Brockton, MA

Brockton's noise ordinance treats stationary amplifiers and loudspeakers used for public address at public events as exempt from the general noise ban only with a city permit. Section…

Brockton caps noise at 50 decibels during its restricted hours under Section 14-50(f). Police measure sound with standard electronic devices from fifty feet away from the source or the…

Brockton's noise ordinance exempts aircraft entirely: Section 14-50(g)(1)(a) excuses 'noise originating from aircraft in flight' and airport sounds 'directly related to flight…

Brockton's animal control ordinance defines a barking dog as a nuisance once noise runs past fifteen minutes and disturbs a neighborhood's peace, per City Code Sec. 3-7(b). Owners face…

Brockton's noise ordinance bars loud, unnecessary or disturbing sound citywide and layers on fixed quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:00 p.m. to 7:00…

Brockton exempts most construction noise from its general ban, but temporary construction sites lose that exemption between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Section 14-50(g)(2)(c). City…

Leaf-blower limits come from town bylaws under MGL c.40 §21(22), not the county. South Shore towns including Duxbury, Hingham, and Scituate restrict gas blowers by season and hour…

Brockton requires a building permit before installing any residential swimming pool, plus a plot plan and sign-off from the board of health, water division, wire inspector and plumbing…

Brockton requires all swimming pools to be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates, per the Massachusetts State Building Code.

Commercial vehicles may park in a Brockton metered space without depositing a coin for up to thirty minutes while loading or unloading, under City Code Section 12-115. The city council…

Brockton bars keeping a dismantled, wrecked or junked vehicle on any property for more than 72 hours, and limits residential lots to one unregistered vehicle stored outdoors, under…

When ice or snow removal work requires it, Brockton's superintendent of streets can have the chief of police tow any vehicle blocking the way. Owners must be notified by mail within 48…

Brockton restricts parking of large commercial vehicles in residential areas. Heavy trucks and equipment must be stored at appropriately zoned locations.

City Code Section 12-71 bars parking within intersections, on sidewalks or crosswalks, within 20 feet of a cross street, within 10 feet of a fire hydrant, in front of driveways, or…

Massachusetts adopts statewide EV-readiness requirements under the State Building Code (780 CMR) and Stretch Energy Code, mandating that new construction include EV-ready parking…

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…

Brockton bars weeds, grass, hay, straw, vines and other combustible growth from piling up on any roof, yard, vacant lot, court or open space in the city. Property owners and occupants…

Brockton may require permits for tree removal in certain circumstances. Trees in the public right-of-way are city property and cannot be removed without authorization.

Trimming trees on your own land needs no permit anywhere in Plymouth County. But public shade trees along a road or town way cannot be cut or trimmed without the tree warden's written…

No Plymouth County ordinance governs artificial turf, and towns rarely restrict it on ordinary lots. But installing turf near a marsh, bog, pond, or coastal bank triggers Wetlands…

Plymouth County runs no water system. Outdoor watering limits come from each town or district's Water Management Act permit under MGL c.21G, which conditions large withdrawals and…

Brockton requires a Class I permit from the head of the fire department before anyone sets up a chimenea, fire pit, outdoor fireplace or open-air burn at a one- or two-family home…

Brockton restricts where LP-gas can be filled or kept and adds a hard rule for larger tanks: under Code § 7-425, no LPG is allowed on streets served by natural gas without a temporary…

Open burning in Brockton is regulated by the Massachusetts DEP and the Brockton Fire Department. Residential open burning is only permitted during a limited season (January 15 to May…

Massachusetts bans nearly all consumer fireworks statewide, and Brockton adopts that ban directly: City Code § 7-79 applies Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 148, § 39 to fireworks possession, sale…

Burning brush to clear vegetation across Plymouth County requires a fire department permit under MGL c.48 §13, allowed only during the January 15–May 1 open-burn season, with a 75-foot…

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…

Brockton requires every dog to be under restraint at all times on public property, defined as a leash of six feet or less or a fenced enclosure, under City Code Section 3-7(a). Even a…

