Massachusetts has no statewide plastic bag ban or preemption, allowing over 160 cities and towns to enact their own single-use plastic bag prohibitions under home-rule authority.
Unlike many states, Massachusetts has not preempted local plastic bag regulation, and the legislature has not enacted a statewide ban. As a result, more than 160 municipalities including Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, and Somerville have adopted local ordinances banning thin-film plastic checkout bags or imposing fees on paper alternatives. These local rules vary in coverage, exemptions, and penalty structures. Statewide bills have been introduced repeatedly under MGL Chapter 21H but have not passed. Retailers operating across multiple municipalities must track local requirements carefully.
Local ordinances typically impose fines from $50 to $300 per violation, with escalating penalties for repeat offenders set by individual city or town bylaws.
Fall River, MA
Fall River prohibits all noises that menace health or interrupt sleep between 10 PM and 7 AM on weekdays and 10 PM to 8 AM on Sundays. The city's noise regul...
Fall River, MA
Fall River addresses barking and nuisance dogs under MGL Ch. 140 §157. A dog that is a habitual barker or creates a nuisance may result in a citation with a ...
Fall River, MA
Fall River regulates construction noise under its general noise ordinance provisions. Construction activities that create excessive noise are prohibited duri...
Fall River, MA
Fall River's zoning code Ch. 86 §86-441 requires parking areas to be set back at least 10 feet from front lot lines and from abutting residential property li...
Fall River, MA
Fall River regulates the parking of trailers, semitrailers, and large vehicles on city streets under §70-320. Commercial buses designed to carry 7+ persons m...
Fall River, MA
Fall River enforces street parking regulations under Ch. 70 of the Revised Ordinances. A winter parking ban is declared when 3+ inches of snow are predicted,...
See how Fall River's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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