Frequently Asked Questions

Moorings are offered on a first come first served basis. There is almost always a mooring available in Vineyard Haven Harbor either inside or outside the breakwater. Call the Harbormaster on VHF channel 9 to determine availability. Cruising groups of ten or more vessels may make advance reservations at the Harbormasters discretion.

The Harbormaster’s department does not take reservations. We operate a town dock for hourly dockage excepting overnight dockage when the private marinas are full. See the listing of private marinas.

There are significant waiting lists for both. Please refer to mooring regulations on this site.

Yes, anchorage is permitted outside the breakwater clear of mooring fields, channels and the causeway to Lagoon Pond Bridge. Anchored vessels must be attended every 24 hours. Anchoring is also permitted in Lagoon Pond and Lake Tashmoo. Sleeping aboard is limited to 3 consecutive days.

Lake Tashmoo is 5 ½ feet at low water and Lagoon Pond is 9 feet at low water. The bridge over Lagoon Pond is about 13 feet vertical clearance.

Vital Records Request Form (PDF)

Print the form, fill out the form, and bring the form to the Town Clerk at the Town Hall with $10 for each copy requested. You can also mail the form to the:

Tisbury Town Clerk
P.O. Box 606
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

If you have questions, please call 508-696-4215.

Certified copies of births, deaths and marriages recorded in Tisbury are available for $10.00 per copy.

Hunting and fishing licenses are only available online. Licenses are valid from January 1st to December 31st of the calendar year. Licenses are required for all persons 15 years of age and over for fishing (inland waters) and hunting (any bird or mammal). To obtain a hunting license one must present a previous year's hunting or sporting license (from any state), a certificate of competency issued by the Hunter Education Bureau (or the Department of Public Safety), a License to Carry, or a F.I.D. Card.

Visit the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game website for more information.

Town elections are non-partisan. Any resident who is a registered voter is eligible to run for office. Nomination papers are available at the Town Clerk's Office after January 1st each year.

• Assessors 1 for 3 years
• Board of Health 1 for 3 years
• Constables 3 for 3 years
• Finance and Advisory Committee 3 for 3 years
• Library Trustees 3 for 3 years
• Martha's Vineyard Land Bank 1 for 3 years
• Moderator 1 for 3 years
• Planning Board 1 for 5 years
• School Committee 1 for 3 years
• Selectmen 1 for 3 years
• Town Clerk 1 for 3 years
• Water Commissioner 1 for 3 years

(Not all offices appear on the ballot each year.)

Other Election Questions

For other questions, please call 508-696-4215 or Visit the MA Elections Division website.

Who may register to vote in Tisbury?

Only a person who is:

• A U.S. Citizen, and
• A resident of Tisbury, and
• 18 years old on or before the next election day.

When may I register?

There is no waiting period to be eligible to register to vote. If you move, you may register to vote as soon as you move into your new home.

Are there deadlines for registration?

Yes. In order to vote you must be registered:

• 20 days before all primaries and elections, and/or
• 10 days before a special town meeting.

How do I register to vote?

Online: Online Voter Application System

By Mail: Mail-in registration forms are widely available. To obtain a mail-in registration form please call 508-696-4215 and a form will be sent to you. Mail the completed form to: Tisbury Town Clerk; P.O. Box 606; Vineyard Haven, MA, 02568.

In Person: Go to any registration location and complete an affidavit of registration.

At the Registry of Motor Vehicles: Keep your motor voter receipt until you receive a confirmation from us. If you do not receive a confirmation notice, please call us at 508-696-4215.

Where will I vote?

The polling place for Tisbury is the Emergency Services Facility at 215 Spring Street, (directly across from the playground at the Tisbury School).

When are town meetings/elections held?

The Annual Town Meeting starts on the third Tuesday of April. The Annual Town Election is held two weeks after the start of the Annual Town Meeting and the polls are open from noon to 8 pm. The date of the annual town meeting and election may be changed by vote of the Board of Selectmen. Special Town Meetings are called by the Board of Selectmen or voter petition.

State Elections occur every other year in even numbered years. The state primary is conducted in September, the election in November, and the polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm.

Presidential Primaries are held once every four years in March. Hours are the same as for state elections.

Dogs over the age of six months must be licensed. The license period is a calendar year. The fee for spayed females and neutered males is $6.00. The fee for intact males and females is $10.00. Proof of a current rabies shot is required. Late fines begin on March 1st.

