Charlton Board of Health Approves First ADU Application, Adds Water Testing Rule

CHARLTON -- May 6, 2025, Charlton's Board of Health approved its first accessory dwelling unit application Tuesday and voted to require water quality testing at all new ADU dwellings, setting baseline public health rules under the state's February 2025 housing law. The board unanimously approved a detached ADU plan by V.C. Engineering for 7 London Hill Road, submitted by resident Steve Bombard, conditioned on recording an ADU deed restriction on title; Health Agent Jim Prephan said Bombard is the first applicant in town to complete full due diligence and described his four-bedroom septic system and shared-leach-field plan as technically sound. The board later voted unanimously to require a water quality test, following Charlton's existing new-construction standards at a cost of roughly $750 to $900, collected at the kitchen sink of any new ADU before occupancy. In a separate matter, the board declined to approve a septic installation at 59 Cranberry Meadow Shore Road after neighbors at 57 Cranberry Meadow Shore Road, represented by Kelly McGrath DiDomenico, told the board the contractor crossed their property line without permission, placed a pump tank four feet over the boundary, and performed the work while holding a lapsed installer's license; a cease-and-desist order on the project remains in place with no resolution reached.