Salem · about 4 mi from our shop
Walkway Installation in Salem, MA
Salem's lots are tight and old, and a front walk here is often right on the sidewalk. We've built in Salem and know how the city's rules shape a walk.
Walkways in Salem
What to know before you start.
In the McIntire, Derby Street, Lafayette Street and Washington Square historic districts, walks substantially at grade are exempt from review. Retaining walls and landscape barriers beside them are not. Brick and bluestone suit most historic facades.
Salem's soils are rocky and shallow, with marine clay downtown, so we build the base for the ground we find. In winter, owners must clear the sidewalk within 6 hours after snow stops, so a well-pitched walk that doesn't ice up matters.
Local rules that can affect your walkways project.
Four local historic districts
McIntire, Derby Street, Lafayette Street and Washington Square. At-grade terraces, walks, driveways and plantings are exempt from review, but retaining walls and landscape barriers need Historical Commission approval.
Source: Salem Historical Commission Design Guidelines ↗Salem's wetlands ordinance
Updated in 2022, it adds a 25-foot no-disturbance zone and a 50-foot mitigation zone from wetlands, protects isolated wetlands and vernal pools, and weighs climate change in reviews.
Source: Salem Conservation Commission ↗
We check the current requirements for every project before we start.
Recent walkways by our crew around the North Shore. See more of our work.
Does a new front walk need historic approval in Salem?
Not if it's substantially at grade. Walls, steps and barriers along it may, if they're visible from a public way.
What material fits a Salem historic home?
Brick and bluestone suit most Federal and 19th-century facades. We'll bring samples to see against your house.
Let's talk about your walkways in Salem.
Estimates are free. We'll call you back to set up a time to see the property.