Medford, MA
Pop. 59,000
Most looked-up rules in Medford
The topics readers look up most across the site, as they apply in Medford.
Browse by topic
🏡 Home & Property
🌿 Yard & Garden
🏠 Renting & Housing
🔊 Noise & Neighbors
🐾 Animals & Farming
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🛡️ Privacy & Civic
📋 Other
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Bird Protection
Significant RestrictionsSec. 6-48 of the Medford Revised Ordinances bars distributing food or scattering foodstuffs for waterfowl in or around any reservoir, public park, recreation area or other public place…
Dog Leash Laws
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Sec. 6-38 of the Revised Ordinances bans letting any dog run loose or be at large anywhere off the owner's own premises. A dog under control must…
Breed Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsMedford does not single out dogs by breed. Instead, Sec. 6-44 of the Revised Ordinances lets the animal control officer, a police officer or the health director declare any individual…
Microchipping
Light RestrictionsMedford has no blanket microchip mandate for pets. Sec. 6-44(b) of the Revised Ordinances lets the animal control officer, police chief or health director order microchip…
Wildlife Feeding
Significant RestrictionsSec. 6-108 of the Medford Revised Ordinances bars willfully or intentionally feeding wild, feral or non-domestic animals on public property, and separately bars leaving pet food or…
Cat Rules
Significant RestrictionsSec. 6-110 of the Medford Revised Ordinances requires anyone caring for feral cats to register annually with the board of health for a $25 fee, mark and check traps daily, sterilize…
Chickens & Livestock
Significant RestrictionsKeeping or raising livestock, including an animal stable or kennel, is not permitted by right in any of Medford's residential, commercial, office, or mixed-use zoning districts. The…
Beekeeping
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts authorizes its chief apiary inspector to require registration of every bee colony kept in the commonwealth, with a fee capped at five dollars per registrant regardless of…
Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts prohibits private possession of most exotic and wild animals statewide. MassWildlife regulates permits, and the list of prohibited species is uniform across the…
Pet Limits
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsAnimal cruelty including hoarding is criminalized statewide under M.G.L. Chapter 272 Section 77. Hoarding triggers welfare investigations and felony charges in severe cases.
🚗 Parking Rules
Driveway Rules
Some RestrictionsNew driveways in Medford, Massachusetts residential districts need a permit from the city engineer before construction. The zoning ordinance requires paving with stones, grass pavers…
Abandoned Vehicles
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, no one may keep a junk motor vehicle, boat, trailer, camper or recreational vehicle stored ungaraged on residential property for more than 48…
RV & Boat Parking
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, an unregistered or inoperable RV, boat, trailer or camper cannot be stored in the front yard of a residential lot, which the ordinance defines as…
Street Parking Limits
Some RestrictionsOn private ways open to public right-of-access, Revised Ordinances § 78-147 bars parking that blocks a driveway, sits within ten feet of a hydrant or 20 feet of an intersection, blocks…
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Heavy RestrictionsMedford's zoning code bars overnight parking of any commercial vehicle over 15,000 pounds gross vehicle weight in the city's Residence Districts unless it sits inside an enclosed…
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsMedford's noise performance standards let the Community Development Board restrict loading, unloading, and container handling at nonresidential or multi-unit developments between 6:00…
EV Charging
Light RestrictionsMedford requires developers of covered nonresidential and multi-unit projects to incorporate vehicle charging infrastructure into their parking areas to the maximum extent feasible…
Towing & Impound Rights
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🏗️ Accessory Structures
Shed & Carport Rules
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, a shed or other accessory structure serving a one- or two-family home is capped at 15 feet in height under the zoning ordinance. It must sit at…
ADU Owner Occupancy
Some RestrictionsMedford requires an accessory dwelling unit and its principal house to stay under one owner: Section 94-8.2.3(2) demands an affidavit that the owner occupies one of the two units, and…
ADU Rules
Some RestrictionsMedford lets homeowners add one accessory dwelling unit per lot under Section 94-8.2 of the Revised Ordinances: by right inside the existing house, or by special permit from the…
ADU Rental Restrictions
Some RestrictionsWhen a Medford accessory dwelling unit or its principal house is rented out, Section 94-8.2.3(6) sets a 30-day minimum occupancy or rental term, blocking short-term or nightly rentals…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Retaining Walls
Some RestrictionsMedford, Massachusetts caps retaining walls at six feet under its zoning ordinance; taller grade changes must be terraced and landscaped instead. Any wall over 36 inches needs a…
Height Limits
Some RestrictionsMedford zoning caps fences, hedges and walls at four feet in a required front yard and within 15 feet of a street line in a side yard, rising to six feet elsewhere in a side yard, per…
Neighbor Fence Rules
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts General Laws Chapter 49 establishes a statewide spite fence statute treating fences over six feet erected maliciously to annoy a neighbor as a private nuisance subject to…
🔊 Noise Ordinances
Barking Dogs
Some RestrictionsSec. 6-46 of the Medford Revised Ordinances bars a dog owner from letting the animal make loud or continuous noise that is plainly audible at a neighboring residence or that continues…