Please call this office and we will sent you a packet that includes the medical forms, pamphlet on getting married in Massachusetts and the AIDS education pamphlet, or visit the Massachusetts website's page on Getting Married in Massachusetts.

Business Certificate / DBA

Any person conducting business in the commonwealth under any title other than the real name of the person conducting the business must file a business certificate (also known as a DBA) with the clerk of the town where the office of any such person may be situated. The fee is $20 and the certificate is good for four years. Forms are available in the Town Clerk's office. New or Renewal of Business Certificate Form (PDF)

Transient Vendor's License

Any business (excluding corporations) selling retail must obtain a transient vendor's license from the selectmen. The local fee is $300 and is in lieu of taxes for the first year the business is in existence.

Other Licenses and Permits

Depending on the type and location of the business, other local permits may be required.

State Licenses

Please check with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for information about sales tax etc. Massachusetts Department of Revenue website.

Massachusetts Constitution, General Laws, Session Laws & Bills page

Notice: This is not the official version of the Massachusetts General Laws (MGL). While reasonable efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the data provided, do not rely on this information without first checking an official edition of the MGL.

If you are in need of legal advice or counsel, consult a lawyer.

Visit Massachusetts Court System website and view the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR).

• In person at Town Hall, 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven.
• By mail to P.O. Box 1208, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
• By mail to the address on the bill.
• Online - Unipay website

We do not presently take credit or debit cards over the phone or at Town Hall.

If you don’t have your bill, call us at 508-696-4250 to find out.

See Primer on Tisbury Real Estate Taxes.

See the Assessors for questions about the valuation of your property.

If you do not think you should be billed by the town of Tisbury, contact the Registry of Motor Vehicles, which generates the billing file. If the Registry thinks your car is garaged in Tisbury, then our town will issue a bill.

If you have changed vehicles or disposed of a vehicle, come in to Town Hall and meet with the Assessors to make the change.

1. Do I have to live in the same town where the affordable units are available to be eligible to apply?
2. How do I apply?
3. Are there any units available to rent rather than buy?
4. How can I, as a homeowner, help the cause?
   Put your property into the Rental Conversion Program or... Donate: Money, Time, Land or Houses

Income to Rent Relationship (PDF)

In most cases, the Board of Health limits the number of bedrooms in a dwelling based on the size of the septic system that can be constructed on the lot. Exceptions to this include properties within the District of Critical Planning Concern (DCPC), a Zone II, or lots served by well water. Properties within 1,500 feet of the mean high water of Lagoon Pond are considered to be located in the DCPC and are limited to one bedroom per 15,000 square feet of land area, with a maximum of three bedrooms for properties under 45,000 square feet. Properties within a Zone II or served by well water are limited to one bedroom per 10,000 square feet of land area. Specific questions about designing a septic system should be addressed with your engineer.

For additional assistance, please contact the Board of Health Office.

The CPA specifies that at least 10% of the funds each year must be allocated for each of the following: open space, recreation, historic resources, and affordable housing. Up to 5% may be used for administering the funds. The balance may be appropriated for any of the three purposes, including the recreational use of open space. There are some restrictions on how funds can be used. Tisbury has had between $500,000 and $1,000,000 available to appropriate each year since 2006.

Tisbury has appropriated $14,494,021.00 towards eligible CPA projects over the past seventeen years, FY 2006 – FY 2024. A list of completed projects is available on this website under CPC Project History.

Updated 11/25

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) enables Massachusetts communities to levy a surcharge on property tax bills to raise funds to expand their open space, historic, recreational, and affordable housing assets. These funds are supplemented by a State match that is raised by a filing fee at the State Registry of Deeds and has ranged from 20% to 100% of the amount raised by the Town of Tisbury. Tisbury voters approved our town’s participation at the Town Meeting in April 2005, and the subsequent Town election. The average annual CPA surcharge to Tisbury residents averages $188. A nine-member Community Preservation Committee (CPC) helps develop and administer projects funded with CPA monies. It encourages participation by interested community members. All six island towns have adopted the CPA for their communities.

The town voters. The CPC solicits requests for projects each fall. The CPC committee reviews all requests and recommends projects for the annual town meeting vote. Every project must be specifically approved at a Town Meeting. The voters must first vote on the allocation of the funds to the specified accounts, and later approve actual expenditures from these reserve accounts. 