Brockton does not require microchips for ordinary pets, but every guard dog must be implanted with one at the owner's expense under City Code Section 3-23(g), and it is unlawful to…

Brockton has no separate cat-licensing ordinance: City Code Section 3-3(a) applies the state's dog and cat control statute, M.G.L. c. 140, Sections 136A-174F, to cats "where…

Brockton does not require every pet to be spayed or neutered, but two rules force it in specific cases. Section 3-10 bars adopting an unclaimed shelter dog without sterilization, or…

Brockton has no breed-based dog ban; instead, City Code Section 3-11 lets the chief of police, a mayor-appointed hearing officer, or an animal control officer bring any dog to a…

Brockton caps household dog-keeping at four: Section 3-5(i) states flatly that "no person shall keep or control more than four (4) dogs on a single premises," and the city clerk cannot…

A veterinary hospital, animal hospital or pet shop cannot open by right anywhere in Brockton. Zoning Ordinance § 27-29(3)(e) lists these uses only as a special use in the C-2 general…

Beekeeping is allowed across Plymouth County. Massachusetts registers hives through the state, and MGL c.128 §32 caps the registration fee at five dollars. Towns may add setback rules…

Massachusetts bans keeping most wild and exotic animals without a state license. Under MGL c.131 §23, propagating or maintaining wild mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians requires a…

Backyard chickens are allowed subject to each town's zoning bylaw. MGL c.40A §3 bars towns from zoning out commercial agriculture on parcels of five acres, or two acres earning $1,000…

Brockton allows a family day care home for up to six children as a principal permitted, by-right use in R-1 single-family zones. Larger 'large family day care' operations, and any…

A Brockton home occupation allowed as of right may show no exterior sign, nameplate or any other outward sign that it exists. Only a home occupation approved by special permit from the…

Brockton limits customer visits to home occupations. Traffic and parking impacts must not exceed normal residential levels.

Brockton permits home occupations in residential zones under the zoning ordinance. The business must be accessory to the residential use and comply with specific conditions.

Massachusetts has no cottage food statute and no state cottage food licence. A home kitchen selling food is treated as a food establishment, and the permit comes from the local board…

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 detached accessory structure in Brockton must sit at least 5 feet off the side and rear lot lines, at least 10 feet from the house, and no closer to the street than the…

Brockton allows accessory dwelling units under Zoning Ordinance § 27-35.2, adopted January 30, 2025 to implement the state's 2024 ADU law. Every ADU, attached or detached, is capped at…

Garage conversions in Brockton require a building permit and must comply with the Massachusetts State Building Code for habitable space. Off-street parking requirements must still be…

A tiny home's rules in Plymouth County turn on its foundation. Built on a permanent foundation at 900 square feet or less, it now qualifies as a by-right accessory dwelling unit; on…

Short-term rental guests in Brockton must comply with the city's Noise Control Ordinance. Operators are responsible for ensuring guests do not create disturbances.

Massachusetts state law preempts this topic. MGL c.175, §4F (added by Chapter 337 of the Acts of 2018) requires every short-term rental operator in Brockton to maintain at least…

Short-term rental properties in Brockton must provide adequate parking for guests. On-street parking is subject to city regulations including overnight and seasonal restrictions.

Short-term rental operators register with the Massachusetts DOR statewide, and under MGL c.64G §14 each Plymouth County town can require its own licensing. Plymouth, Marshfield, and…

Short-term rentals owe the 5.7% Massachusetts state excise plus a local excise of up to 6% adopted under MGL c.64G §3A. Plymouth, Marshfield, and Wareham levy the full local rate…

Brockton caps residential fences at 6 feet on the sides and rear of a lot and 4 feet across the front, under § 27-20(5) of the zoning ordinance. Side fences starting at the front…

Brockton requires fences to be built within the owner's property line. Massachusetts law does not require neighbors to share fence costs. The finished side must face outward.

