Boston, MA

Boston's short-term rental ordinance defines a Limited Share Unit as the operator's primary residence rented out only while the operator is physically present. Occupancy caps at three…

Boston lets two categories of short-term rental run with no day-count ceiling: the operator's own primary-residence Home Share Unit, and a second Owner-Adjacent Unit in the same two…

Boston requires short-term rental booking platforms, the ordinance's term for services like Airbnb or Vrbo, to sign enforcement agreements with the ISD Commissioner or be barred from…

Boston STR hosts must carry at least $1 million in liability coverage for the unit, either through a personal policy endorsement or the hosting platform.

Boston short-term rental operators registered under the city's Inspectional Services regime must also collect and remit the Massachusetts Room Occupancy Excise under M.G.L. Chapter…

Boston Ordinance 12-9.1 (2018, revised 2019) restricts short-term rentals to a host's primary residence. Investor-owned, non-owner-occupied units cannot legally operate as STRs…

Boston requires Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar platforms to delist units that accumulate repeated nuisance, registration, or zoning violations. ISD maintains a violator list shared with…

Boston requires every short-term rental to register with the Inspectional Services Department, pay an annual fee, and display the registration number in every listing citywide.

Boston STRs must comply with local noise bylaws. Hosts responsible for guest behavior. Complaints may trigger license review.

A recreational open-air fire in a Boston backyard, a fire pit, chiminea, or torch, needs a Fire Commissioner permit capped at 4 square feet. The fee is $50 per month citywide, dropping…

Storing propane at a Boston property needs a Building Code permit priced at $20 plus $5 per 100 pounds stored. A cheaper, separate permit covers propane kept in a building under active…

Open burning is banned year-round in Boston. The city is one of approximately 40 MA municipalities where the statewide seasonal open burning period does not apply.

Boston may require vegetation management for fire safety. MA does not have a statewide defensible space mandate. Local property maintenance applies.

Boston Code § 21-6 puts an affirmative, standalone duty on every building owner: install fire and/or smoke detectors on the premises as defined by M.G.L. c. 148, § 26C, regardless of…

All consumer fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts including sparklers. Boston enforces this strict statewide ban with confiscation and fines under MGL Chapter 148 Section 39.

Massachusetts bans any open-air fire statewide unless the local forest warden or fire chief issues a permit good for no more than two days. Violators face a fine up to $500 plus the…

Boston property owners must remove rank weeds, invasive vegetation, and sidewalk weeds under City Code Ch. 16. Noxious weeds on the Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List cannot be…

Boston Code § 7-4.7(D) puts the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation in charge of trimming shade trees standing in the street so they don't interfere with public travel or street…

Boston encourages native plantings through Article 37 green building standards and the Grow Boston Greener program. No ordinance mandates native plants on private lots.

No one may cut, trim, or remove a public shade tree in Boston without written approval from the city's Tree Warden, per Code of Ordinances § 7-4.7(F). Healthy trees removed with…

The Massachusetts Water Management Act and related MassDEP drought regulations authorize statewide outdoor watering limits during declared drought conditions, applying uniformly across…

Playing a band, orchestra or amplified performance in a Boston residential area that exceeds 50 dBa (11 p.m.–7 a.m.) or 70 dBa (other hours) at the lot line is "disturbing the peace"…

Boston caps ambient noise at 50 dBa between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and 70 dBa the rest of the day under City Code § 16-26.1(B). Absent a meter reading, any sound plainly audible 300…

Boston bans selling or installing a muffler with the baffles removed, an exhaust system modified to amplify noise, or any muffler cut-out or by-pass, under City Code § 16-47(A). Fines…

Boston regulates barking dogs under its general noise ordinance and state nuisance law. Persistent barking exceeding decibel thresholds can result in fines and animal control…

Construction, demolition, alteration or excavation work in Boston is limited to 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. on weekdays unless the Inspectional Services Commissioner issues an Off Hours…

Massachusetts regulates aircraft noise statewide through 740 CMR 24.00, the Logan Airport Noise Abatement rule enforced by the Massachusetts Port Authority. It bars new, noisier…

Boston can tow any vehicle that interferes with plowing or snow removal from a street under Code of Ordinances § 11-6.43, and separately fines $45 for parking in violation of a…

Parking in a marked Boston loading zone draws a $90 fine per violation, rising with an $18 late penalty if unpaid within 21 days. The Commissioner of Traffic and Parking designates the…

Boston requires a resident parking permit to park on most residential streets 6 PM to 8 AM. Snow emergencies trigger tow-and-plow on posted routes with 48-hour tow windows.