CPA Financial Impact on State

A Request for Determination is filed by an applicant in order to have the Conservation Commission verify the boundaries of a resource area; to verify the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission or to obtain a determination as to whether or not a project will alter a resource area.

A Notice of Intent is filed in cases where it is anticipated that a project will alter a resource area or when additional measures must be applied by the Conservation Commission in order to minimize any adverse impact.

A resource area is designated as any bank, fresh water or coastal wetland, beach, dune, flat, marsh, meadow, vernal pool or flood zone.

The Conservation Commission's jurisdiction extends up to 100 feet landward of a resource area.

Every year, the Tisbury Water Works produces a Water Quality Report, which is available at any town office location in Tisbury. In 1999, Tisbury passed a Groundwater Protection Bylaw to help protect our groundwater supply and prevent contamination of the environment. The Tisbury Water Works promotes water conservation and has various conservation materials and pamphlets available in the office.

For additional assistance, we suggest that you call, fax, or email the Water Works Office.

• Phone: 508-693-3100
• Fax: 508-338-7776
• Email Cassidy

Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) Report for Tisbury Water Works (PDF)

It is difficult to make a determination of exactly what the average water usage should be because people use water differently according to their individual needs. However, we have calculated over the past number of years that Tisbury's history shows that a conservative family for four (two adults and two small children) averages approximately 110,000 to 120,000 gallons of water usage per year.

For the purpose of safe drinking water quality, our distribution system has built-in "blow-offs" in areas of the system where the water mains have a dead end. By running water through these "blow-offs", we maintain a constant circulation of water in the system.

Usually, when an applicant applies for a building permit through the Building/Zoning Office, the building/zoning inspector will determine whether or not a project will require approval by the ZBA. In other instances, applicants who are familiar with the town's Zoning By-law, will approach the Zoning Board directly.

For additional assistance, we suggest that you call, fax, or email the Zoning Board of Appeals Office:

• Telephone: 508-696-4260
• Fax: 508-696-7341
• Email Laura Barbera

After you file your application, the Zoning Board has 65 days in which to open a hearing, but many times a hearing will be scheduled approximately 30 days after the date of filing depending upon the number of applications submitted. Once your hearing is scheduled, either you, your lawyer, representative or agent must attend the hearing in order to present your case.

For additional assistance, we suggest that you call, fax, or email the Zoning Board of Appeals Office:

• Telephone: 508-696-4260
• Fax: 508-696-7341
• Email Laura Barbera

A complete copy of Tisbury's Zoning By-law can be obtained from the Tisbury Printer on Lagoon Pond Road in Vineyard Haven. If you only require copies of a few specific pages, anyone in the Building/Zoning Office, Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board can do this for you.

For additional assistance, we suggest that you call, fax, or email the Zoning Board of Appeals Office:

• Telephone: 508-696-4260
• Fax: 508-696-7341
• Email Laura Barbera

It is difficult to answer such a question without knowing the particulars of the proposal. But you can obtain an answer by referring to the Tisbury Zoning Bylaws which lists permitted, special permitted and prohibited uses by Zoning District.

For additional assistance, we suggest that you contact the Planning Board.

Massachusetts General Law Chapter 41 Section 81L defines a "Subdivision", as follows:

"shall mean the division of a tract of land into two or more lots and shall include resubdivision, and, when appropriate to the context, shall relate to the process of subdivision or the land or territory subdivided; provided, however, that the division of a tract of land into two or more lots shall not be deemed to constitute a subdivision within the meaning of the subdivision control law if, at the time when it is made, every lot within the tract so divided has frontage on (a) a public way or way which the clerk of the city or town certifies is maintained and used as a public way, or (b) a way shown on the plan theretofore approved and endorsed in accordance with the subdivision control law, or (c) a way in existence when the subdivision control law became effective in the city or town in which the land lies, having, in the opinion of the planning board, sufficient width, suitable grades, and adequate construction to provide for the needs of vehicular traffic in relation to the proposed use of the land abutting thereon or served thereby, and for the installation of municipal services to serve such land and the buildings erected or to be erected thereon". (MGL C. 41, S 81L )

In layman's terms a "subdivision" can also be interpreted to mean a division of a parcel of land into two or more lots, so that every lot within the tract of land so divided obtains adequate frontage and access on a way of adequate construction to accommodate the vehicular traffic relative to the proposed use of the land, the installation of municipal services (i.e. water, sewerage, gas, electricity), and number of building lots.

