Norfolk County does not enforce blight. MA State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410) sets minimum housing standards. Quincy, Brookline, and Weymouth enforce via BOH and building inspector. MA vacant property registration common.
Massachusetts property maintenance authority rests with each municipality's Board of Health and Building Inspector, operating under 105 CMR 410 (State Sanitary Code: Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation) and 780 CMR (Building Code — property maintenance provisions). MGL c. 111 §122 provides BOH nuisance authority. Common violations: peeling lead paint (MGL c. 111 §197A), broken windows, failed roofs, accumulated debris. Quincy has adopted vacant/foreclosed property registration (Ch. 11.38) with $100-$300/year fees. Brookline Art. 8.26 covers rental registration with property condition. Weymouth enforces via BOH under 105 CMR 410. Receivership: under MGL c. 111 §127I, municipalities or tenants may petition Housing Court to appoint a receiver for severely neglected property; receivership liens take priority. MA Attorney General's Abandoned Housing Initiative supports municipalities.
BOH orders: 10-30 day compliance. Daily fines $100-$300 under 105 CMR 410. Municipal abatement recouped via MGL c. 111 §125 lien. Receivership for severe cases (MGL c. 111 §127I).
Wellesley, MA
Wellesley allows garage conversions to ADUs under Wellesley Zoning Bylaw §5.13 (as amended April 15, 2025 by Article 40.1) consistent with Section 8 of the M...
Wellesley, MA
Wellesley regulates ADUs under Section 5.13 of the Wellesley Zoning Bylaw. At the April 2025 Annual Town Meeting, Wellesley adopted Article 40.1 to amend its...
Wellesley, MA
Wellesley's Building Department exempts one-story sheds/accessory buildings of 100 square feet or less from a building permit, but they must still comply wit...
See how Wellesley's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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