Leaf Blower Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, the Leaf Blower Ordinance caps use to one hour a day per property and limits gas-powered blowers to March 15-May 31 and September 15-December 15…
Construction Hours
Some RestrictionsExcessively noisy work or machinery that disturbs the peace and quiet of the neighborhood is barred in Medford before 7:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m. every day, unless the chief of…
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Significant RestrictionsAnyone who wants to sing, play a musical instrument, or run a sound device or machine in a Medford street or public place needs a city license or permit first. The rule carves out only…
Aircraft Noise
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts regulates aircraft noise statewide through 740 CMR 24.00, the Logan Airport Noise Abatement rule enforced by the Massachusetts Port Authority. It bars new, noisier…
🌿 Landscaping Rules
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Significant RestrictionsNo one may cut, trim or top a tree standing in a Medford public way without first getting permission from the tree warden under Revised Ordinances § 86-91, with the work performed…
Native Plants
Some RestrictionsMedford's site development performance standards require developers who clear vegetation on a qualifying project to replant with native vegetation to restore wildlife habitat, and to…
Composting
Some RestrictionsMedford allows private backyard composting once the bin meets Sec. 6-119's construction and siting standards: durable material, a rodent-proof one-fourth-inch mesh lining, a tight…
Tree Trimming
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts General Laws Chapter 87 establishes statewide rules governing the trimming, pruning, and care of public shade trees, requiring a tree warden's authorization for cutting…
Water Restrictions
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsThe Massachusetts Water Management Act and related MassDEP drought regulations authorize statewide outdoor watering limits during declared drought conditions, applying uniformly across…
💼 Home Business
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Some RestrictionsAn as-of-right Medford home occupation cannot generate any customer or client trips at all under § 94-3.4.1.7. A resident who needs to see customers at home must instead apply to the…
Home Daycare
Some RestrictionsFamily day care homes are allowed as of right as an accessory residential use across Medford's Residence Districts, but Revised Ordinances § 94-3.3.3 conditions that right on site plan…
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Some RestrictionsMedford allows a home occupation as of right if it stays inside the dwelling, is run only by residents, produces no exterior sign larger than two square feet, and generates no customer…
Signage Rules
Light RestrictionsAn as-of-right Medford home occupation may display only a pole or wall sign no larger than two square feet under § 94-3.4.1.6. A home occupation operating under a board of appeals…
Cottage Food Operations
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Home Kitchen Operations
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🔥 Fire Regulations
Outdoor Burning
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Section 58-2 of the Revised Ordinances bans building a bonfire anywhere in the city, alongside a ban on firing guns, unless the burning is a city…
Fireworks
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, the fire prevention code folds fireworks displays into the citywide fire permit system: Section 42-80 sends applicants to Appendix A, which sets…
Propane Storage
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts requires a state fire marshal license and local fire chief permit to store flammable gases including propane above specified threshold quantities.
Wildfire Zones
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🏠 Short-Term Rentals
Occupancy Limits
Some RestrictionsMedford caps short-term rentals at six guests, or two guests per bedroom, whichever is fewer, under Section 94-8.4.4(3). Each unit can only be booked to one party at a time under the…
Primary-Residence-Only Rule
Some RestrictionsA Medford short-term rental has to be the operator's primary residence under Section 94-8.4.4(1). If the operator is absent for the whole stay, Section 94-8.4.5(2) caps that unoccupied…
Extended Home Share
Light RestrictionsMedford lets residents rent out spare bedrooms in their own home as a short-term rental 365 days a year under Section 94-8.4.5(1), so long as the operator keeps one bedroom reserved…
Host Presence Rule
Some RestrictionsWhen a Medford resident rents out spare bedrooms as a short-term rental, Section 94-8.4.5(1) requires one bedroom in the unit be reserved for and occupied by the operator for the…
Night Caps
Some RestrictionsThe City of Medford caps whole-unit short-term rentals at 90 days a year when the operator is not living in the unit. Renting spare bedrooms in an owner-occupied home carries no day…
Host Platform Liability
Some RestrictionsBooking agents listing Medford short-term rentals must file a quarterly report on every listing and are barred from collecting a booking fee for a unit the city has flagged as…
Repeat Violator Strikes
Significant RestrictionsMedford disqualifies a short-term rental property for six months after its third code or ordinance violation in six months. Any single outstanding violation also immediately halts…
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Light RestrictionsMedford does not set special off-street parking spaces for short-term rentals, but every operator must post in-unit signage on city parking rules, including visitor passes, street…
Short-Term Rental Permits
Significant RestrictionsNo Medford residential unit may operate as a short-term rental without registering with the building department first. Section 94-8.4.13 requires an owner or primary-resident tenant to…
Insurance Requirements
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts law requires short-term rental operators to maintain at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance covering each rental, unless intermediary provides equal coverage.
