Norwell, MA
Plymouth County42.1618°N, 70.7939°W
Tracking 4,808 properties across Norwell, Massachusetts — a community where the median home dates to 1971 and the oldest to 1645. Every parcel mapped with building characteristics, environmental exposure, hazard risk, and ownership history assembled from 140+ sources.
4,808
Properties Tracked
1971
Median Year Built
$820K
Median Assessed Value
4%
FEMA Flood Zone
1.32M
NEP Data Facts Tracked
7%
Coastal Zone
Click any parcel to view intelligence
Norwell, MAInc. 1634
Norwell is an affluent residential town on the South Shore with a rural-suburban character defined by conservation land, the North River, and large-lot single-family homes. The town has deliberately maintained low density through zoning, and the result is a community with a wooded, pastoral feel that belies its proximity to Route 3 and the Boston commuter corridor.
For property professionals, Norwell is a high-value market where lot size, privacy, and natural setting are significant value components. The North River — one of the most scenic tidal rivers on the South Shore — creates waterfront properties and environmental constraints along the town's northern boundary. Private wells and septic systems are standard, and the rural infrastructure means fire protection considerations vary across the town.
Risk Profile
FEMA flood zones, fire protection grades, radon, coastal exposure, storm surge — parcel by parcel
FEMA Flood Zones
205 properties (4%) are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, where flood insurance is required for federally-backed mortgages.
X
4,603
AE
110
A
95
Fire Protection Grades
Fire protection grades reflect proximity to fire stations and hydrant infrastructure. Grade affects insurance pricing in every New England state.
Grade A
10
Grade B
1,236
Grade C
3,199
Grade D
318
Grade E
45
Coastal & Water Exposure
329 properties (7%) are within 3 miles of the ocean. 614 are classified as waterfront. The closest property is 2.0 mi from the coastline.
167
SLR 1 ft
Properties affected
175
SLR 3 ft
Properties affected
191
SLR 6 ft
Properties affected
258
Surge Exposure
Cat 1/2/3/4
224
Pond
Waterfront
124
Estuary
Waterfront
86
Lake
Waterfront
Zone 2
Radon Risk
123 mph
Design Wind Speed
ASCE 7 standard
35 psf
Ground Snow Load
ASCE 7 standard
Relatively Low
FEMA Risk Index
NRI composite rating
The Property Landscape
4,808 properties · Median year built 1971 · Avg 2,749 sf
Property Types
Single Family
3,472
Institutional
413
Vacant Land
308
Commercial
257
Two-Family
215
Other
37
Industrial
30
Multi-Family
29
Agricultural / Open Space
22
Mixed Use
14
Construction by Era
Pre-1800
120
1800-1849
104
1850-1899
113
1900-1949
319
1950-1979
1,878
1980-1999
783
2000+
747
Architectural Styles
Colonial
1,633
Cape Cod
692
Vacant Land
488
Condominium
367
Ranch
344
Antique
289
Raised Ranch
221
Conventional
135
Market Activity
Recorded transactions from Plymouth County Registry of Deeds
1
Sales (12 mo)
Arms-length transactions
$1.1M
Median Sale Price
Past 12 months
72%
Owner-Occupied
1%
Out-of-State Owners
NE Provenance tracks recorded deeds, mortgages, and liens for 99% of Norwell properties. Ownership intelligence includes transaction history, entity detection, portfolio identification, and lien analysis — assembled from public registry records into a single property-level profile.
Building Permits & Maintenance
10,169 municipal building permits on file · 54% of properties
NE Provenance tracks 10,169 building permits across 2,596 Norwell properties — 54% coverage. 2,059 properties have permit activity in the last five years.
Each permit record reveals maintenance decisions: roof replacements, electrical upgrades, kitchen renovations, solar installations. For insurance, lending, and appraisal professionals, permit history is the most objective evidence of property condition available from public records.
10,169
Permits on File
54%
Coverage
Properties with permits
2,059
Active (5yr)
Recent permit activity
84%
Condition Rated
NEP assessment
Living in Norwell
Plymouth County · Massachusetts
Zip Codes020600206102370
11,351
Population
2020 Census
4,808
Properties
$820K
Median Assessed
72%
Owner-Occupied
21.2
Square Miles
Norwell covers 21.2 square miles in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The median assessed property value is $820K.
Single-family homes account for 3,472 of Norwell's 4,808 properties and 247 multi-family buildings. There are 257 commercial properties and 308 parcels of vacant land. About 72% of properties are owner-occupied.
Assessed values range widely — the middle 50% of properties fall between $578K and $1.1M, with the highest assessed property at $42.6M. For professionals working in this market, the value spread tells you a lot about what you'll encounter door to door.
Most properties rely on private septic systems. Electric service is provided by NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY. 717 properties have identified commercial activity — restaurants, retail, professional offices, and services that give Norwell its character.
What Norwell Property Intelligence Means for Professionals
Insurance & Underwriting
With 4% of properties in FEMA flood zones and 7% in the coastal zone, Norwell concentrates several major underwriting variables. Parcel-level hazard data provides the granularity that ZIP-level aggregation misses.
Insurance solutionsReal Estate & Appraisal
Norwell's 10 property types, spanning construction from 1645 to present, require local market knowledge for accurate comparable selection and valuation. NEP assembles building characteristics, environmental exposure, and condition signals into a single property profile.
Real estate solutionsLending & Title
Collateral assessment requires flood zone verification, environmental screening, and ownership chain validation. 4% of Norwell properties are in SFHAs where flood insurance is a federal lending requirement. NEP provides property-level compliance data from public records.
Lending solutionsInspection & Property Services
10,169 permits across 54% of properties means most Norwell inspection assignments can start with documented renovation and system history, not a blank slate.
Inspection solutionsExplore Norwell property intelligence.
4,808 Norwell properties — each with risk profiles, building data, permit history, and ownership analysis from 140+ sources. Open any property and see the full picture.
Newburyport, MA · Federalist · 3,524 sq ft · 4 bed / 3 bath · Built 1800 · Historic District
NEP Property Intelligence Summary
ConditionC1Fire ClassBFlood ZoneXOwnerIndividualOccupancyOwner-Occupied
Purchased2018 (8yr)Permits11 totalSystems3 updatedLiensClearAssessed$1.6MOcean0.3 mi
EraPre-1940HistoricDesignatedRenovationRecentRadonZone 1
Cite this data
Source: NE Provenance, “Professional Property Intelligence for New England,” neprovenance.com/insights/town/norwell-ma. For references or attribution, please link back to this page or neprovenance.com. Thank you, we appreciate it.