includes keeping trimmed all grass, shrubs and brush growing in the area about four (4) feet back from the pavement to a minimum clearance height of fourteen (14) feet. Access by emergency vehicles, deliveries of all kinds, and town trash collection depend on adhering to these standards of grounds maintenance and, absent such maintenance, the Board will be required to contract for appropriate trimming at the owners expense.

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New 2017 Landscapers

Landscaper contractors may work from 8am start and 6pm finish, Monday-Saturday.  We request that all landscapers finish by noon on Saturdays during the summer season. Please reminder your landscapers of the new regulation.

 

 

CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS

 

TOWN AND STATE CODES

Town of Falmouth and State of Massachusetts codes and regulations are the basis of Saconesset Hills' regulations, and those town and state codes which may not be stated here must be followed.

 

ASSOCIATION PROPERTY

The Saconesset Hills Association owns and maintains the roads and paths within Saconesset Hills. The Association also owns the property on either side of the road, generally ten (10) feet from the pavement edge; twenty (20) feet from the center of the road that encompasses a forty ( 40) foot section. The Association also owns the property at the Palmer A venue entrance, the beach parking lot and the beach reservation.  All excavations on Association property must be returned to pre-existing conditions at either the owner's or the contractor's expense.

 

UTILITY EXCAVATIONS

Utility excavations may be done without specific approval of the board.

 

CONSTRUCTION SITE

The Association prohibits commercial signs. However, one sign, with the name and phone number of the general contractor only is permitted, and may be placed 1 0 feet from the edge of the road. Portable toilet placement should be as inconspicuous as possible, and should be at least 20 feet from

the road edge. As soon as internal plumbing of the new home is connected, the portable toilet should be removed. 

 

All construction materials including dumpsters, machinery, etc., should be placed on the construction site, not on Association property - generally 20 feet from the center of the road. 

 

Once construction begins, electric services should be provided on the site to eliminate the need for portable generators and the noise to our neighbors. 

 

The property under construction should provide for parking of construction vehicles. The Association prohibits parking on Saconesset Road at any time. Vehicles may be towed at the owner's expense.

 

During construction, owners and contractors should ensure that proper barriers (e.g. hay bales) are placed along property lines to prevent drainage and debris run-off onto roads or adjacent property. If, for some reason, there is any debris or mud from run-off, it should be cleaned as completely and promptly as possible from the road or adjacent property.

 

CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES

Construction vehicles should abide by the Association speed limit of 20 mph. Construction vehicles should not cross the bridge on Saconesset Road with more than 20 tons. Contractors must stop to identify themselves at the guardhouse when the Association security guard is on duty. If construction

vehicles drop refuse or landscape material on our roads, they must remove it.

 

OWNERS

Consideration of our Saconesset Hills neighbors during the construction should be of prime importance to both owners and contractors. Part of this consideration is the timely completion of all construction and landscaping, not to exceed an aggregate 18 month period.  Owners are responsible for advising all of their contractors and sub-contractors of these regulations.  The property owner will give copies of these regulations to all contractors. The regulations should be posted at the construction site.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your cooperation,

 

Saconesset Hills Association, Inc.

       Board of Directors