Taxes & Fees
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts imposes a statewide 5.7% room occupancy excise on short-term rentals, plus optional local and community impact fees collected uniformly through DOR.
🏊 Swimming Pools & Spas
Pool Permits
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, installing a residential swimming pool requires a building permit under Section 10-35, priced at $15.00 per $1,000 of construction cost plus a…
Fencing & Safety Requirements
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsThe Massachusetts State Building Code mandates barrier requirements for residential pools statewide. Fencing must be at least 4 feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates.
🪧 Sign Regulations
Window Signs
Some RestrictionsOn residentially-used property in Medford, Massachusetts, a window sign tied to a permitted nonresidential use cannot cover more than 35 percent of the glassed area it is attached to…
Digital Billboards
Heavy RestrictionsMedford, Massachusetts bars digital or electronic billboards through its zoning ordinance's movement rule: signs on residential-use property must have no moving parts and cannot convey…
Garage Sale Signs
Light RestrictionsMedford, Massachusetts allows one garage or yard sale sign per property without a permit, but caps it at five square feet under the zoning ordinance's temporary-sign rules. The owner…
Political Signs
Light RestrictionsMedford, Massachusetts lets a property owner display one or more political signs on private property without a permit, as a temporary sign under the zoning ordinance. Each individual…
💡 Outdoor Lighting
Billboard Lighting
Heavy RestrictionsMedford, Massachusetts bans billboards outright in every zone, so there is no separate lighting standard for one. The zoning ordinance's general sign-illumination rule instead governs…
Dark Sky Rules
Some RestrictionsMedford's zoning performance standards require every outdoor light fixture on a covered nonresidential or six-or-more-unit residential project to be shielded so it does not spill past…
Light Trespass & Shielding
Some RestrictionsMedford requires nonresidential and qualifying multi-unit developments to keep every bit of light overspill and glare, including direct light from the fixture itself, inside the…
🚷 Public Conduct
Loud Party Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Section 38-37 lets the city hold property owners, hosts and attendees jointly liable when police respond to a loud or unruly gathering that…
Public Alcohol Use
Heavy RestrictionsMedford bars drinking or holding an open alcoholic beverage container in any park, playground, public building or ground, and bars drinking on any public way, under City Code § 74-1…
Public Marijuana Use
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, the citywide smoking ordinance's definition of 'smoking' in Section 58-42 reaches lighting or carrying any lighted non-tobacco product designed…
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Section 58-43(a)(3) of the Revised Ordinances bans smoking in all city parks, playgrounds and outdoor recreational areas around the clock, except…
🏚️ Property Maintenance
Vacant Lot Maintenance
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, the board of health may order the owner of any privately owned lot to clean it, posting notice on the property first. If the owner does not…
Snow & Sidewalk Clearing
Heavy RestrictionsMedford requires the owner, tenant, occupant or agent of any property abutting a sidewalk to clear snow and ice within eight daylight hours after snowfall stops or a snow emergency…
🛍️ Single-Use Items
Plastic Bag Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, retail establishments cannot hand out thin-film plastic checkout bags under the Thin-film Plastic Bags Ordinance. Stores may offer recyclable…
Polystyrene Foam Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, the Polystyrene Container Ordinance bars food establishments and city facilities from dispensing prepared food in polystyrene containers. City…
🚶 Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules
Encroachment Permits
Significant RestrictionsPlacing any fixture or structure in a Medford sidewalk, street or highway requires a permit under Revised Ordinances § 78-7(a). The city council issues permits on city ways; the state…
Obstruction Rules
Some RestrictionsLeaving merchandise, articles or vehicles on a Medford sidewalk or street without a permit is unlawful under Revised Ordinances § 78-7(b), and any such property blocking pedestrian or…
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
Towing Companies
Some RestrictionsUnder 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…
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Heavy RestrictionsCommercial 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…
Tobacco Retail License
Significant RestrictionsIn 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…
Adult Entertainment
Significant RestrictionsMedford bars adult entertainment establishments from locating within 750 feet of each other, of schools, day care facilities, playgrounds, churches, and residential or residentially…
Pawnbrokers
Significant RestrictionsOperating 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 §…
Secondhand Dealers
Significant RestrictionsSecondhand 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…