Boston restricts on-street parking inside designated Residential Parking Districts (RPDs) to vehicles displaying a valid, current Transportation Department sticker in the rear window…

Boston's dense urban streets severely limit RV and oversized vehicle parking. Commercial vehicle overnight parking is prohibited, and RVs face similar restrictions on residential…

Boston fines residents who park cars in a required front, side or rear yard of a home in a residential zoning district. Inspectional Services enforces the ban with escalating civil…

Boston's Zoning Code treats electric vehicle charging as an accessory parking use, but caps it at four Direct Current Fast Charging stations, with no cap on Level 1 or Level 2…

Boston prohibits overnight street parking of commercial vehicles and requires Boston-Based Business Permits for local business owners needing daytime access to resident parking zones.

Boston operates a robust Resident Parking Permit program at no cost, with neighborhood-specific permits and active enforcement by the Boston Transportation Department.

Massachusetts law allows removal of vehicles abandoned on public ways after 72 hours. Boston enforces through its Transportation Department with towing to city-contracted lots.

Massachusetts caps what a tow company can charge you after a nonconsensual tow. Under 220 CMR 272.03(1) the maximum charge for towing a passenger automobile up to five miles is $132.00…

Boston runs no breed-specific ban. Under Code § 16-1.9B.2, a dog cannot be deemed dangerous "based upon the breed of the dog," and the Hearing Authority of the Animal Care and Control…

Boston lets residents keep honey bees but requires $25 registration with Inspectional Services under Code § 16-1.27, caps hives at five per lot or roof, and sets hive size, setback and…

No pet shop in Boston may sell, deliver, barter, auction or otherwise transfer a dog, cat, guinea pig or rabbit under Code § 16-1.9G.2. Shops may still host adoption displays for a…

Massachusetts prohibits most wild and exotic animals as pets under 321 CMR 9.01. MassWildlife does not issue pet permits. Only species on the exemption list may be kept without a…

Boston prohibits traditional livestock (cows, pigs, goats, sheep, horses) on residential lots. Only hens and bees are allowed under Urban Agriculture Article 89.

Boston requires dogs under control at all times (MGL c.140 §157). Dog licensing required through city/town clerk (MGL c.140 §155). Rabies vaccination mandatory.

Animal cruelty including hoarding is criminalized statewide under M.G.L. Chapter 272 Section 77. Hoarding triggers welfare investigations and felony charges in severe cases.

In Boston's residential zoning districts, a home-based professional office such as a law, medical, dental, architecture or accounting practice may add one small identification sign…

Article 2 defines an 'Accessory Home Occupation' as compensated work carried on by a resident inside the dwelling, off-limits to nonresident help and merchandise trading; Article 8's…

Home daycare in Boston requires a Massachusetts EEC Family Child Care license. Boston zoning allows family child care with 6 children by right and large family child care with 10…

Boston's Zoning Code allows a resident to run a home occupation that receives clients or customers in the dwelling, but caps on-site staffing at three non-resident employees and bars…

Boston residents producing cottage foods under MA Cottage Food rules need a Boston Public Health Commission Residential Kitchen permit. Sales require food made in a state-licensed…

Massachusetts has no microenterprise home kitchen permit and no home restaurant category. The one route to serving cooked meals out of a private kitchen is the bed-and-breakfast branch…

A shed or other accessory building in Boston's rear yard is capped at 15 feet in height and must sit at least 4 feet from any side lot line under Zoning Code Article 20, Section 20-2…

The Zoning Code allows one detached and one non-detached accessory dwelling unit per lot, but conditions both on occupancy: Article 2's definitions require the property owner to be the…

ADUs are now allowed by right statewide in Massachusetts under the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, with a maximum of 900 square feet. Boston cannot require owner-occupancy or special…

