Massachusetts does not require private employers or city contractors to use the federal E-Verify employment authorization system, and Boston has not enacted any local mandate requiring its use.
Unlike Arizona, Mississippi, or Tennessee, Massachusetts has no statute compelling private employers, public contractors, or specific industries to enroll in E-Verify. All Boston employers must complete federal Form I-9 within three business days of hire under 8 USC §1324a, but participation in E-Verify remains voluntary. Some federal contractors operating in Boston are required to use E-Verify under FAR 52.222-54, and some Massachusetts employers use it voluntarily. Boston's Trust Act framework, paired with the absence of an E-Verify mandate, reflects the city's posture of avoiding additional immigration-status checks beyond federal minimums.
Federal I-9 violations are enforced by ICE Homeland Security Investigations with civil penalties starting around $281 per paperwork violation and rising for knowing-hire offenses; no separate Massachusetts or Boston penalties apply.
Boston, MA
Boston cannot set its own minimum wage; Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151 §1 establishes a uniform $15 statewide hourly minimum wage with no carve-out a...
Boston, MA
The Boston Trust Act, enacted in 2014 and strengthened in 2019, restricts Boston Police from using city resources to enforce federal civil immigration law an...
See how Boston's e-verify mandates rules stack up against other locations.
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