SOMERSET — Town Planner Nancy Durfee told the Planning Board last week that she would like to change a town bylaw so that lots cannot be subdivided into lots that are less than 20,000 square feet and have less than 100 feet of frontage.

The town’s current bylaws allow for lots that are less than 40,000 square feet to be split up into lots that have at least 12,000 square feet and 75 feet of frontage. Under Durfee’s proposal, that would be taken out of the bylaws.

Durfee said the town has been seeing more complicated cases of people wanting to split lots. She said those lots are less buildable than others and it is costing the town money in legal expenses.

Durfee said Somerset is one of the most densely populated towns in Massachusetts not in the area of Boston.

Durfee said people have been very creative with subdividing lots in Somerset. She said it was the intention of the town in 1972 to have lots that were a minimum size of 20,000 square feet with at least 100 feet of frontage. She said there was good reason for wanting those requirements. Durfee said when lots are divided on corners and there is 25 feet of frontage with a detention pond and berm, there is not a lot of area left to build on in the lot. She said the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals has been asked to approve variances for such lots a lot in the past.

Planning Board Chairman Gary Simons said he did not think it would be a problem to get Durfee’s proposal passed at a town meeting. Planning Board member Robert Rebello said there are a lot of lots close to the 40,000-foot size.

To change the bylaw, a public hearing would have to be held on Durfee’s proposal before it is voted on at a town meeting.

Durfee said she is cognizant that some people might not agree with her idea. She said a couple of subdivision proposals with lots smaller than 20,000 square feet and less than 100 feet of frontage have been denied by the town recently. Durfee said she would bring her proposal to the Board of Selectmen. She said a joint public meeting about the bylaw change proposal can be held between the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals.

Planning Board member Timothy Turner said the Planning Board will make a recommendation at a town meeting on if the bylaw should be changed.