The Zoning Board of Appeals, consisting of  5 members, serves the purpose of providing relief in appropriate circumstances from overly restrictive zoning provisions. Where an applicant believes that the Building Inspector misapplied the zoning map or regulations, or wrongly issued or denied a permit, an appeal may be taken to the Zoning Board for an interpretation of the relevant law.  If an applicant believes that the local zoning ordinance should not apply to his particular case, the applicant may seek a variance from the Zoning Board.  Criteria set forth in state law must be considered by the Zoning Board to determine whether or not a variance should be permitted.

As of May 2002 , all Zoning Board members are required to participate in at least 6 hours of training annually in an effort to maintain high professional standards and to keep abreast of new developments in land use law, planning and design.