TL;DR: Rabbit Hill has been a National Register historic district since 1988, and the town says that listing "does not provide any restrictions" on the properties in it. It is not a local historic district, so as of the latest town records we found (Historical Commission minutes of March 25, 2026) there is no review of paint color or exterior painting there. What has changed is that Medway is now studying a local district for part of Rabbit Hill. Nothing is decided: a study committee report, a public hearing and a two-thirds Town Meeting vote would all have to come first.
Painting a Rabbit Hill house before anything changes? Call or text Dave at (774) 217-9567. We will look at the house with you and plan the prep, and you keep full control of the color.
Owners along Main Street on the west side of Medway have been receiving surveys and meeting invitations about historic districts since 2024, and the question we hear is a reasonable one: "Do I need permission to paint my house?" Today, no. This post explains why, what the town is studying, and which parts of it are still open.
What is the Rabbit Hill Historic District?
It is a National Register historic district on Route 109 on the western side of Medway, listed in 1988. The town's FAQ on the national historic district confirms the designation and location.
The district covers properties along portions of Main Street and Milford Street, parts of Highland Street and some side-street properties near the Community Church, according to the town's Historical Commission current projects page. The National Park Service record for the Rabbit Hill Historic District (NRIS 88000224) lists its architectural styles as Greek Revival, Federal and Late Victorian, which matches what you see from the road: clapboard houses with corner boards, cornices and door surrounds that carry most of the character.
Does a National Register listing control what you paint?
No. A National Register listing is recognition, not regulation. The National Park Service says listing "places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do with their property," unless the project involves federal funding, licensing or permitting.
A local historic district is the regulatory kind. It is created by Town Meeting under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40C, and inside it a Historic District Commission reviews changes to exterior features visible from a public way. Whether paint color is reviewed depends entirely on the local bylaw; many Massachusetts towns exempt it. Our guide to historic district paint approval in Massachusetts covers the full difference, with the National Park Service FAQ as the source on the federal side.
What is Medway studying, and what is actually decided?
Medway is studying a local historic district for a portion of Rabbit Hill. The study has started; the district has not been created, its boundaries have not been set and its rules have not been written. Here is the public record, in order.
- 2024: The Historical Commission mailed 54 surveys to owners in the district and received 15 responses. Nine were generally in favor, some asking for certain property features to be exempted, and six were generally opposed, mostly over added restrictions (town current projects page).
- September 2025: The Commission held a public meeting for owners in the district, which over 20 people attended, according to a January 22, 2026 memo to the Select Board.
- January 22, 2026: That memo in the Select Board packet asked the Board to support a Local Historic District Study Committee and noted that a district covering the entire Rabbit Hill area "would be too ambitious for an initial LHD."
- February 2, 2026: The Select Board agenda carried a discussion and vote on establishing the study committee under Chapter 40C, section 4.
- March 25, 2026: The Historical Commission minutes record the nomination process for committee members still under way, with nominees from the local realtors and outreach to architects and the Historical Society.
What still has to happen, per the January memo: the study committee investigates, writes a report with findings and recommendations, holds a public hearing, and then Town Meeting must adopt a bylaw by a two-thirds vote. Which properties would be included, and whether paint color would be reviewed or exempt, are open questions until a bylaw is drafted. Towns answer that last question very differently: color is exempt by bylaw in Medfield's districts, exempt but still paperwork in Foxborough's Baker Street district, and reviewed for a new color in parts of Hopkinton. We are not going to guess how Medway would write it.
What does this mean if you paint your house now?
Nothing changes for a repaint today. With no local district in place, a Rabbit Hill owner can repaint in any color with no historic review, just like any other house in town.
The houses themselves are what shape the job. Medway builds very little new housing: only 4.9 percent of homes were built in 2010 or later, the lowest new-build share of the 18 towns we serve, while 19.4 percent were built in 1939 or earlier and 54.0 percent before 1980, per the ACS 2020-2024 year-built table on Census Reporter. In practice nearly every painting job in Medway is a repaint of an existing house, and on Rabbit Hill's older houses lead-safe prep applies to any home built before 1978; the rules are in our Massachusetts lead paint guide.
Two practical suggestions while the study runs:
- Photograph the house before and after. A dated record of your colors and trim is useful whatever happens, and it is the kind of thing any commission asks about.
- Check the status before a big exterior change. The Historical Commission is the place to ask what stage the study has reached.
How do we approach a repaint on a Rabbit Hill house?
Trim first. On Greek Revival and Federal houses the detail is in the cornice, the corner pilasters and the door surround, and those parts carry the most paint layers and the most weather. We scrape and prime them carefully, repair soft wood rather than cover it, and keep crisp lines between trim and body so the house reads the way it was built.
For the scope of a Medway job, see exterior painting in Medway and interior painting in Medway, and the town overview at painters in Medway, MA.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rabbit Hill in Medway a historic district?
Yes, Rabbit Hill on Route 109 in western Medway has been a National Register historic district since 1988, but it is not a local historic district, so the listing does not restrict what owners do to their houses.
Do I need approval to paint my house in the Rabbit Hill district?
No, as of the latest town records we found in March 2026, Rabbit Hill has no local historic district, so repainting in any color needs no historic review, though checking status before a major exterior change is sensible.
Is Medway creating a local historic district in Rabbit Hill?
Medway is studying one for a portion of Rabbit Hill, and in early 2026 the town began forming a study committee under Chapter 40C, but nothing is decided until Town Meeting votes on a bylaw by a two-thirds majority.
Would a local historic district in Medway review paint color?
That is not decided, because no bylaw has been drafted; Massachusetts towns differ, and many local historic district bylaws exempt paint color while some review a change to a new color.
How old are most homes in Medway, MA?
Medway's median home was built in 1976, 54.0 percent were built before 1980, and only 4.9 percent were built in 2010 or later, the lowest new-build share of the 18 towns we serve, per ACS 2020-2024.
The bottom line
Rabbit Hill is a historic district in the National Register sense, which places no limits on painting. A local district, the kind that can review exterior changes, is being studied for part of the area, and the study committee, public hearing and two-thirds Town Meeting vote all still lie ahead. Until a bylaw passes, your color is your call; for any large exterior project, a quick check with the Historical Commission on where the study stands is worth the call.
Paint Pro New England has painted older homes in Medway, Holliston, Millis, Franklin and the rest of our 18 towns since 2011, with Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams products, full insurance, a 2-year warranty and 5.0 stars across 62+ reviews. If you want a second opinion on a Rabbit Hill house, call (774) 217-9567.
Dave Griffiths
Dave Griffiths is the owner of Paint Pro New England, a professional painting company serving MetroWest Boston since 2011. With 15+ years of interior and exterior painting experience across the region, he leads every project with thorough prep, premium Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams paints, and a 2-year warranty.