No Plymouth County permit exists for a fence; counties issue no building permits. Under the state building code, 780 CMR, fences up to seven feet are exempt from a building permit…

No county permits retaining walls. Under the state building code, 780 CMR, a retaining wall up to four feet high, measured from the footing, needs no building permit unless it supports…

Brockton's fire prevention code requires automatic sprinkler systems in basements over 2,500 square feet used to store or handle combustible goods, including the storage and workshop…

Brockton has adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, 780 CMR Appendix 115.AA, as Article V of Chapter 4, making the state's tougher energy-efficiency standard for new…

Before any building permit issues in Brockton, the superintendent of buildings must route the application through sign-offs from utilities, public works, health and fire, then approve…

Brockton charges $75 for a single-family plumbing permit plus $10 per fixture, requires the permit be filed before work starts, and doubles the fee for anyone who begins plumbing work…

Brockton requires written permission from the inspector of wires before connecting any interior wiring to an outside power circuit, enforced through a local fee schedule that starts at…

Before any building or structure in Brockton is erected, constructed, altered or moved, the owner must file a permit application with the superintendent of buildings under City Code…

A child care facility in Brockton serving more than ten children, as defined under state law, must clear far larger yards than an ordinary residence: 50-foot front and side yards and a…

Brockton bans dumping, depositing or abandoning garbage, refuse and trash on any public or private property unless the city council has designated the site a garbage dump or sanitary…

Brockton's code defines exactly which materials qualify as recyclables for curbside pickup: paper products, cardboard under 2 by 2 feet, aluminum and steel food containers, glass, and…

Brockton allows one bulky item per household per week at the curb through city collection, covering large furniture, mattresses and rolled carpet. The city may add a fee for bulky-item…

Brockton requires recyclables to go out in a city-approved, properly identified recycling container, collected every other week year round. The city or its agent runs the biweekly…

Brockton collects undecorated, nonliving holiday trees at the curb for two weeks following December 25, either whole or cut into sections. Trees left out after the special pickup…

Brockton requires all waste streams (trash, recycling, yard waste, bulky items, holiday trees) to be curbside, off the street, no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup and no…

Brockton collects solid waste and bulky items weekly year-round and recyclables every other week, per Sec. 8-3.4 of the City Code. Multifamily buildings over five units, and commercial…

Brockton picks up yard waste weekly from May 1 through June 30 and November 1 through December 15, then bi-weekly from July 1 through October 31, under Sec. 8-3.4. Only bundled brush…

Any dumpster on private property in Brockton needs a Board of Health permit under Sec. 8-11, must sit at least ten feet from lot lines and public ways, and must be screened by a wall…

Where you store and screen trash carts is set by each town's board of health, not the county, under MGL c.111 §31, which lets local boards make reasonable health regulations. Carts…

Brockton exempts car alarms and other warning devices from its noise ordinance as long as they do not sound continuously for more than 30 minutes. Past that window, the alarm becomes…

Emergency standby and backup generator noise is exempt from Brockton's noise ordinance at all times under Sec. 14-50(g)(1)c. Non-emergency generator use still falls under the citywide…

Brockton bans camping and storing personal property on any public property citywide. The city can remove a campsite immediately in specified circumstances, or after posting a 48-hour…

Brockton bans sleeping on any public property at any time, including entrances abutting sidewalks. Sec. 14-62, adopted January 13, 2025, sits inside the same public-camping article…

Brockton's Building Department can declare any unoccupied, neglected structure a "dangerous building" under Article IV of Chapter 4, order the owner to register it within 90 days, and…

Brockton's Fire Prevention Code bars weeds, grass, hay, straw and other combustible growth from piling up on any vacant lot, yard or open space. Section 7-68 requires the owner or…

Owners, occupants, or tenants of property abutting a constructed sidewalk in Brockton's designated downtown-area boundary must clear snow, including handicapped ramps and curb cuts…

Brockton bars loitering that obstructs streets, sidewalks, building entrances, garages, transit terminals, schools or vacant buildings under Article V, Sec. 14-81 to 14-83, adopted…

Brockton requires pedestrians to use a marked crosswalk whenever one sits within 300 feet, per City Code Section 12-143. Where no crosswalk exists, a mid-block crossing must yield the…