Garage conversions to ADUs are explicitly allowed under the 2024 MA Affordable Homes Act by right on single-family zoned lots, subject to building code compliance and permit…

Boston requires any public or semi-public swimming pool built with a roof, ceiling, or other covering to hold a special permit from the Inspectional Services Department Commissioner…

Boston only requires a fence-specific permit inside its historic districts. Property under the Beacon Hill or Back Bay Architectural Commissions, the Boston Landmarks Commission, or a…

Boston fence height limits vary by zoning district, with state building code requiring permits for fences over 7 feet. Historic districts impose additional restrictions of 42 inches…

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 49 establishes a statewide spite fence statute treating fences over six feet erected maliciously to annoy a neighbor as a private nuisance subject to…

Boston requires every mobile food truck to hold a permit issued by the Mobile Food Trucks Committee under Code of Ordinances § 17-10.4, with a $500 application fee, a five-department…

Boston requires anyone hawking or peddling food from a cart or on foot to register with the Division of Health Inspections and carry a numbered, dated license under Code of Ordinances…

Boston confines each mobile food truck to the specific service route and hours approved in its Code of Ordinances § 17-10.5 permit application, bars overnight or unattended parking…

Boston operates a mandatory residential recycling program under Code of Ordinances § 7-13.1, adopted under M.G.L. Chapter 40, Section 8H. Residents who contaminate their recycling with…

Boston requires an annual Public Works Department permit for any dumpster of one cubic yard or more, in a public way or on private property: a numbered permit costs a $10 filing fee…

Boston Code § 23-22 sets a volume-and-location fine schedule for illegal dumping under M.G.L. Chapter 270, Section 16, running from $100 for under a cubic yard in an unauthorized…

Boston requires owners of residential buildings with more than six units to install recycling carts within 350 feet of a building exit under Code of Ordinances § 7-13A.3. Owners who…

Boston Code § 23-1 bars anyone but city employees or a city contractor from transporting refuse through the streets without a Public Works permit, and companion sections fix exact…

Boston's Code of Ordinances § 7-13.4 requires residents at premises the Commissioner designates to separate specified recyclables from other solid waste and place them in set-out…

Boston charges separately for installing a sprinkler system and for the mandatory annual retest. The Commissioner of Inspectional Services bills $20 plus $1 per sprinkler head to…

Boston requires every vacant, unguarded building open to unauthorized entry to have all door and window openings closed and secured, with chronically-violated properties needing…

Boston forces periodic structural inspection of exterior walls on buildings over 70 feet or classified high-rise, and on unoccupied structures exceeding 35,000 cubic feet. A registered…

Installing, altering, or repairing plumbing anywhere in Boston requires a permit from the Commissioner of Inspectional Services, and the city charges a primary $20 fee plus $5 per…

Boston requires the Commissioner of Inspectional Services to approve or disapprove every electrical wiring or fixture installation and repair under M.G.L. Chapter 143, Section 3L. Fees…

Boston's Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) forces large buildings to report energy and water use annually and hit falling CO2e emissions caps, reaching…

Boston Code § 9-1.4(B)(4) requires every property owner to provide and maintain a functioning carbon monoxide detector, per 527 CMR 31, in a rental unit before delivering it to a new…

Boston requires a building permit before any roof deck on a residential structure can be used, backed by a structural and safety evaluation from a licensed architect or engineer. The…

Owners of Boston rental units built before 1978 must comply with the Massachusetts Lead Law (MGL Ch. 111 §§189A-199B) and 105 CMR 460, deleading or interim-controlling units occupied…

Boston bans camping or maintaining a campsite on any public property or right-of-way, streets, sidewalks, schools, parks, under Code of Ordinances § 16-66.3, unless authorized or…

Boston Code of Ordinances § 12-16.3 requires every pharmacy in the city, defined as a chain with four or more retail locations, to install an on-site sharps collection kiosk or…

Boston requires every food establishment and food truck to post its Inspectional Services Department letter grade at eye-level within 5 feet of the main entrance immediately after…

Boston will not issue a building permit for renovation, conversion or new construction until the applicant proves the premises are free of insects and rodents. City Code Sec. 16-31…