Tattoo & Body Modification
Significant RestrictionsIn 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…
🎪 Special Events & Permits
Parade Permits
Some RestrictionsA funeral, procession or parade with 200 or more persons or 50 or more vehicles needs a permit from the chief of police under Revised Ordinances § 78-8 before it may occupy or march…
Sidewalk Dining & Cafés
Some RestrictionsRestaurants that want tables on a Medford sidewalk need an annual outdoor dining license from the building commissioner, valid only from March 1 through October 31 each year. The 2023…
Parklets
Some RestrictionsMedford lets restaurants convert an on-street parking space into 'parklet seating,' outdoor dining built into the paved roadway, under the outdoor dining licensing article rewritten in…
🌍 Environmental Rules
Stormwater Management
Some RestrictionsArticle V of chapter 82, adopted by Ord. No. 757 in 2010, protects water quality through Medford's NPDES MS4 permit program, and Revised Ordinances § 82-127(a) bars discharging any…
Erosion Control
Significant RestrictionsAny excavating, cutting, grading or other land-disturbing activity in Medford requires a stormwater permit from the director of public works under Revised Ordinances § 82-128, with a…
Flood Zones
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, any construction in a FEMA-designated flood zone must comply with the city's Flood Damage Prevention ordinance, Chapter 46 of the Revised…
Flood Elevation Requirements
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Section 46-112 of the Revised Ordinances sets the elevation standard for new construction inside a mapped flood zone. New or substantially…
Coastal Development
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts regulates all tidelands and coastal development statewide under Chapter 91 (MGL c.91) and 310 CMR 9.00, requiring state licenses for structures and fill in tidelands…
🗑️ Trash & Recycling
Illegal Dumping
Heavy RestrictionsMedford bans dumping in any public or private dump of animal or vegetable material that could breed rodents, flies or vermin, of anything the board of health deems obnoxious by odor or…
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Some RestrictionsMedford's Department of Public Works sets exact placement rules for household trash under City Code § 70-4. Receptacles must sit at the sidewalk's outer edge without blocking foot…
Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsMedford requires every household and business that gets city solid waste service to separate recyclables from ordinary trash under City Code § 70-101. Section 70-7 bars anyone but…
Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsOnce Medford signs a contractor or begins direct city collection, City Code § 70-103 makes separating aluminum, tin cans, glass, newspapers, yard waste and certain plastics mandatory…
Yard Waste Collection
Some RestrictionsMedford requires leaves to be kept separate from other household refuse under City Code § 70-102, and during the city's leaf collection season residents must bag them in paper lawn…
Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, Section 70-4 of the Revised Ordinances requires ash and rubbish receptacles to sit on the outer edge of the sidewalk without blocking foot…
Dumpster Rules
Some RestrictionsEvery dumpster placed on residential or commercial property in Medford needs a Health Department permit under Sec. 6-113, which carries a separate rodent-control fee the City Council…
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
Structure Height Limits
Some RestrictionsMedford zoning caps any structure within 100 feet of an SF-1, SF-2, GR or APT-1 district boundary at four stories or 50 feet under § 94-4.2.6.3. Certain rooftop features such as church…
Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsMedford's Table of Dimensional Requirements sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by use and zoning district. A detached single-family home in an SF-1 district needs a…
Lot Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, the zoning ordinance caps lot coverage in the Mixed Use Zoning (MUZ) District at 45 percent for most buildings, or 85 percent where the principal…
🌳 Tree Protection
Protected Tree Species
Some RestrictionsMedford's site development standards direct developers to design around rare and endangered species habitat and to prioritize preserving existing tree stands, perimeter trees, and…
Heritage & Protected Trees
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts Scenic Roads Act protects trees and stone walls along designated scenic roads, requiring public hearing before any removal or alteration.
🌱 Cannabis Regulations
Buffer Zones
Some RestrictionsMedford bars a marijuana establishment from locating within 500 feet of a pre-existing public or private school teaching kindergarten through grade 12, measured in a straight line…
Dispensary Zoning
Significant RestrictionsMedford limits marijuana retailers to the C2 and Industrial Zoning Districts under Section 94-7.6.15, capping retail floor space at 10,000 square feet. No more than three retail…
Home Cultivation
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts preempts local bans on personal cannabis cultivation under MGL c.94G §7, allowing adults 21+ to grow up to six plants per person and twelve per household statewide.