Brockton bans drinking or holding an open container of alcohol on any public way, alley or public parking space under City Code Section 14-12. Anyone under 21 is separately barred from…

Brockton's truancy ordinance keeps anyone under 16 off public streets and out of amusement venues during required school hours under City Code Section 14-17.5. Parents who knowingly…

Every owner of private residential rental housing in Brockton must register each unit annually with the Public Health Division by July 1, pay a fee, and post owner or agent contact…

A vacated Brockton rental unit cannot be reoccupied until PHD inspects it and issues a certificate of fitness confirming it meets the state sanitary code, and every occupied unit needs…

Rent control is illegal across every Plymouth County community. Massachusetts voters banned it in 1994 through Question 9, now codified as MGL c.40P §4: no city or town may enact…

Massachusetts has no statewide just-cause eviction law, and no Plymouth County town can add one. A landlord ends a tenancy at will with 30 days' written notice, or 14 days for…

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…

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 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…

Brockton bans propane grills indoors and on any deck or porch above the first floor. Code § 7-313(h) states flatly that propane grills shall not be used inside a building, on decks or…

Charcoal grills and fires in Brockton must stay outdoors, off decks and porches, and at least 30 feet from any combustible structure under Code § 7-313(i). Smokers running on any fuel…

Brockton inspects every rental unit at least once every three years, letting owners choose a PHD inspection or a qualified private inspector, with PHD auditing at least five percent of…

Brockton's Public Health Division must inspect a vacated rental unit within five full working days of the owner's written notice, or the unit automatically receives a certificate…

Any new development or redevelopment in Brockton that increases stormwater runoff or alters drainage must get both a Stormwater Management Permit and a Land Disturbance Permit from the…

Disturbing a quarter acre or more of land in Brockton requires a Land Disturbance Permit and an engineer-stamped Erosion and Sediment Control Plan filed with the Stormwater Authority…

Brockton's Floodplain District overlay covers every FEMA Zone A and AE parcel on the Plymouth County Flood Insurance Rate Map (panels dated July 17, 2012). In Zone A, where the FIRM…

Any filling, dredging or altering of wetlands, floodplains or land subject to flooding in Brockton requires a written Notice of Intent to the Brockton Conservation Commission and an…

Building a dock, pier, seawall, or placing fill below the high-water mark along Plymouth County's coast requires a Chapter 91 waterways license from MassDEP. Coastal wetlands, beaches…

Brockton runs an automated red light camera program under City Code Section 12-170, issuing a $50 civil penalty by mail to any vehicle owner whose car crosses a stop line on a steady…

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…

Brockton's five-member Historical Commission must issue a certificate of appropriateness before the city can grant a building or demolition permit affecting an exterior architectural…

Brockton bars obstructing any sidewalk without a permit from the chief of police, and pairs that with specific limits on projections, cellar entrances, and gates that swing over the…

Anyone excavating in a Brockton public way, including installing or realigning a driveway, must first get a street opening permit from the DPW commissioner as awarding authority. The…

During street opening work, Brockton contractors cannot remove any tree or shrub in a public planting strip without the DPW commissioner's written consent. A tree damaged or authorized…

Plymouth County designates no heritage trees. The strongest state protection is the Scenic Roads Act, MGL c.40 §15C: on a town-designated scenic road, no tree may be cut and no stone…

Any restaurant that wants to seat diners outside in Brockton needs a one-year license from the license commission before opening a single table. The commission sets the seat count and…

Brockton has no separate parade-permit application: Section 12-27 lets the police chief temporarily close any street for an emergency or for a lawful assemblage, demonstration or…

Anyone hawking or peddling goods on a Brockton sidewalk must register with the police department and hold a license from the mayor and city council before making a sale, and cannot…

Brockton lets food trucks operate in its commercial and professional office zones but bars parking on public streets and vending within 250 feet of a licensed restaurant's entrance…

Operating a food truck anywhere in Brockton starts with a board of health mobile food vendor permit: a $125 annual fee, an application listing menu, layout, hours and location, and…

Only companies on the Brockton police chief's official tow list can perform police-requested tows, capped at ten companies who must hold a current Massachusetts DTC license, have…