A Boston rental can be declared a 'problem property' and public nuisance if police respond to four or more criminal incidents there in 12 months, or if four sustained complaints for…

Boston requires every owner of private residential rental housing, including condominium units, to register each rental unit with the Inspectional Services Department by July 1 each…

For nonpayment of rent, Massachusetts requires a 14-day notice to quit under M.G.L. c. 186 § 11 (leases) or § 12 (tenancies at will). After the notice expires, the landlord must bring…

MGL Chapter 239 sets uniform statewide summary process eviction procedures for residential tenancies, establishing notice requirements, court process, and tenant defenses applicable in…

Massachusetts has no general statute requiring advance notice before a landlord enters. M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(a) instead limits when a lease may permit entry, to inspect, make…

Massachusetts strictly limits late fees. Under M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(c), no lease or rental agreement may impose any interest or penalty for late rent until the rent is at least 30…

To end a tenancy at will (month-to-month), Massachusetts requires written notice equal to one full rental period or 30 days, whichever is longer, under M.G.L. c. 186 § 12. Fixed-term…

Massachusetts prohibits rent control statewide. Voters abolished it through a 1994 ballot referendum codified as Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 40P, the Massachusetts Rent Control Prohibition…

Massachusetts has one of the nation's strictest security deposit laws. A landlord may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, must hold it in a separate…

Massachusetts requires 20 years of continuous adverse possession to claim title to land. Under M.G.L. c. 260 § 21, an action to recover land must be brought within 20 years after the…

Boston Code § 16-12.37 bans riding skateboards, roller blades, roller skates or stunt-type bicycles on defined 'public property', stairs, fountain areas, plazas and similar…

Boston bans "after-hours parties", unlicensed late-night gatherings charging admission with alcohol service, after 11:00 p.m. Hosts, owners, bartenders, DJs and money collectors each…

Boston Code § 16-12.2 bars sauntering or loitering in a street in a way that obstructs or endangers travelers or risks a breach of the peace or riot. The ordinance carves out…

Boston bans soliciting money 'in an aggressive manner' anywhere in public, plus soliciting at bus stops, parking garages, sidewalk cafes, lines outside businesses, crosswalks, within…

Boston bans smoking in every public park and any other public place under Parks and Recreation Commission control, including vaping and marijuana, under Code of Ordinances § 7-4.14…

Boston Code § 16-12.28 makes it unlawful to drink alcohol or carry an open container, full or partial, on any public way, in any place the public may access, in parks, playgrounds…

Boston Code § 9-1.4 lets any tenant demand an ISD inspection of a newly delivered rental unit within 24 hours of moving in, with Inspectional Services required to inspect within two…

Boston Code § 9-1.3 runs a points-based, proactive code enforcement track: ISD assesses points for missed registrations, ignored violation notices and problem-property listings, and…

Anyone who wants to open, occupy, obstruct or otherwise encroach on a Boston street must get a Public Works Department permit under § 11-6.9, which fixes the time, place, size and use…

Boston lets the Public Works Commissioner issue a permit to block a sidewalk temporarily for raising or lowering goods into a building, but § 11-6.11 caps that obstruction at 15…

Boston Code § 16-18.1 bars using a sidewalk in a way that causes more than ordinary wear unless the abutting owner built it of granite or stone to Public Works Department standards: in…

Boston Code § 7-4.7(C) defines an invasive plant by reference to the commonwealth's prohibited plant list, and lets the Tree Warden remove public shade or city property trees…

Boston's Trust Act, codified at § 11-1.9, bars city law enforcement from detaining someone solely on a civil immigration detainer or ICE administrative warrant once that person is…

Boston classifies automatic license plate readers as regulated "surveillance technology," so city departments cannot acquire or use ALPRs without a Surveillance Technology Impact…

Boston Code § 16-62 makes it unlawful for the city or any city official to obtain, retain, access or use a face surveillance system, or to contract with a third party to do so. The ban…

Boston requires a Mayor's permit before anyone erects a booth, tent or amplified-sound setup, or holds a ticketed show or amusement, on the Common, Public Garden or other public…

Any parade, march, picket, vigil or speechmaking event on Boston park land needs a permit from the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation under City Code Sec. 16-19.3. The Commissioner…

Boston runs its historic open-air Haymarket-Blackstone Market by ordinance: vendors need a license from the Health and Hospitals Department, sales are confined to three named downtown…

Boston's Public Works Commissioner controls sidewalk café use of the public way and must set licensing rules that keep café licenses available year-round, not just seasonally. Any…

Boston's Parks and Recreation Department protects public shade trees and city-owned trees under Code § 7-4.7: no public shade tree may be cut, trimmed, or removed without Tree Warden…

Massachusetts Scenic Roads Act protects trees and stone walls along designated scenic roads, requiring public hearing before any removal or alteration.

