Chelsea, MA Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger for crosswalk duty
- officer, signal, or crosswalk within 300 ft.
- Outside a crosswalk
- pedestrian yields to vehicles (Sec. 12-5)
- Tunnels/overpasses
- pedestrians must use them where provided
- Enforcement
- all Chelsea officers (Sec. 12-8)
- Penalty statute
- M.G.L. c. 90, § 18A (Sec. 12-10)
- Exemptions
- roadway workers, officials on duty, emergencies (Sec. 12-9)
Summary
Chelsea requires pedestrians to cross within a marked crosswalk whenever an officer is directing traffic, a signal is operating, or a marked crosswalk sits within 300 feet, under Traffic and Parking Regulations Section 12-1. Crossing outside that zone flips the right-of-way duty onto the pedestrian.
Section 12-1. - Pedestrian crossing ways or roadways. Pedestrians shall obey the directions of police officers directing traffic and whenever there is an officer directing traffic, a traffic control signal or a marked crosswalk within three hundred (300) feet of a pedestrian, no such pedestrian shall cross a way or roadway expect within the limits of the marked crosswalk and as hereinafter provided in these regulations. ... Section 12-10. - Penalties. Any person who violates the provisions of this Article, which deals with the proper use of ways by pedestrians, shall be punished as provided in M.G.L. c. 90, § 18A.
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 12-1 of the Article 12 Pedestrian Control Regulations sets Chelsea's core jaywalking rule: whenever a police officer is directing traffic, a traffic control signal is present, or a marked crosswalk lies within 300 feet of a pedestrian, that pedestrian may not cross a way or roadway except within the marked crosswalk. Section 12-5 fills in the reverse case: where no signal is in place or operating, drivers must yield to a pedestrian crossing within a marked crosswalk, but 'every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway,' with pedestrians required to use a tunnel or overpass where one has been provided.
c. 90, §§ 14 and 14A, which separately require drivers to exercise due care around pedestrians and to protect blind pedestrians in the crosswalk. Section 12-9 exempts pedestrians engaged in work on a closed or under-construction roadway, municipal, state, federal or utility employees performing their duties, officers on duty, and anyone acting to avoid an emergency. All city officers, not just police, are directed to enforce the Article under Section 12-8.
Violations & Fines
Section 12-10 makes any violation of Article 12's pedestrian rules, including the crosswalk requirement in Section 12-1, punishable as provided in M.G.L. c. 90, § 18A, the same statute that governs penalties for disregarding WALK/DON'T WALK signals under Section 12-3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jaywalking illegal in Chelsea, Massachusetts?
Who has the right-of-way if there is no crosswalk nearby?
What is the penalty for violating Chelsea's pedestrian crossing rules?
Are road workers exempt from Chelsea's crosswalk requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelsea
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Jaywalking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle jaywalking.