🔧 Building Safety
Childcare Center Rules
Some RestrictionsIn Medford's Mixed Use Zoning District, a child care use is only permitted if an outdoor play area is provided meeting the size requirements of the state's day care licensing…
Building Permits
Some RestrictionsA Medford building permit costs $15 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost for new construction, additions, alterations and repairs, plus a separate $35 application fee, under the…
Building Inspections
Some RestrictionsMedford charges $75 for a certificate of inspection under Section 108.5.1 of the Massachusetts State Building Code, plus a $50 reinspection fee whenever a job isn't ready or fails…
Electrical Permits
Some RestrictionsMedford requires anyone installing electrical wiring or fixtures for hire to notify the superintendent of wires before starting, or within five days after finishing, under Sec. 10-66…
Plumbing Permits
Some RestrictionsMedford's building commissioner, acting as ex officio inspector of buildings, enforces plumbing regulations under Sec. 10-101, while a separately appointed inspector of plumbing…
Green Building Code
Some RestrictionsThe City of Medford, Massachusetts requires new and substantially renovated buildings to meet 780 CMR Appendix 120 AA, the Stretch Energy Code, under Medford Revised Ordinances §…
☀️ Solar Energy
Panel Permits
Heavy RestrictionsIn the City of Medford, Massachusetts, § 10-106 of the Revised Ordinances requires large residential and nonresidential construction projects to install a solar energy system covering…
HOA Restrictions
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsM.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…
🚪 Soliciting & Door-to-Door
Solicitor Permits
Significant RestrictionsDoor-to-door salespeople, hawkers and peddlers working residential districts in the City of Medford, Massachusetts must register with the city clerk and pass a police background check…
No-Knock Registry
Some RestrictionsThe City of Medford, Massachusetts keeps a Do Not Knock Registry under Medford Revised Ordinances § 14-315: residents file a form with the city clerk to bar door-to-door sellers from…
💼 Employment Preemption
Minimum Wage Preemption
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts sets a statewide minimum wage of $15.00 per hour under MGL Chapter 151, and generally preempts cities from adopting higher local minimum wages.
Paid Leave Preemption
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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.
🔫 Firearms
Concealed Carry
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Firearms in Vehicles
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
❄️ Frost Depth & Snow Load
Building Design Criteria
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsBeyond 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…
Frost Line Depth
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Ground Snow Load
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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.
Roof Snow Load
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🎰 Gambling & Gaming
Casino Zoning Districts
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsThe 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…
Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Social Gambling Rules
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Sports Betting Law
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🏘️ HOA Rules
Assessment & Dues
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Board Procedures
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsM.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…
CC&R Enforcement
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
EV Charger Rights
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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, §…
HOA Fines & Enforcement
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Lien & Foreclosure Limits
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Rental Restriction Limits
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
⚖️ Know Your Rights
DUI Checkpoint Legality
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsThe 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…
Recording Police
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Stop & Identify Laws
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Vehicle Search & Consent
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🔑 Rental Property Rules
Eviction Notice & Process
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsFor 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…
Repairs & Habitability
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts recognizes an implied warranty of habitability and gives tenants strong remedies. Under M.G.L. c. 111 § 127L, after certified code violations and proper notice, a tenant…
Just Cause Eviction
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMGL Chapter 239 sets uniform statewide summary process eviction procedures for residential tenancies, establishing notice requirements, court process, and tenant defenses applicable in…
Landlord Entry & Notice
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Late Fees & Grace Periods
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsTo 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…
Rent Control
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts prohibits rent control statewide. Voters abolished it through a 1994 ballot referendum codified as Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 40P, the Massachusetts Rent Control Prohibition…
Security Deposit Rules
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🚜 Right to Farm
Agricultural Zoning Protection
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts protects agricultural land use through MGL Chapter 40A Section 3, exempting agriculture, horticulture, and floriculture from most local zoning restrictions on parcels of…
Farm Nuisance Protection
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
🚬 Tobacco & Vaping
Tobacco Age Restrictions
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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.
Flavored Tobacco Bans
Heavy RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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.
🚗 Vehicle Equipment Laws
Underglow & Auxiliary Lighting
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Dash Cam & Windshield Mounting
Light RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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 & Filtering
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsLane 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…
Plate Covers & Obstruction
Significant RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Radar Detector Rules
Few RestrictionsMassachusettsNothing 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…
Studded Tire & Chain Rules
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…
Window Tint Limits
Some RestrictionsMassachusettsMassachusetts 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…