A pawnbroker operating in Boston needs an annual license from the Police Commissioner, and the city sets that license at $100 in its own fee code. Boston Code of Ordinances §…

Boston's zoning code forbids adult bookstores and adult entertainment uses in every district citywide except within the designated Adult Entertainment District overlay, an area…

Every Boston retailer selling tobacco products must hold a city "Permit for Location and Sales" from the Boston Public Health Commission, separate from the state license, at $100 per…

Every massage establishment in Boston must hold an annual license from the Inspectional Services Department before opening, and the city's own fee code sets that license at a flat $100…

Boston requires a Police Commissioner license to buy, sell or deal in junk, old metals or secondhand articles under Code of Ordinances § 17-4.1, and bars reselling purchased secondhand…

Mooring, docking, or anchoring a boat anywhere in Boston's city waterways, other than a transient boat staying 14 days or fewer, requires Harbormaster authorization and an annual…

In Boston's Coastal Flood Resilience Overlay District, new and substantially rehabilitated buildings must set their lowest occupiable floor at least two feet above the FEMA base flood…

Boston Code § 7-2.3(C) directs police officers, Transportation Department staff and Air Pollution Control Commission officials to enforce the state's diesel and gasoline idling limits…

Boston enforces FEMA flood zone regulations through Zoning Code Article 25A and the city's Flood Hazard Overlay District. Properties in designated AE and VE zones must meet base flood…

Boston requires stormwater management plans for any land disturbance over 1 acre under the city's Stormwater Management Ordinance and the EPA MS4 permit. The Boston Water and Sewer…

Construction and other regulated activity within 100 feet of Boston wetlands, streams, ponds, or the coast falls under Conservation Commission buffer-zone review, and Code §…

Massachusetts regulates all tidelands and coastal development statewide under Chapter 91 (MGL c.91) and 310 CMR 9.00, requiring state licenses for structures and fill in tidelands…

Boston requires anyone operating a shared-scooter or small-vehicle-sharing business to hold a Boston Transportation Department license under Code of Ordinances § 17-21.2. Vehicles are…

Parking or standing a motor vehicle in a marked bike lane or shared bike lane anywhere in Boston is banned under Code of Ordinances § 16-12.41. Violators face a $100 fine per offense…

Boston authorizes red-light camera enforcement citywide under Code of Ordinances § 7-7.4, imposing a civil penalty, not a criminal conviction, on the registered owner of a vehicle…

Massachusetts treats a golf cart and a low-speed vehicle as different machines with different rights. A true golf cart may be driven on a public way only under one narrow carve-out in…

Boston Code § 9-13.1 creates a Mayor's Office Problem Properties Task Force, Police, Fire, ISD, Public Health and other department heads, that flags any address with four or more…

Boston property owners, managers, and tenants bound by a written lease must clear snow, slush, and ice from sidewalks and curb ramps abutting their property within three hours after…

Boston bans car alarms and anti-theft devices that make noise audible from 200 feet away and do not shut themselves off within five minutes. Violating the rule draws a flat $50 fine…

Boston Code of Ordinances Sec. 11-6.35 makes every water customer responsible for keeping their own service pipes in good repair, protected from frost, and free of leaks. The duty is a…

Anyone peddling goods, wares or merchandise in Boston without a fixed store must get a City Clerk license as a transient vendor before making any sales. The applicant files a sworn…

Boston residents may post no-soliciting signs to prevent unwanted commercial solicitation. Licensed solicitors are expected to respect these signs. Violating a no-soliciting request by…

