Beavers & How to Report

What to Do if There Are Beavers on Your Property

Beavers are industrious aquatic mammals and a necessary keystone species. They are unique in that they modify their habitat by building dams to meet their needs for food and shelter. Throughout the course of these modifications, beavers may cause significant adverse impacts to both public and private property. To address these potential impacts, there are three separate government departments involved in mitigating beaver issues:

• Franklin Conservation Department/Commission - for work within any jurisdictional Wetland Resource Areas (WRAs) (e.g. beaver dam removal)
• Franklin Health Department/Board of Health - for "threats to human health and safety"
• Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) - for trapping, dam breaching, etc.

The Conservation Department/Commission has jurisdiction over WRAs and any activity conducted within WRAs, as defined in 310 CMR 10.

The Health Department may issue an emergency permit for beaver activity that is an immediate threat to human health. What constitutes an immediate threat is outlined in 310 CMR 80A. A Health Department permit is not issued between November 1 to April 15. The Health Department can be contacted via email or by phone at 508-520-4905.

It is critical to understand that in any permitting process, the property owner must approve permit filings. Even if your property is being adversely impacted by "upstream" beaver activities, the owner of the property where the dam or obstruction is located should be approached before any permit is filed or any department is contacted.