Middlesex County cities enforce blight through property maintenance bylaws and the State Sanitary Code 105 CMR 410. Violations include peeling paint, broken windows, and abandoned buildings.
Blight enforcement in Middlesex County combines local property maintenance bylaws with the State Sanitary Code 105 CMR 410 (Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation) and the State Building Code 780 CMR. Common blight violations include broken or boarded windows, peeling exterior paint, sagging porches, collapsed fences, accumulation of trash or debris, inoperable vehicles, overgrown vegetation, and graffiti. Cambridge, Somerville, Lowell, Newton, Waltham, and Medford each have Inspectional Services departments that respond to complaints. Cambridge Vacant Property Registration Ordinance requires owners of buildings vacant over 90 days to register and pay annual fees up to 5000 dollars. Somerville has a similar vacant storefront registration. Liens may be placed on properties for unpaid fines or city-performed cleanup. Emergency demolition may proceed under MGL c.143 for unsafe structures.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County has no operational county government - it was abolished July 11, 1997 under M.G.L. c. 34B - so there is no countywide noise ordinance. Massa...
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County treats persistent barking as a nuisance. Animal control handles complaints. Dog licensing required statewide (MGL c.140 §155).
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County has no unified leaf blower ordinance. Regulations are set by individual cities and towns such as Cambridge, Newton, Arlington, and Lexington...
Middlesex County, MA
Middlesex County restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zones. Weight and size limits apply. Overnight storage of heavy trucks prohibited.
Middlesex County, MA
Driveway rules are set by each Middlesex County city or town zoning bylaw. Cambridge, Somerville, Lowell, and Framingham regulate curb cuts, width, paving, a...
Middlesex County, MA
Winter parking bans are the dominant rule across Middlesex County. Most cities prohibit overnight on-street parking from November through April to allow snow...
See how Middlesex County's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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