ANR plan survey in Massachusetts with Form A fees and surveyor quotes
An ANR plan (Approval Not Required, filed with a Form A) is how a Massachusetts owner divides land into lots that front an existing road without going through subdivision approval. A registered land surveyor must prepare and stamp the plan. Expect $1,500 to $6,000 for the survey and plan, a town filing fee from about $75 to $1,000 per lot, and $105 per sheet to record it. The planning board has 21 days to act under M.G.L. c. 41, Section 81P.
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Who needs an ANR plan survey, and what you are paying for
You need an ANR plan when you want to carve a new house lot off land you own in Massachusetts, or move a line between lots, and every lot will front a road that already exists. Under the Subdivision Control Law (M.G.L. c. 41, Section 81L) a division of land is not a "subdivision" if each lot has the frontage your zoning bylaw requires on a public way, a way the town clerk certifies is maintained and used as a public way, a way shown on an approved subdivision plan, or a way in existence when the town adopted subdivision control that the board finds adequate. If you need to build a new road, you are in definitive subdivision territory, which costs far more.
The planning board cannot do anything with your idea until a surveyor draws it. Town rules ask for a plan prepared and stamped by a land surveyor registered in Massachusetts, typically on a 24 by 36 inch Mylar original with paper copies, showing frontage, lot areas in square feet and acres, and a space for the board's "Approval under the Subdivision Control Law not required" endorsement. Princeton's guidelines and Ashby's Form A checklist both spell this out. The registry of deeds will not record a plan dividing land without that endorsement.
Who buys this: an owner with extra road frontage who wants to sell a building lot, give one to a son or daughter, or build a second house, and a builder buying a lot that still needs to be cut out. They need a surveyor this month because the buyer, the bank or the builder will not move until the lot exists on a recorded plan.
How much does an ANR plan cost in Massachusetts?
Three people bill you: the surveyor who draws and stamps the plan, the town that files and endorses it, and the registry of deeds that records it. In most towns the surveyor is by far the largest line.
| Line item | Typical cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| ANR plan on a parcel with a recent recorded survey, 2 lots | $1,500 - $3,000 | Registered land surveyor |
| Perimeter survey plus ANR plan, 2 or 3 lots, older deeds | $2,500 - $6,000 | Registered land surveyor |
| Lot line change plan between two existing lots | $1,200 - $2,500 | Registered land surveyor |
| Setting new bounds at the new lot corners | Usually in the quote; ask | Registered land surveyor |
| Form A filing fee | About $75 to $1,000 per lot (see the town table) | Town planning board |
| Recording the endorsed plan | $105 per sheet | Registry of deeds |
| Recording the deed that conveys the new lot | $155 per deed | Registry of deeds |
| Perc test for a lot on septic | $750 - $1,900 | Engineer or soil evaluator |
Surveyor ranges are 2026 market ranges for eastern and central Massachusetts, not a quote; colonial-era deeds that call to stone walls and old owners push a job to the top of the range. The registry figures are the statewide fees in effect since December 31, 2019, as listed by the Bristol South registry. A lot that will need a septic system usually needs a perc test before a buyer will close. Ask every surveyor whether the price includes setting bounds, the Mylar and filing with the town.
Form A and ANR filing fees by Massachusetts town
Every planning board sets its own ANR fee under its own schedule, so two neighboring towns can differ by ten times. These are the figures each town published.
| Town | ANR / Form A fee | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Springfield | $75 application fee | Form A application |
| Ashby | $100 per plan + $25 per new lot | Planning Board ANR page |
| Fitchburg | $100 + $50 per new lot | Form A, updated 5/12/2025 |
| Ludlow | $125 per lot | Planning Board fees, effective 2/27/2025 |
| Topsfield | $125 per application + $125 per lot created or lot line changed | Fee schedule, effective 12/3/2025 |
| Northborough | $250 + $50 per new lot | Fee schedule adopted 2023 |
| Cohasset | $500 per plan + $200 per new lot, plus review deposits | Fee and deposit schedule, revised 5/15/2024 |
| Lincoln | $100 with no new building lot; $1,000 per new building lot | Planning Board fees |
Towns revise these often, and some add legal notice or consultant review charges; check the current schedule with the planning board office before you file. Cohasset notes that applicants may also be asked to cover engineering review. Your surveyor files plans in these towns every month and will know the current fee.
An ANR endorsement is not a building permit
The costly myth is that a stamped ANR plan means the new lot is buildable. It does not. The endorsement only certifies that the division does not need subdivision approval. Massachusetts courts call it a ministerial act: in Hamilton v. Planning Board of Beverly (1993) the endorsement was held not to certify zoning compliance. A lot can be endorsed, recorded and sold, and still fail the zoning bylaw on lot area, shape or wetlands setbacks, or fail Title 5 for septic.
What the endorsement does give you is a three-year freeze on the use provisions of the zoning bylaw under M.G.L. c. 40A, Section 6, counted from endorsement. It does not freeze dimensional rules such as lot size or frontage, which is why towns sometimes see a rush of ANR filings before a zoning amendment.
