Worcester, MA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Worcester County has no county parks system because county government was abolished in 1998 (the few former county properties like the Worcester County Courthouse transferred to state ownership). City of Worcester parks — including Elm Park (one of America's first public parks, 1854), Green Hill Park, Institute Park, Bell Hill Park, Beaver Brook Park, University Park, and Lake Park — close from dusk to dawn unless a special event permit is issued, per Worcester Revised Ordinances Chapter 12. After-hours park presence is a violation subject to $50-$250 citation; the Worcester Police Department and Parks Rangers enforce. Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner, Milford, and other Worcester County municipalities follow similar dusk-to-dawn rules for their parks. State parks and forests in Worcester County — including Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, Purgatory Chasm State Reservation, Moore State Park, Wells State Park, Douglas State Forest, Harold Parker State Forest portions, and the Quinapoxet Reservation — fall under the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and follow 302 CMR 12.00; most close at sunset, with specific exceptions for camping in designated areas (Wells State Park, Lake Dennison, etc.). Quabbin Reservoir (owned by Massachusetts Water Resources Authority/MWRA) has strict dawn-to-dusk access under MGL c. 92 and MWRA rules.