Business Licensing & Operations in Medford, MA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Medford, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Medford bars adult entertainment establishments from locating within 750 feet of each other, of schools, day care facilities, playgrounds, churches, and residential or residentially zoned property. Section 94-7.1 requires a special permit from the Board of Appeals, and the zoning board denies a permit to anyone convicted under specific state obscenity or minor-protection statutes.
Medford Adult Entertainment 750-Foot Spacing Rule
Significant RestrictionsMedford Revised Ordinances § 94-7.1.3
It is the purpose of this section governing adult entertainment establishments to address and mitigate the secondary effects of adult entertainment establishments and sexually oriented businesses that are referenced and defined herein. ... Adult entertainment establishments ... shall not be located less than 750 feet from the nearest lot line of: 1.Each other;2.Public or private nursery school;...
Tattoo & Body Modification
In the City of Medford, Massachusetts, a tattoo, piercing, branding or scarification business is a licensed 'body art establishment' under the zoning ordinance's definitions. The city's board of health must permit both the establishment and each practitioner, and no body art establishment may open within 2,000 feet of another one's lot line. Chapter 94 zoning also confines the use to commercial districts by special permit.
Medford Body Art Establishment Rules
Significant RestrictionsMedford Revised Ordinances §§ 94-12.0, 94-11.3.2
Body art: The practice of physical body adornment by permitted establishments and practitioners using, but limited to the following techniques: body piercing, tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, branding, and scarification. This definition does not include the act of piercing the lobe of one's ear. Body art establishment: A specifically identified individual who has been granted a permit by the boar...
Tobacco Retail License
In the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Section 58-45 of the Revised Ordinances requires a Board of Health tobacco sales permit, covering tobacco 'in any of its forms,' before selling tobacco products anywhere in the city. The permit costs $150.00, renews every December 31, and repeat violations escalate to a $500.00 fine and a 30-to-60-day suspension.
Medford, MA Tobacco Retail Sales Permit
Significant RestrictionsMedford Revised Ordinances § 58-45
Sec. 58-45. - Retail sale of tobacco products; permits; display; penalties. (a)Permit required; issuance; posting; renewal; transferal. No person, firm, corporation, establishment or agency shall sell tobacco products within the city without a valid tobacco sales permit issued, by the board of health's tobacco control department. The Medford Board of Health requires a $150.00 non-refundable and...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand dealers and collectors in the City of Medford, Massachusetts need a city council license under Medford Revised Ordinances § 14-161, capped at $50.00 cash per purchase under § 14-133, and must hold precious metals and gems for 21 days and other regulated property for 15 days, up to a 180-day maximum, under § 14-139. The police chief inspects records, and violations can cost a dealer the license.
Medford Secondhand Dealer License Rules
Significant RestrictionsMedford Revised Ordinances §§ 14-133, 14-139
Sec. 14-133. - Purchases by a secondhand dealer or secondhand collector. A secondhand dealer or secondhand collector shall not make any cash purchase in an amount that exceeds $50.00. ... ... Sec. 14-139. - Holding periods. (a)A copy of every purchase report form filled out as required by this article shall be kept on the premises of the secondhand dealer or secondhand collector business during...
Pawnbrokers
Operating as a pawnbroker in the City of Medford, Massachusetts requires a license the city council grants under Medford Revised Ordinances § 14-31, issued by the city clerk under § 14-32 and expiring every April 30. The city collects a $500.00 fee to issue and record the license under Appendix A, and the council can suspend or revoke it at its pleasure under § 14-36.
Medford Pawnbroker Licensing Requirements
Significant RestrictionsMedford Revised Ordinances §§ 14-31, 14-32, 14-34, 14-36; Appendix A (c)(16)
Sec. 14-31. - Granted in accordance with law. The city council shall grant such licenses or permits as are required in this article in accordance with the provisions of law applying to such licenses or permits. ... Sec. 14-32. - Issuance by city clerk; expiration. All licenses or permits provided for in this article shall be issued by the city clerk and shall expire on April 30, annually, unles...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Commercial auto repair or service is a flatly prohibited accessory use on residential lots in every Medford Residence District. Revised Ordinances § 94-3.3.6.2(a) lists it alongside outdoor storage and heavy-truck parking as uses the zoning code will not allow no matter how a homeowner tries to frame it as a home occupation.
Medford Bars Home Auto Repair Businesses
Heavy RestrictionsMedford Revised Ordinances § 94-3.3.6
2.Residence Districts. In the Residence Districts, the following accessory uses are prohibited:a.Commercial auto repair or service.
Towing Companies
Under Revised Ordinances § 78-261, a police sergeant or higher-ranking officer may have a vehicle towed by an independent contractor from any Medford street, way, highway, parkway or municipal parking area once it accumulates five or more unpaid tickets, with limited exemptions.
Medford Police-Ordered Vehicle Towing
Some RestrictionsMedford Revised Ordinances § 78-261
Any sergeant or officer of higher rank in the police department of the city may cause to be removed to some convenient place by towing by an independent contractor any vehicle, except a vehicle owned by the commonwealth or a political subdivision thereof, by the United States or an instrumentality thereof or registered by a member of a foreign consul who is not a citizen of the United States an...