Outside residential districts, Boston caps window signage under Zoning Code Article 11, Section 11-2(c) and (f). A permanent, non-illuminated sign on the inside of a window glass…

Digital and electronic billboards are forbidden across Boston except as a Board of Appeal conditional use in three named districts, Zoning Code Article 11, Section 11-7. Even there…

Political signs in Boston are regulated under the city's sign ordinance and zoning code. The city cannot ban political signs on private property due to First Amendment protections…

Boston's Bay Village Historic District, created by ordinance under M.G.L. Chapter 40C, requires a Certificate of Appropriateness, Hardship, or Non-Applicability from a dedicated…

The Commissioner of Housing Inspection, inside Boston's Inspectional Services Department, is legally required to accept every complaint about health or safety violations at a place of…

Boston's zoning code forbids cannabis establishments outright in Residential and H districts and treats them as a conditional use everywhere else, under a hard spacing rule: Use Item…

Adults 21 and over in Boston may grow up to six cannabis plants per person and twelve per household under MGL Chapter 94G Section 7, provided the plants are not visible from public…

Boston regulates cannabis retail establishments through the Boston Cannabis Board (CBC Ord. §8-13) and zoning approval by the BPDA. Dispensaries must be at least 500 feet from schools…

Massachusetts legalized recreational cannabis in 2016 under MGL c.94G. Adults 21+ may cultivate up to 6 marijuana plants per person and 12 per household. Plants must be grown in an…

Within the Midtown Cultural District's Protection Areas, a downtown design guide, any exterior alteration or new construction affecting more than 100 square feet of street wall facade…

Boston's Zoning Code grants a residential density bonus in the Charlestown Neighborhood District: Section 62-21 adds 1.0 to the maximum floor area ratio for residential projects in…

Massachusetts law (MGL c.40A §9B) protects solar access rights and limits the ability of municipalities to restrict solar installations. While there is no explicit state solar access…

Solar panel installations in Boston require a building permit from ISD and an electrical permit. Massachusetts law (MGL c.40A §3) limits municipal authority to restrict solar…

Boston bans thin single-use plastic checkout bags at retail establishments. Any bag a store hands out at checkout must be a reusable bag, a recyclable paper bag, or a compostable…

Boston condo assessments are governed by MGL Ch. 183A Sections 6 and 10. Unit owners must pay common charges based on percentage interest, and unpaid charges become a priority lien…

M.G.L. c. 183A, § 10(c) requires a Massachusetts condominium to keep a defined set of records up to date within the Commonwealth and to make them available for reasonable inspection by…

Massachusetts overrides some HOA and condo restrictions by statute. M.G.L. c. 184 § 23C voids deed covenants and condo-document provisions that forbid or unreasonably restrict solar…

Massachusetts gives owners an affirmative right to install electric vehicle supply equipment in their own unit or in a parking area they hold exclusive use of, and M.G.L. c. 183A, §…

Massachusetts gives a condominium's organization of unit owners express statutory power to levy fines, and attaches almost no conditions to it. M.G.L. c. 183A, § 10(b)(5) authorizes…

Massachusetts is not a UCIOA state, and its condominium lien rules sit in a home-grown statute, G.L. c. 183A, § 6. The lien attaches automatically when an assessment falls due and is…

Massachusetts runs the opposite way from states that cap association leasing bans. M.G.L. c. 64G, § 15 provides that nothing in the short-term rental chapter confers a right to lease…

Commercial drone operations in Boston require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and LAANC authorization for controlled airspace near Logan Airport. Additional permits may be…

Massachusetts has no statewide omnibus drone statute, so recreational flying follows federal FAA rules. But across the roughly 450,000 acres the Department of Conservation and…

Boston's Zoning Code sets a separate front, side and rear yard minimum for every district in Table B of Section 13-1. In the base S-.3 single-family district, for example, a lot must…

Article 13's citywide dimensional table caps building height for Boston's standard single- and two-family districts at 2½ stories and 35 feet: S-.3, S-.5 and R-.5 all use that ceiling…

Boston's base zoning table (Article 13) does not cap lot coverage for standard S, R and H residential districts; it controls density through floor area ratio instead. The city's…

Massachusetts sets a statewide minimum wage of $15.00 per hour under MGL Chapter 151, and generally preempts cities from adopting higher local minimum wages.