So the surveyor's job is bigger than drawing a line. A good one checks the bylaw's frontage, lot area and lot shape tests, flags resource areas that will need the conservation commission, and tells you before you pay the filing fee whether the second lot can actually hold a house. If wetlands are close, budget for a delineation first; the costs are on our Massachusetts wetland delineation cost page.
What makes an ANR plan cost more or get refused
Most refusals turn on the road, not the drawing. Ask about each of these before you sign a surveyor's quote.
- Frontage on the wrong kind of way. Frontage only counts on a way listed in Section 81L. A private gravel lane or a paper street that the board finds inadequate for access can sink the plan even when the footage is there.
- Frontage without access. Boards and courts look at whether the frontage gives real, practical access to the buildable part of the lot. A steep bank or a wetland along the road line is a common reason for denial.
- Old deeds. Metes and bounds descriptions that call to stone walls, trees and long-dead neighbors mean days of record research before the surveyor can draw anything.
- Registered land. If your title is registered in the Land Court, the plan has to meet Land Court survey standards, which takes longer and costs more than a plan of recorded land.
- Wetlands and buffer zones. A resource area on the new lot does not stop the ANR endorsement, but it can make the lot unbuildable, so it should be found before you file.
- Septic. A new lot without town sewer needs a passing perc test and a Title 5 design before a buyer's lender will lend on it.
ANR plan vs definitive subdivision vs lot line change
An ANR plan creates lots on existing frontage, needs no public hearing and gets a decision within 21 days. A definitive subdivision plan is required when the lots need a new road; it involves a public hearing, engineered road and drainage design, a performance guarantee and months of review, and the survey and engineering bill easily runs past $20,000.
The third use of Form A is a lot line change: moving the line between two existing lots, for example to give a neighbor the strip under their driveway. As long as no lot loses frontage below the bylaw minimum, the board endorses it as an ANR plan. It is the cheapest of the three, and it is the same product our lot line adjustment survey page covers in other states.
Other states run similar tools under other names: Washington's short plat and California's SB 9 lot split both still need a surveyed map, but both cost far more in public review fees than a Massachusetts Form A.
How long does an ANR plan take?
1.
Zoning check, a few days
The surveyor confirms the frontage, lot area and lot shape your zoning bylaw requires and whether the road qualifies under Section 81L. If it does not, you hear it now, before anyone draws a plan.
2.
Survey and plan, 2 to 6 weeks
Deed and plan research at the registry, field survey of the parcel and the road line, then the Mylar plan with lot areas, frontage, existing buildings and the endorsement block, stamped by the registered surveyor.
3.
File the Form A, same week
You or the surveyor file the plan, the Form A and the fee with the planning board and give written notice to the town clerk with the filing date. The clerk's date starts the clock.
4.
Board decision within 21 days
Under Section 81P the board must endorse the plan or notify you and the town clerk within 21 days that subdivision approval is required. If it does neither, the plan is deemed to need no approval and the town clerk issues a certificate saying so.
5.
Record at the registry
You take the endorsed Mylar to the registry of deeds and record it at $105 per sheet, then record the deed that conveys the new lot. Only then can the lot be sold or financed on its own.
ANR plan questions
How much does an ANR plan cost in Massachusetts?
Plan on $1,500 to $6,000 for the surveyor, depending on whether the parcel already has a recent recorded survey, plus a town Form A fee that ranges from $75 in Springfield to $1,000 per new building lot in Lincoln, and $105 per sheet to record the plan. A lot on septic also needs a perc test.
What is an ANR plan in Massachusetts?
It is a plan, filed with a Form A, that asks the planning board to endorse "Approval under the Subdivision Control Law not required" because every lot has the required frontage on an existing qualifying way. With the endorsement, the registry of deeds will record the plan and the new lots can be conveyed.
Do I need a surveyor for an ANR plan?
Yes. Town rules require the plan to be prepared and stamped by a land surveyor registered in Massachusetts, usually on a 24 by 36 inch Mylar original. The surveyor also sets bounds at the new corners and checks the plan against your zoning bylaw before you pay the filing fee.
How long does the planning board have to act on an ANR plan?
Twenty-one days from proper submission under M.G.L. c. 41, Section 81P. If the board neither endorses the plan nor notifies you and the town clerk that approval is required, the plan is deemed endorsed and the town clerk issues a certificate. A late "approval required" decision has no legal effect.
Does an ANR endorsement mean my lot is buildable?
No. The endorsement is a ministerial act that says only that subdivision approval is not needed. It does not certify zoning compliance, wetlands clearance or septic suitability. It does freeze the zoning use provisions for three years under c. 40A, Section 6, but not lot size or frontage rules.
What is the difference between an ANR plan and a subdivision?
An ANR plan divides land along an existing road and needs no hearing. A definitive subdivision is required when a new road is needed to give the lots frontage, and it brings a public hearing, road engineering and a much larger bill.
How many lots can I create with an ANR plan?
There is no fixed cap in Section 81P. The limit is frontage: each lot needs the full frontage your zoning bylaw requires on a qualifying way, so the length of your road frontage decides how many lots fit.
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