Form A (also referred to as an ANR Plan) is the division of a tract of land into two or more lots, whereby every lot within the tract so divided (a) has frontage on an acceptable way as specified in MGL C.41, S 81L, (b) meets the minimum frontage requirement required by zoning for the district, and (c) is determined by the Planning Board to have vital access to the buildable portion of the lots.

It's important to know the location of the parcel of land relative to the Zoning District, because it defines the minimum frontage, lot depth and net land area requirements for "buildable " lots. The Zoning District also defines the setback requirements and land use restrictions that may be applicable to the proposed lots. Once you have this information you will be able to estimate the maximum number of lots you can create.

Please note that the determining factors in the final design of the proposed division of land will be frontage and access. Their existence and/or absence will determine whether you will need to submit your proposal as a Form A (Not Requiring Approval Under the Subdivision Control Law) or as a Form C (Approval Required Under the Subdivision Control Law), which will have a bearing on the Planning Board's review process.

• Must file a Business Certificate with Town Clerk.
• Unincorporated businesses are required to have a Transient Vendor's License, filed with the State. Cost $100. In order to get the State License, the applicant must also have an executed Insurance Bond, with a face value of $500. Cost: $50. The Insurance Bond can be completed by any Insurance Agency and filed along with the Transient Vendor's License Application to the Director of Standards in Boston.
• A local Transient Vendor's fee of $300 will be collected by the Town Clerk after the Board of Selectmen approves the State License at a subsequent meeting of the Board of Selectmen, according to Town Bylaw.

Note: Businesses selling tangible goods to the public, i.e., clothing, jewelry, hardware, etc. are covered in this section.

Food or any consumable goods do not require a Transient Vendor's License, but are required to be licensed by the Board of Health.

Other types of businesses or services; Call the Town Clerk for information.

Tisbury Food Establishment Opening Guide

No building permit may be issued in the William Street Historic District until the Building Inspector receives a certificate of appropriateness, non-applicability, or hardship from the William Street Historic District Commission.

A by-law can be changed by a two thirds vote of a Town Meeting.

By the Selectmen, to include nominees from the local historical society, American Institute of Architects, and board or realtors, and one or more residents or owners of property in the William Street Historic District.

By the Dukes County Superior Court, which may issue injunctions, impose fines, and order compliance.

The William Street Historic District can be enlarged or reduced by following a procedure, including public hearings, similar to that used to establish the District originally.

The Historic District is administered by a commission consisting of seven members and up to seven alternate members.

1. Terraces, walks, driveways, sidewalks, pools, and other similar structures
2. Walls and/or fences
3. Paint color other than white
4. Color of roof material other than black or approved natural shingles
5. Size and frequency of signs
6. Demolition of buildings
7. Reconstruction
8. New structures
9. Additions
10. Light Fixtures

Within twenty days after the adverse decision, the applicant may appeal to the Dukes County Superior Court which has the power to overrule decisions of the William Street Historic District Commission.

1. 14 days to decide if the application involves exterior features subject to approval.
2. At least 14 days to announce a public hearing.
3. 60 days after the filing of an application to make a determination.

1. Temporary structures or signs.
2. Storm doors and windows, screens, window air conditioners, antennae, and similar appurtenances.
3. Additional features as may be determined by the William Street Historic District Commission from time to time after a public hearing.
4. Ordinary maintenance, repair, or replacement (not involving changes), certain landscaping or requirements certified by a public officer as necessary for public safety.

The applicant must be notified in writing of the reasons for disapproval, and the decision filed with the Town Clerk and appropriate offices.

The prime concern of the William Street Historic District Commission is the exterior architectural features of building and structures.

The properties included in the William Street Historic District are the properties facing on William Street and some contiguous streets beginning at Woodlawn Avenue and extending along William Street short of Look Street.

When a proposed effect affecting the exterior architectural feature(s) of a structure has been determined by the Commission to be appropriate for or compatible with the preservation or protection of the William Street Historic District.

If owing to conditions especially affecting the structure but not generally affecting the William Street Historic District, and if failure to approve an application will involve substantial hardship, financial or otherwise, an application may be approved providing there is not substantial detriment to the public welfare and substantial derogation from the intent and purpose of the By-law. A public hearing is required. However, if a decision is not made within 60 days from the application, the approval of the certificate of hardship is deemed to have been granted.

If the proposed work does not involve any exterior architectural feature or involves an exterior architectural feature not subject to review, a certificate of non-applicability is issued upon request.