Brockton requires secondhand dealers and collectors of precious metals, gems, electronics and other used goods to hold a city license, cap cash purchases at $50, and hold regulated…

Brockton caps pawnbroker loan interest at three percent per month, or thirty-six percent a year, under Sec. 11-300, subject to Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks approval. Operating…

Brockton confines adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters, adult paraphernalia and video stores, and nude dancing establishments to I-3 Heavy Industrial zones, and only with a…

Brockton licenses motor vehicle repair and auto body shops only where the building inspector certifies the property sits in a C-2 or C-3 zone, so a residential home cannot be licensed…

Massachusetts heavily restricts vape retail under M.G.L. c. 270 § 28, banning flavored vape products statewide and limiting flavored nicotine vape sales to licensed adult-only smoking…

Brockton limits yard and garage sales to two per calendar year, each lasting no more than two consecutive days, and requires an $18 license from the city clerk before any sale under…

Anyone canvassing door-to-door in Brockton for sales, donations or information must register with the Police Chief before starting, per Sec. 11-107, then pay a $75 application fee plus…

Electronic Advertising Boards, Brockton's digital billboards, are allowed only on C-2, I-2 and I-3 parcels that directly abut Route 24, and each one needs a special permit from the…

Political and campaign signs get one break in Brockton's sign code: portable and standing versions announcing any municipal, state or federal election are allowed as of right, without…

Temporary window signs advertising a sale or special event can cover up to 30 percent of a Brockton storefront's window, but only for 15 days at a time and only if they're…

Digital billboards, called 'Electronic Advertising Boards' in Brockton's code, are allowed only along the Route 24 corridor, in the C-2, I-2 and I-3 zones, and only with a special…

Digital billboards approved along the Route 24 corridor must run automatic light-level controls and follow the state's brightness standards under 700 CMR 3.00 before the zoning board…

Inside the Thatcher Street Smart Growth Overlay District (TSSGOD), City Code § 27-155(3)(a) bars site lighting from spilling upward into the night sky, a shielding-style rule that…

Development projects inside the Thatcher Street Smart Growth Overlay District (TSSGOD) cannot let site lighting overspill onto adjacent properties, per City Code § 27-155(3)(a). The…

Every development project inside Brockton's Downtown Brockton Smart Growth Overlay District (DBSGOD) must comply with a separate Design Standards document, approved by the state…

Every time the building inspector issues a residential building permit inside the Downtown Brockton Smart Growth Overlay District, City Code § 27-104 requires the city to file an…

Brockton bars a marijuana retail establishment from locating within 500 feet of another existing or permitted marijuana dispensary or recreational retail facility, and within 500 feet…

Brockton has not opted out of adult-use marijuana. Cultivators, product manufacturers, testing labs, transporters and couriers are principal permitted uses in the I-1 Industrial Park…

Home cultivation is legal across Plymouth County. An adult 21 or older may grow up to 6 marijuana plants for personal use under MGL c.94G §7, capped at 12 plants per household…

Brockton caps principal-building height by residential zone: two and a half stories or 35 feet in R-1A, R-1B and R-1C, and three stories or 45 feet in R-2, R-3 and R-4, under Table 1…

Brockton's Table 1 sets minimum yards by residential zone: a 30-foot front and 50-foot rear in R-1A, 30-foot rears in R-1B/C, 20-foot fronts and 25-foot rears in R-2 and R-3, and…

Brockton limits how much of a lot buildings can cover and requires a separate green-space reserve on top of that: 25 percent minimum green space in every residential zone (R-1A through…

Massachusetts law bars any town zoning bylaw from prohibiting or unreasonably regulating solar energy systems, except to protect health, safety, or welfare. Plymouth County homeowners…

M.G.L. c. 184, § 23C makes void any provision in an instrument relative to the ownership or use of real property that purports to forbid or unreasonably restrict the installation or…

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…

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…

Massachusetts has no comprehensive HOA act. Condominium associations get a powerful statutory lien under M.G.L. c. 183A § 6 that carries a six-month super-priority over a first…

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…

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…