Massachusetts provides paid family and medical leave through the PFML program under MGL Chapter 175M, plus paid sick time under the Earned Sick Time Law for most employees.

Massachusetts requires a License to Carry under MGL Chapter 140 Section 131 to carry concealed handguns, with applications processed by local police chiefs subject to suitability…

Massachusetts requires a valid License to Carry under MGL Chapter 140 Section 131 to transport loaded handguns in a vehicle, with strict storage rules applying to long guns and…

Beyond frost depth and snow load, the Massachusetts design criteria table sets weathering, termite risk, ice barrier, flood and air freezing index values that apply to every home built…

Massachusetts sets one frost line depth for the whole state: 48 inches. Footings must bear below that depth anywhere in the Commonwealth, and cities and towns do not set their own…

Massachusetts publishes a ground snow load for every one of its 351 cities and towns in a single state table, ranging from 25 psf on the Cape and Islands to 60 psf in the hill towns.

Massachusetts lists a minimum flat roof snow load for every city and town, and requires designers to use whichever is larger: that listed floor or the load calculated from the local…

The Expanded Gaming Act divides Massachusetts into three casino license regions and caps category 1 licenses at one per region. A resort casino can open only in a city or town that…

Massachusetts law bans commercial gambling but carves out G.L. c. 271 § 7A for nonprofit raffles and bazaars: veterans', religious, fraternal, educational, and civic groups that have…

Massachusetts bans gaming for money only in a public conveyance or public place, or in a private place where the player is trespassing. G.L. c. 271, § 2 does not reach cards, dice, or…

Massachusetts legalized sports wagering under G.L. c. 23N, with retail betting live January 31, 2023 and mobile apps following March 10, 2023. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission…

The Massachusetts General Laws contain no sobriety checkpoint statute. A full-text search returns nothing for roadblock, roadblocks or sobriety checkpoint, and the single hit for…

Massachusetts has no statute granting a right to record police. It has G.L. c. 272, section 99, one of the strictest wiretap laws in the country, and the operative word in it is…

Massachusetts has no general stop-and-identify law reaching people on foot. The duty at G.L. c. 90, section 25 attaches only to a person operating or in charge of a motor vehicle, and…

Massachusetts has no clause saying lawful cannabis possession is not grounds for a search, unlike Michigan or Maryland. What it has instead is G.L. c. 276, section 1, which narrows…

Massachusetts protects agricultural land use through MGL Chapter 40A Section 3, exempting agriculture, horticulture, and floriculture from most local zoning restrictions on parcels of…

Massachusetts protects farms from nuisance lawsuits under M.G.L. c. 243 § 6: a farm operating more than one year using generally accepted agricultural practices cannot be found a…

Massachusetts requires purchasers of tobacco and vape products to be at least 21 years of age under MGL Chapter 270 Section 6, predating the 2019 federal Tobacco 21 law.

Massachusetts became the first state to ban all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and flavored vapes, under M.G.L. c. 270 § 28, effective June 1, 2020.

Massachusetts bars any vehicle from mounting or displaying a flashing, rotating or oscillating light in any direction except under G.L. c. 90, section 7E, and section 7E hands out red…

Massachusetts has no dash camera statute, but G.L. c. 90, section 13B expressly permits a device to be mounted on or affixed to a vehicle windshield, dashboard or centre console so…

Lane splitting is illegal in Massachusetts. G.L. c. 89, § 4A tells the operator of a motorcycle that he shall not pass any other motor vehicle within the same lane, and the ban carries…

Massachusetts bans plate covers by naming the device rather than by regulating tint or reflectivity. G.L. c. 90, § 6 says number plates shall be kept clean with the numbers legible and…

Nothing in the Massachusetts General Laws prohibits a radar detector in a private car. A full-text search of the General Laws returns no hit at all for radar detector, speed measuring…

Massachusetts writes its studded tire rule as a ban on the warm half of the year rather than as a permission for winter. G.L. c. 90, § 16 makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle…

Massachusetts lets you put aftermarket film on the front side windows, the rear side windows and the rear window only if it transmits at least 35 per cent of visible light and reflects…