Business Licensing & Operations in Everett, MA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Everett, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, Zoning Section 21A bars adult bookstores, clubs, theaters and video stores from locating within 1,000 feet of each other or of schools, parks and alcohol licensees, and within 500 feet of a residential district. They are allowed only by City Council Special Permit in Industrial and Industrial Limited Districts.
Adult Entertainment Spacing in Everett, Massachusetts
Significant RestrictionsEverett Zoning Ordinance Section 21A
C. Adult Use Restrictions. 1. Adult Bookstores, Adult Clubs, Adult Theaters, Adult Video Stores, Fortune Tellers and Adult Paraphernalia Stores, Pawn Shops, Body Piercing Studios, Check Cashing Establishments, Tattoo Studios and Gun Shop may not be located: a. Within one thousand (1,000) feet of each other; b. Within five hundred (500) feet of the nearest lot line of: i. a Residential District,...
Tattoo & Body Modification
In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, a Tattoo Studio or Body Piercing Studio cannot open as a by-right storefront. Section 21A of the Everett Zoning Ordinance allows either use only by Special Permit from the Everett City Council in the Industrial and Industrial Limited Districts, and it holds each studio 1,000 feet from the other listed uses, parks and schools and 500 feet from residential districts.
Tattoo and Body Piercing Studios in Everett, Massachusetts
Significant RestrictionsEverett Zoning Ordinance Section 21A
9. Tattoo Studio.A business that marks the skin with any indelible design, letter, scroll figure, symbol or any other mark that is placed by the aid of needles or other instruments upon or under the skin with a substance that will leave color under the skin and that cannot be removed, repaired or reconstructed without a surgical procedure. A Tattoo Studio may or may not be operated in conjuncti...
Tobacco Retail License
In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, the Zoning Ordinance lists a smoke shop, hookah bar, cigar bar and/or vape shop as a specifically prohibited use in the Commercial Triangle Economic Development District, and no variance can be issued to allow it. Separately, the Board of Health fee schedule in Section 12-43 carries a Tobacco line of fifty dollars ($50.00).
Vape and Smoke Shops in Everett, Massachusetts
Significant RestrictionsEverett Zoning Ordinance Section 33
D. District Boundaries.The Commercial Triangle is approximately ninety-seven (97) acres in size roughly bounded by Revere Beach Parkway to the north; the City of Chelsea to the east; the MBTA line to the south; and Revere Street to the west, as more particularly depicted on a plan entitled “Proposed Zoning Changes for Revere Beach Parkway – Commercial Triangle Economic Development District,” da...
Secondhand Dealers
In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, no one can purchase, barter, collect or store junk, old metal, rags or other secondhand articles without a license from the City Council under Section 12-61. A secondhand dealer pays a $50.00 application fee and $75.00 annually, and goods bought must be held fifteen (15) days before resale.
Junk and Secondhand Dealer Licenses in Everett, Massachusetts
Significant RestrictionsEverett Revised Ordinances Section 12-61
(a) Required.No person shall purchase, barter, collect or store junk, waste materials, materials discarded by others, old metal, rags or other secondhand articles, for any purpose, without first having received a license to do so from the City Council. City administrative officers, boards, and commissions shall be exempt from the provisions of this article. (b) Fee.The annual fees for junk deal...
Pawnbrokers
In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, only the City Council can grant, suspend or revoke a pawnbroker license, and licenses are restricted to one for each ten thousand residents of the city, or major part thereof, as of the latest census. The fee is $300.00 on application and $300.00 annually, plus a $300.00 bond with two sureties.
Pawnbroker Licensing in Everett, Massachusetts
Significant RestrictionsEverett Revised Ordinances Sections 12-204 through 12-208
Any suitable person complying with the provisions of this article and Chapter 140 of the General Laws may be licensed to set up and maintain the business of a pawnbroker within the city. No person shall set up or maintain a business of a pawnbroker without complying with such provisions. ... The city council shall have exclusive authority to grant, suspend or revoke any licenses issued under th...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, Zoning Section 4 bars any industry, trade or commercial use in a dwelling district, and a residential garage must be one in which no business, service or industry is conducted. Anyone repairing vehicles for compensation needs a City Council motor vehicle repair shop license under Section 12-502, backed by fines under Section 1-8.
Auto Repair at Home in Everett, Massachusetts
Significant RestrictionsEverett Zoning Ordinance Section 4
A. Uses.Within any dwelling district as indicated on the zoning map, no building, structure or premises shall be used and no building or structure shall be erected which is intended or designed to be used in whole or in part for any industry, trade, manufacturing, or commercial purposes, of for other than the following specified purposes: 1 ... 2. A garage in which no business, service or indus...
Towing Companies
In the City of Everett, Massachusetts, a towing yard counts as an open-air parking lot, and no one can operate it without a license granted by affirmative vote of the Everett City Council under Section 12-52. Police tows are directed by the chief of police or a sergeant or higher, and towing and storage charges cannot exceed the maximum rate set by the Department of Public Utilities.
Towing Yards and Non-Consent Towing in Everett, Massachusetts
Significant RestrictionsEverett Revised Ordinances Section 12-52
(2) Open-Air Parking Lot – a land area for the parking or storage of four (4) or more motor vehicles for any period of time for a fee, including Towing Yards. ... (4) Towing Yards -an area of land that is used for the short-term storage of motor vehicles, not to exceed ninety (90) days. Vehicles stored in such lots shall be limited to those removed at the request of public agencies, insurance c...