Chelsea, MA Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Emergency declared by
- Director of Public Works
- Section 5-18 snow trigger
- 2 or more inches
- Named emergency artery streets
- 22 street segments
- Enforcement
- Towing and storage fees, Sec. 10-3
- Announced via
- Mass media, snow emergency lighting
Summary
When the Director of Public Works declares a snow emergency because of threatening weather or plow-blocking parked cars, Chelsea bans all parking along 22 named emergency artery streets, from Beacon Street to Williams Street, until the director lifts the order, and violators are towed.
Further subject to being towed or removed and other penalties, as set forth in Section 10-5 of this Article X, shall be any vehicle upon any way in violation of the following: If it is the judgment of the Director of Public Works of this city, or in the absence by reason of illness the inability to act of said Director, then of the Assistant Director of Public Works of the city, that threatening or existing weather conditions may impair the free flow of vehicular traffic or that parked or standing vehicles may impede the removal or plowing snow and ice, then said the Assistant Director, if properly acting in his stead, may declare a state of emergency to be effective at the time designated by him and to be in effect for such time as in his judgment is necessary. ... This Section 10-10 shall not apply to commercial vehicles stopped temporarily during the actual loading or unloading of materials.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26).
Full Breakdown
Section 10-10 lets the Director of Public Works, or the Assistant Director if the Director is unavailable, declare a state of emergency whenever threatening or existing weather may impair traffic flow or parked and standing vehicles may block snow and ice removal. The declaration is announced through news and other mass communication media, including what the ordinance calls snow emergency lighting, and once announced, no vehicle may park or stand on any of 22 specifically named emergency artery segments, including stretches of Broadway, Washington Avenue, Eastern Avenue, Pearl Street, Williams Street and Central Avenue, until the emergency ends.
Any conflicting parking regulation on those streets is suspended for the duration. Commercial vehicles stopped temporarily to actually load or unload materials are exempt from the ban. A related but separate rule, Section 5-18, triggers automatically whenever snow or ice reaches two inches on streets posted as Emergency Arteries, and bars parking there until city forces have cleared the roadway to within 12 inches of the curb line; Section 5-18 also makes it unlawful to interfere with the city's snow-plowing or ice-removal operations on any street, not just the posted arteries.
Violations & Fines
Vehicles left on a declared emergency artery are removed and stored under Section 10-5's tow authority, with the owner billed for removal and storage costs under Section 10-3, in addition to the state parking penalty under M.G.L. Chapter 90, Section 20A. Interfering with the city's snow removal or plowing work under Section 5-18 is separately punishable by fine, and the vehicle owner remains liable for these consequences whether or not the vehicle is disabled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who declares a snow emergency in Chelsea?
Will my car be towed if I park on an emergency route during a Chelsea snowstorm?
Are delivery trucks exempt from Chelsea's snow emergency tow zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelsea
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Snow Removal Parking Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle snow removal parking rules.